Call to 'get in quick' with regeneration plans for Oswestry
Oswestry town centre could be regenerated with cash from a government fund and £4 million windfall money from the town's former livestock market.
Town councillors say Oswestry is well placed to build up a project to apply for money under the Government High Streets Fund and have urged officers to 'get in quick' with a scheme.
It plans to set up an urgent meeting with Shropshire Council, Oswestry BID, the townscape group and tourism organisation to see how the town could put forward a scheme.
Business guru Sir John Timpson was tasked to look at Britain's high streets which led to the setting up of the fund to support the renewal and re-shaping of high streets and town centre.
The £675 million future high streets fund will support areas to prepare long term strategies for the high streets and co-fund projects including improving transport links, investing in infrastructure needed to support new housing and workspace development and the regeneration of heritage high streets.
Town clerk David Preston said putting more residential and work space around the high streets in place of under-used retail units was another part of the government's scheme.
"The fund provides an opening to explore with potential partners whether any local project can be promoted," he said.
Aspirations
"Already the priorities identified in the public realm strategy may be appropriate to take forward.
"In addition the town council can look to some of its own projects and aspirations. It could help the council to maximise the windfall money that it has."
Councillor Chris Schofield, chairman of the townscape group, supported the idea.
He said: "If we get in quick we could be in with a chance of getting some money."
After the council leased out land on the Shrewsbury Road for a supermarket and leisure complex, still to be built, it received almost £4 million from the developers.
Last month Councillor Duncan Kerr, who leads the Green Party on the council, said Oswestry needed to spend the windfall money because it was sitting in the bank losing money.
"In the current financial climate, our investments are gaining 0.46 per cent," he said.
"With inflation just over two per cent the money is actually diminishing all the time. It is my view we should bring forward some schemes to make use of that money.
"We need to actually look at getting the best out of this money."
