'No highways problems' over 600 homes plan for Oswestry

J Ross Developments has applied for planning permission for the houses on a large piece of agricultural land between the town centre and the Oswestry bypass.

Residents living in eastern Oswestry have written to Shropshire Council saying they are worried that their residential roads will be used at ‘rat runs’ and that the local transport structure will be unable to cope with the extra traffic the development will generate.

In a letter to the council, highways officer, Mr Mark Wootton says that there had been worries about the strategic highway network but this had now been resolved.

The government has given a £9 million grant to Oswestry for improvements to two roundabouts on the bypass, the construction of a third roundabout on the Shrewsbury road and the creation of a pedestrian bridge between the housing and a planned innovation park on the other side of the bypass.

Aspirations

Mr Wootton said the plans included a link road between Shrewsbury Road and Middleton Road which met the aspirations for developing the area of land.

“There are no substantive highways issues that should prevent this application being approved as it is,” he said.

He said that the roundabout at the junction with the Shrewsbury road, the Maes y Clawdd industrial estate and the new development should be constructed before house building starts.

His comments come on the back of a host of objection letters from residents in and around the area, who fear the increase in traffic will create safety problems.

Susan Steward lives just off Middleton Road which, she says, will become one of the main routes into the town centre from the new houses.

She is also worried that Aston Way will be used along with Cabin Lane to travel north.

“Theses are narrow local roads and, if Highways England was concerned about the flow onto the A5, how much worse is it going to be for local residents.”

Another resident, Peter Avery also raised concerns, and wrote to the planning authority saying Middleton Road was single track in places while Aston Way, was on a completed housing estate used by pedestrians, school children, dog walkers and many other people. He added: “Buses cannot pass each other without going on the pavement.”