in support of the 5th Option
CPRE Shropshire
Protecting Shropshire
22 July 2010
On the day they publish new evidence to show that a new supermarket in Oswestry is neither needed or desirable, the Keep Our Town Special coalition is calling for Shropshire planners to reject once and for all the four supermarket planning applications.
Mike Bullen, Chairman of CPRE Oswestry says:
“We fear that planners are buckling under the pressure from four simultaneous applications. They seem to be treating it as a beauty contest between the contesting applicants but planning law does not allow that. Shropshire Council can only approve a new supermarket if it is needed, if it is not out of scale, if it does not cause traffic chaos, and if it does not decimate existing town centre trade. The Council’s own advisers say there is no need in the foreseeable future for any of the schemes, but planners are ignoring this. The Central Car Park scheme is vastly oversize for a town the size of Oswestry and traffic gridlock is bound to result, but planners think it is of no consequence. CPRE has produced a number of very detailed expert documents that show their recommendations are wrong, but planners are just ignoring them. The new government says it wants communities to have more say in planning matters. More than 6,000 people have sent objections to the Council but these have been completely ignored by planners. How long can Shropshire Council go on ignoring what local people think?”
Saffron Rainey is Chairman of the Oswestry Civic Society. He says: “Oswestry is enjoying a great revival. Other towns envy our range of shops and the energy that local traders are putting into promoting them. A new superstore, wherever in the town it is located, will wreck the unique atmosphere of Oswestry. People come to our market town because it is not like so many other towns with uninspiring streets of chain stores. They come to Oswestry because it is special. Shropshire Council has a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep this town special. They must grasp it by turning down all four applications. They must support the fifth option of no more superstores in Oswestry.”
Today, CPRE Oswestry, Oswestry Civic Society and Oswestry 21 submitted two detailed reports to Shropshire Council planners.
Further Information
Unitary Planning Consultation | Regional Planning | Housing | Towns | Litter | Clutter | Tranquillity | Wind Farms | AONB
CPRE Shropshire, 11 Chestnut Grove, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1TJ
07771 801681. cpre@cpreshropshire.org.uk
Web design by River Tree Ideas