600 homes plan in Oswestry to give town 'boost'
Up to 600 new homes could be built on the edge of Oswestry in the next decade, bringing new jobs and a younger population to the region.
A planning application for 24 hectares of land between the bypass and Shrewsbury Road – known as the Eastern Gateway – has been submitted to Shropshire Council by landowner, J Ross Developments.
It says it would increase the vibrancy and vitality of the town.
The houses would be centred around a central green and there would be pedestrian and vehicle links to the town centre and to the nearby leisure centre and industrial estate.
There are also plans to build a pedestrian bridge over the A5/A483 to connect with a proposed new Mile End business park on the other side of the bypass.
Town and county councillor Peter Cherrington said that Oswestry was desperately in need of housing.
"I would particularly like to see more affordable houses in the town, that is what we are very very short of," he said.
"This development will be extremely beneficial to the town centre – with more families we can hopefully attract more shops, increase potential for the retail trade and bring a boost to the local economy.
"It will greatly benefit the nearby leisure centre and will also create jobs in the construction industry."
He said it was vital there was good transport links for people travelling into the town centre.
The land is part of the proposed sustainable urban development that sits within Shropshire Council's Samdev, the blueprint for future housebuilding in the county.
In its planning application the developer points out that Shropshire Council wants to see 137 new homes on the site by 2020 and an additional 232 by 2025. About 10 per cent of the homes would be affordable housing.
"Both housing and employment growth is vital to maintaining and developing Oswestry's position regionally," the J Ross design statement says.
