Oswestry skate park land recommendation to be considered by senior councillors
Senior councillors are being asked to consider handing Oswestry land to the town's council to create a new skate and bike park.
Earlier this year a Shropshire Council scrutiny committee discussed a petition calling for the authority to hand over a section of unused land to the north of Oswestry Leisure Centre to the town council for the project.
More than 300 people had signed the petition and the committee agreed the proposal would be beneficial - and asked the council's portfolio holder to look at how the transfer could happen.
Now Shropshire Council's cabinet is set to consider the recommendation, potentially paving the way for the development to become a reality.
A paper prepared for next week's cabinet meeting, on September 10, says that no decision is expected at the meeting, but that a report is prepared for the October 15 meeting after considering the recommendation.
Oswestry Town Council has told Shropshire Council that it has the money to proceed with the project, if it can take control of the land.
The report from the scrutiny committee explained the support for the project from the petitioners, stating: "Local residents who attended this meeting explained how popular biking is to the young people of Oswestry, as well as the valuable mental and physical health benefits that having a skatepark locally would bring."
It added: "The petitioners confirmed that planning permission was granted for a BMX / Skateboard facility on this site in 2008, however this had not yet been developed. They also understood that Oswestry Town Council have prioritised this as an action, have the money to complete it, and have been negotiating with Shropshire Council on the subject of this land for some time."
The scrutiny report said that the creation of a facility would protect nearby wildlife currently affected by biking, but adds that safeguards need to be put in place so that the land can be reclaimed if needed for leisure centre expansion.
It states: "It is believed that the development of this pump track will relieve stress and damage to nearby ancient woodland and protected bluebells, as this area is currently being used by large numbers of bikers who are unknowingly damaging wildlife, such as a protected species of bluebells.
"The petitioner confirmed that these bikers are using this woodland as they have nowhere else to go in the absence of a facility of this kind.
"The petition itself states that Oswestry Town Council have the capital receipt for this and would be fully funding it themselves, at no cost to Shropshire Council, other than the loss of land.
"Members heard from officers that this land, approximately two hectares adjacent to the leisure centre, is not currently being used.
"However, there may be a future need for expansion of the leisure facilities or car parking for the leisure centre, so the design and location of the pump track would need to take this into consideration.
"Equally if the pump track is not well used or falls out of favour the option to revert this facility back to Shropshire Council would be beneficial."
The matter will be discussed at next week's cabinet meeting.
