THE build-up to the next round of decisions surrounding the Oswestry supermarket proposals is already well underway.
The forthcoming meeting of Shropshire Councillors, which is scheduled to take place at the Marches School, Oswestry, on July 29, at 1pm, and bidders, are firmly under starters orders in anticipation of what should be the final push in their respective campaigns.
Richard Burbidge Ltd, JT Hughes/Guttercrest, J Ross Developments, and Liberty Mercian, are all vying to be the preferred choice of councillors.
However, the coalition of OS21, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, and the Civic Society are supporting what is quickly becoming known as 'The Fifth Option' - that there is 'no proven need' for such a development.
The Fifth Option proposes simply to leave the town as it stands, as the coalition hopes to preserve its current status and give existing businesses a better chance of survival after negotiating two years of economic downturn.
In December last year Government guidance was strengthened to give local authorities more power to refuse permission to inappropriate developments, especially if they could pose a threat to the vitality and sustainability of town centres.
In July the coalition aim to publish the results of original research they have been carrying out, believing that this is the first time real on-the-ground investigation has been done into how Oswestry's existing supermarkets trade.
Charles Green, of The CPRE, said: "The retail study commissioned originally by Oswestry Borough Council which triggered the superstore applications was in reality largely 'office based'.
"It relies on averages and estimates that simply do not offer sufficiently robust evidence on which to base such an important decision.
"If, as we believe, Oswestry does not currently need another superstore, then the Fifth Option is really the only option," he added.