Heritage fund could attract more funding for Oswestry
More money could come to Oswestry's High Street Heritage Action Zone to celebrate the town's culture.
The zone has already won £1.25 million in funding to bring lasting improvements to its historic high streets through heritage led regeneration.
Now the team behind the project which includes Shropshire Council Oswestry Town Council and the Business Improvement District is bidding for extra cash from Historic England for a Cultural Consortium.
Action zone funding will be used to repair key strategic buildings in Oswestry, looking at converting empty buildings with mixture of uses including workspace, retail and restaurants on the ground floor, with residential units above. Among buildings targeted will be key shop fronts and a residential conversions programme for the upper floors of shop units to provide a number of new homes within the town and an enhanced town centre experience.
The Cultural Consortium led by the Future Oswestry Group was established in October 2020 incorporating local cultural organisations and community groups.
A report to Shropshire Council says that, following a number of online workshops with local groups, an application for additional funding has been submitted to Historic England to support the development of an exciting and engaging community-led cultural programme that will show case Oswestry’s heritage and culture to complement the action zone programme. It is proposed that Shropshire Council, would manage, monitor, and disperse the grant monies awarded.
The Future Oswestry Group are spearheading the development of the Oswestry Master Plan vision which will define the shared vision for the town following planned engagement with wider stakeholders, and will seek opportunities to
secure funding streams to achieve this vision.
Shropshire Council's cabinet, which meets on March 29, will be asked to authorise the seeking of any additional funds from Historic England as the opportunity arises.
Oswestry Town councillor and chairman of planning Councillor Mike Ishwerwood, said he was excited about how the heritage action zone funding could be used to make lasting improvements to buildings in the heart of the town.
