Oswestry mayor frustrated over planning policy rules

Councillor John Gareth Jones said the role of the elected member has diminished as a result.

He has pledged that Oswestry Town Council will refocus on planning to ensure that local voices are heard.

His pledge came after Aldi was granted planning permission for a new store on the town's Shrewsbury Road under officer delegated powers – despite objections from the town council.

Town councillors were concerned that an historic toll house will be demolished to make way for the supermarket and made an unsuccessful bid to get English Heritage to make the Gate House a listed building.

Delivering the town council report before stepping down after his year as mayor, Councillor Jones said: "We have experienced some major planning applications that have had a retail impact on the town.

"What has been frustrating is the change in the planning decision-making process which has meant the role of the elected member at Shropshire Council in planning has diminished with many decisions now being taken at officer level.

"In exercising our frustration over a certain application recently we even called for a listing of a property from English Heritage.

"It is clear that in the months ahead we need to refocus on planning, particularly with the significant local interest that is now been generated in some major local issues."

The mayor said as part of the town council's concern it had started to revitalise the working group looking at the Oswestry 2020 Neighbourhood Plan, which guides development.

"This is a key document in the life of the town containing a vision and town wide themes with priorities," he said. "There are many groups now established in Oswestry looking at similar initiatives and it is important that we develop a consensus of shared priorities."

Councillor Jones said the past 12 months had seen more pressures being placed on parish and town councils. "In Shropshire we have experienced, first-hand, the impact with the loss of our Council Tax Support Grant creating a hole of £46,000 in our budget.

"With a few weeks' notice of that loss it was a big hit but something that we have been able to anticipate and manage our finances around.

"Despite the loss of this funding, we have continued to have a very productive working relationship with Shropshire Council. We watch its agenda moving very quickly from being a provider of services to a commissioning council and we have been pleased to take part in some of the discussions about the future shaping of democracy at county level."