FINAL concept designs for the makeover of Oswestry’s Powis Hall indoor market are expected this week.
The Powis Hall beat hundreds of hopefuls to win the makeover prize offered by a national newspaper and its partners, MyDeco, and members of Oswestry Town Council’s markets and car parks committee last week agreed to appeal to the competition partners to bring the plans to Oswestry and present them to the council and members of the public.
Addressing the committee last Wednesday evening, town clerk David Preston said:
“It was our assumption that they would come to us to present it (the design) to the council.”
The council has instead been invited to London to see the plans at MyDeco’s offices.
Members of the council agreed it would be preferable if MyDeco would bring Sir Terence Conran and Tara Bernard’s designs to Oswestry instead of, or as well as, sending a delegation of one market trader and the new retail markets and events officer David Clough to the capital.
MyDeco has confirmed that the final concept for the makeover would be completed by the end of February and would encompass a perspective sketch providing an overview of the proposals, development sketches of key proposals - such as alterations to stalls, specifications of materials and finishes and a set of guidelines to assist traders to maintain a well-ordered and organised market.
Though Oswestry Town Council has no responsibility for the project, the council’s facilities manager has submitted various bids for funding in an attempt to help see it progressed after MyDeco said the project was beyond the original competition remit, leaving a funding shortfall.