Oswestry Future Group wants to create a ‘pop-in culture’ for town

Shropshire councillor Steve Charmley is head of Future Oswestry, which has its latest monthly meeting this week.

Ahead of the meeting, he said there is

He believes there is potential for discussion on whether to re-open the likes of Cross Street to traffic to allow short-stay parking for cars as well as making areas like the Bailey Head more attractive on market days.

“We had this group set up in March 2019 – I chair the group and it includes Councillor Robert Macey, who is Shropshire Council’s member for housing and strategic planning,” he said.

“It has two members made up from Oswestry Town Council and two from the Oswestry Business Improvement District (BID), including Adele Nightingale who manages the BID.

“It’s about coming together to discuss problems in Oswestry and then find solutions.

“For example, we’re utilising experts in Shropshire about empty shops and properties and how best we can intervene in them.

“We have full access to officers in Shropshire Council, such as a a place plan officers.

“So we can use people to identify which long-term empty shops we can look at – we can see what the experts are telling us.

“BID has taken a survey of access to Cross Street, and it is something that has come up.

“We’re looking at what can change in the town centre, traffic-wise

“When Leg Street was closed, people could go through Cross Street and it is something being looked at – should we allow cars through and out through Willow Street, put in short-term parking spaces, and then create this pop-in culture to out town centre.

“We’re also looking at traffic regulation orders for areas such as the Bailey Head and around the markets. A lot of these regualtions were made 40 years ago, are out of date and we need to look to see how we can modernise them.”

provided updates on what is dominating the agenda for the group, which has full support from Shropshire Council.