Oswestry21

The following contributed by Andrew Tullo. Excellent news for Oswestry, in terms of town promotion, tourism and sustainable transport. And shows what can be achieved by a group of committed individuals working together.  

On last Friday’s cold November evening over 100 members of the Cambrian Railways Society and the Cambrian Railways Trust crowded into Oswestry’s Station building  for a meeting convened by Nigel Davies of the Cross Border Tourism Development Group.

They were there to hear Rob Williams (Society Chair) and Henry Thomas (Trust Chair) give persuasive accounts of why it was time that the two groups take the further step of merging into one organization called the Cambrian Heritage Railways Ltd.(CHR)

In separate and simultaneous EGMs both groups then voted overwhelmingly to take this advice.

The CHR  will be a larger but leaner  group which can pool resources, avoid duplication and apply for much larger grants than has previously been the case, which will certainly be  required to achieve the goal laid out in the 2009 Railway Project  Plan ie;

To reopen the entire 7 mile length of line between Gobowen through Oswestry to Llynclys with the branch line to Blodwell, and create a railway heritage attraction unique in the UK.

Collaboration has meanwhile been established with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust to strike a balance between clearing the track and making it safe, whilst maintaining it as a ‘green corridor’.

There has already been loads of activity on the line this summer. Volunteers have been hard at work to clear the track to establish just what needs to be done to get trains running again north of Llynclys.

Only a week ago Shropshire Council and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers joined Society and Trust members in a major litter pick in Oswestry Station area.

There is a growing belief that the Railway is going places and can once again achieve a real and lasting impact on the economy and viability of this Railway Town.

Asked what we are likely to see in 2010, Henry Thomas confirmed;

·      building a ‘halt’ at Penygarreg Lane just north of Pant, so that passengers can alight and walk the short distance to the nearby Montgomery Canal. This will make an historic link with other features of the area’s rich industrial past.

·      work on a shed down at Llynclys which has just begun to house rolling stock and allow important restoration work on wagons and carriages to continue throughout the year.

·      trains to run by Easter in the Oswestry Station area which is being tidied and will complement the developments planned for the Town Green.

Meanwhile, local people are encouraged to visit the Station Building for more information and to use Buffers the new café and restaurant.

Oswestry has reason to be chuff, chuff, chuffed at the prospects…

www.cambrianrailwaystrust.com and www.cambrianrailwayssociety.co.uk

Only 3 months after Tesco open in Ellesmere, it’s the same story that’s happened everywhere else. Town centre shops all report sharp decline in town footfall and  takings.

Ellesmere, being a centre of canal boating, has been used to boat crew coming into town to buy provisions - where have Tesco built? Bang on the wharf, so boaters can stock up at Tesco and putter on their merry way. And this Saturday, Eden, the fruit and vegetable shop closes - due to lack of business since the Tesco opening. This follows the closure of a mobile phone shop which closed for the same reason. So flown in, chilled and processed veg and fruit replace fresh, local produce, part time jobs replace full time jobs and town centre decline starts to set in.

But of course that never happens, according to King Sturge’s Maggie Godfrey of the Burbidge application. So that’s alright then. We can go back to sleep here in Oswestry.

In recent posts, Oswestry’s unique position as a lively and vibrant town for music, arts and culture has been mentioned. It holds this status in North Shropshire and the surrounding region, and since the closure of the Shrewsbury Buttermarket, even more so. One venue that defines and supports this status is The Ironworks. It hosts music and performance events that you would have to travel to Chester and the NW or to the Black Country to see, and supports much of the local music and performance culture with local acts and events such as Umbrella Factory. It has been a hugely instrumental venue in making the cultural scene possible in Oswestry, enhancing the night time economy in strongly social ways and in building Oswestry’s reputation as a place to visit.

Due to a challenge by one neighbouring property, it seems that the Ironworks are having to apply for a variation to their original planning application in order to continue to operate as the type of venue that has bought benefit to the town. If these conditions are not granted, then it will be difficult, if not impossible for the Ironworks to continue in this way. It would appear that much of the challenge is based around soundproofing and extended hours - The Ironworks state that with regard to soundproofing “we had an exhaustive review last year and satisfied the requirements of the Environmental Health Department without having to impact upon the fabric of the building”. 

Extended hours up until 4 a.m. have been granted to a neighbouring licenesed premises - beyond the hours sought by The Ironworks.As The Ironworks state in their statement to  planners “The Ironworks is a highly regarded local, national and international venue and is an asset to the town.  It has been responsible for placing Oswestry in the vanguard of the development of music in Shropshire and Mid Wales.  Artists from around the world play here.  The Ironworks has taken Oswestry far beyond the geographical limitations of the British Isles………”

Today is decision day - the Council have recommended refusal, and it will be down to the Licensing Sub Committee to either comply with that recommendation or to allow the variation of the original conditions. It would be extraordinarily shortsighted to limit the function of this venue, or to see it close through lack of viability.  An appeal would be necessary if refused.

The Ironworks have a Facebook support group at www.facebook.com/theironworks

Good to see a small but enthusiastic consultation excercise going on today at the 5 acre site (Village Green) under adverse weather conditions. Shaun Burkey and another representative from Shropshire Countryside Services were there to question the public and local residents about their concerns and wishes about the site, and in turn to answer questions such as why it can’t stay as it is, cycle routes, how it would link with the proposed heritage railway development, biodiversity, landscaping and planting and what the funding might provide in terms of visitor attraction and youth facilities (mountain biking, ramps, seating etc).

It was a simple and straightforward consultation held under a gazebo under monsoon rains, and visitors seemed enthusiastic with ideas and suggestions. Good also to see Roger Date of the Cambrian Railways Trust, whose project lies adjacent to the site, taking keen and constructive interest. It brings hope to think that these two neighbouring projects, both now overgrown and neglected, could well provide an important focus of visitor attraction and leisure activity for Oswestry within a short time frame. Good luck and best wishes for both projects.

It’s a “good thing” that ice cream seller Josh Lentink has got so much support and publicity in the Tizer this week. It’s a “good thing” that we have the Cambrian Heritage Railways endeavouring to open up the line again from Oswestry to Llynclys and beyond, it’s a “good thing” that Powis Hall is about to undergo a makeover having won the Times/Mydeco competition, it’s a “good thing” that we have the 5 acre site/Village Green to make into an attractive, public access space, it’s a “good thing” that we have the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust and Shropshire Union Canal Society, it’s a “good thing” that we have an annual Food Festival - it is all these and more which all contribute to making Oswestry unique in ways which celebrate it’s history without it being a “precious” town preserved in aspic, and in ways which bring visitors to the town as well as making it a good and interesting place in which to live - and what they all have in common is that they are individuals or groups who have taken it upon themselves to fight for or to create something in which they are passionate.

If the town could see the same passion and belief in Oswestry  coming from the Guildhall and the new Unitary representatives, more true partnership, more transparent exchanges of dialogue, more collective decision making, it would serve to make the town purposeful, even better to live in and visit, and even more unique. If anyone wants to nominate any other aspect of Oswestry as a “good thing” - feel free. The fabric of a town gives people a place to live, work and play, but it’s the people who make the town.

In this new era of Unitary, when Oswestry is amalgamated into North Shropshire, without it’s own Borough Council and with shared status with Ellesmere, Whitchurch, Wem and Market Drayton, it needs to speak up for itself on it’s own terms, with a belief in it’s specific location, history and characteristics - and not allow itself to become another clone town/retail park/empty town centre statistic.

Over recent years, the Bailey Head market, run by Oswestry Town Council, has been in steep decline. 20 years ago, even ten years ago, it was busy, with a variety of food stalls and an excellent W.I. stall, but slowly it’s presence has dwindled and it’s function become less important. Curiously, this has come at a time when interest in “real food” and real choice has grown elsewhere in the country - to such an extent that this interest has instigated investment in town markets, and their value to local economy, tourism, town centre footfall and healthy eating is being increasingly realised.

Towns like Bury in Lancashire have invested in and promoted their market making it a regional shopping destination and one of the Top 10 Food Markets in Britain. More locally, Market Drayton is currently investing £500,000 in it’s town market.

By contrast, Oswestry’s Bailey Head market hall’s future seems uncertain, with rumours circulating around possible sale of the site for other purposes, a lack of vision and commitment at council level, historically shambolic stall rental structure, inadequate facilities, poor quality and outdated cafe - all of which have contributed significantly to the current sad vestige of what it used to be, and highlighting what it could potentially be as an important presence in a vibrant and varied “Historic Border Market Town”.

Most interestingly, there is an organisation called the National Association of British Market Authorities, who’s role is “………aimed at increasing the professional standards in the management and delivery of markets.”   and who’s website states “If markets are to remain an important issue for policy makers then the voice of markets must be heard at all levels of government and Nabma is ideally equipped to deliver this important role.”

This organisation, NABMA “operates under a service level agreement with Oswestry Town Council”….. (presumably for a considerable fee), “under which Oswestry provides all adminstrative, clerical and financial services………….. and all the staff at Oswestry Town Council contribute in some way to the effective operation of the current arrangements”. 

It seems noteworthy and incongruous that the Bailey Head market is so financially and promotionally underserved, and it’s future so uncertain, while under the aegis of a council which hosts an organisation who’s objective is to be a voice for markets at a national level.

As MP Owen Paterson has himself said on visiting Oswestry market in 2007 “………markets are a vital community facility and meet so many agendas in terms of business start up, healthy eating and local regeneration”.

If only the sentiments of Owen Paterson and NABMA could meaningfully and positively translate into a strategy for the Bailey Head just when interest in local food, good value, quality, variety, choice, small business opportunities, town centre footfall, local economy, tourism, town identity are all more important than they ever have been.  

Just a great atmosphere in the town on Saturday and Sunday - how a market town should look, feel and work. If Oswestry is to really live up to it’s sign-posted claims to be a “Historic Border Market Town”,  then this is the way it should be - and not just one week-end a year. And an out of town supermarket is simply going to be counter productive if that claim is to have any basis in reality.

Revitalise the market, encourage local entrepreneurialism, support local producers. Give the town something to be proud of, and which people would travel to and recognise and identify. The Food Festival is more than a one week-end a year celebration, it’s an example of the direction the town could take in the 21st C.

Enjoy the images! And many many thanks to all involved in making the Food and Drink Festival happen!