Oswestry21

We now understand that Shropshire Council have asked that all four applications be called in, that is - heard together by a planning inspector, probably at a public inquiry. Schedule and dates to be announced.

J Ross have lodged an inevitable appeal against the decision taken at the last Special Planning Committee meeting on the 29th July to turn down their application for a super market development on Central Car Park.

Their appeals can be seen here:The appeals have now appeared on the PINS website:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/appeals/search/“Search for a Case” using just “Oswestry” as the town brings up:

APP/L3245/A/10/2134748 – the appeal against the main application

APP/L3245/E/10/2134877 – the appeal against the conservation area demolition application.

The Planning Inspectorate have put this down for a “hearing” rather than for formal Public Inquiry. Which is surprising given the level of controversy and public opinion. A hearing would consist of a round table discussion between the appellants and the Planning Inspectorate about the pros and cons of the CCP development. This would appear to mean that a decision either way on CCP could be taken quickly, or it might mean that either J Ross or the Planning Inspectorate might push for a full formal Public Inquiry.

In the meantime the Special Planning Committee could, theoretically, have decided on the other three applications. Their next scheduled meetings are 23 September, 22 October and 18 November.

The schedule for the J Ross appeal hearing seems to be: “start date” is 2 September. By 16 Sep everyone who commented/objected on CCP should have been notified formally by the Council of this appeal. Copies of all those previous comments/objections will be forwarded to Robert Wordsworth, the appeal Inspector. OS21 and Coalition parties need to then submit, no later than 14 October, an electronic copy of any additional statement they wish to make, summarising their case.

A brief summary of the current state of play sifted from a  considerable amount of info. In the interests of clarity, if anyone who has a clearer understanding of the schedule and timings of this appeal process wishes to comment or correct, then please feel free to do so.

So - it ain’t over ’til the well stacked diva bursts into an aria…………………

A warning to Shropshire planning officers of things to come in Oswestry?

“It appears to us that Tesco is adept at making monkeys of planning authorities. We have cited examples that show their cavalier disregard for conditions imposed to protect other local businesses in other areas and it seems to us they are doing the same here,” says John Hall, Chairman of Shop in the Loop, which represents Shrewsbury town centre.

The Shrewsbury Chronicle, July 29

A full hall and an emotionally charged audience of 250 at the Marches School in Oswestry, today (Thurs 29^th) witnessed the Shropshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, reject the application for a new superstore and cinema on the town’s Central Car Park.

Although the Council’s own Planning  Officers had recommended that J.Ross’ bid be accepted, as the only ‘ in centre’  application,  committee members expressed serious concerns about the plan’s  design, the adverse effect on the local residents, and above all, the traffic implications including volume, congestion and safety. They voted by a majority of 8 to 2 in favour of rejection.

However, it had taken three hours, including a procedural adjournment, to arrive at this decision, and Chairman John Everall then took Council officers’  advice to defer until ‘the autumn’ consideration of the 3 remaining bids all of which are ‘out of centre’…….

The early dawns, summer’s fleeting arrival, the scent of bluebells and lilac in the air may all help to remind us that this year’s long winter may be over.  In the distance the drums of the developers can still be heard by those who listen for them.  A flurry of activity over the past two weeks from the four developers is our signal that life returns to the campaign.  So what the News Desk asked itself last night was, does OS21 make a difference?

Reading through pages of new submissions you will not see reference to OS21 but you will, if you have as we have, become students of the planning process see the effects OS21 has had on the debate.

(more…)

Tesco in Shrewsbury has been in breach of its restriction on sales space for non-grocery goods since it opened in April 2007 (as already reported on this site). However whilst its retrospective planning permission is being considered the illegal increase in floorspace is being defiantly added to with the area given to comparison goods now close to 50%. Across the country, planning officers are not prepared to fight Tesco.

As the Tesco/Burbidge proposal has sufficient height for the addition of a future mezzanine floor what can Shrewsbury Planning Department do to protect Oswestry from a similar breach? Probably nothing. Which begs the question what actually is the point of toothless enforcement officers?

But good news from Manningtree. On 11th May Tendring Council planning committee refused Tesco’s plans for a supermarket because the design was not good enough, the store would have a negative effect on the high street, and the traffic it would bring would cause unacceptable congestion.

Listen up, Shrewsbury.

J Ross’s final plans to make their proposed superstore on Oswestry’s central car park acceptable to public and planners were launched, two weeks ago, with absolutely no fanfare from the developers themselves. This is not surprising, given that it would effectively put an end to the free flow of traffic in Oswestry’s town centre.J Ross’s first proposals were rejected because the enormous amount of traffic generated by the store would have caused intolerable congestion on Salop Road. Oswestry would have stopped working as a market town.

In an attempt to ease that congestion, the new plans propose a new two-lane, one-way circulatory traffic system, cutting through the heart of the town.

Starting at the old Black Gate pub (now the Bull Ring), two one-way lanes of traffic will head north past English Walls and into Leg Street. They will then swing east into Oswald Road, where the present direction of traffic will be reversed. The two lanes will then lurch right, past Sainsburys on Black Gate Street. Here, two lanes will narrow to one, before broadening out into two again when meeting the traffic exiting from Sainsbury’s car park, and re-joining Salop Road.

This new system will in no way reduce the traffic generated by the scheme. But by doing away with the present mini-roundabouts, and replacing them with what is in effect one big roundabout, it is hoped to prevent some of the congestion at junctions.

What the amended application fails to mention is that the new system introduces a brand new source of congestion. Vehicles will now have to slow down and cross from lane to lane - a manoeuvre technically known as “weaving” - as they seek the correct position to leave the system by English Walls, Oswald Road or Salop Road.

At various points, lines of vehicles will simultaneously be weaving from the right hand of the two lanes of traffic into the left, and from the left into the right. This in an area of town where pedestrian activity is at its busiest. At some places - outside the Smithfield pub, for example - this double lane change will happen where there is a pelican crossing. As well as being chaotic and congested, roads here will be unsafe.

The merging of two lanes into one outside Sainsburys will also ensure prolonged delays as queues of standing traffic back up round the system.

Nick Scott, leading the J Ross bid, aspires to follow latest government policy, laid out in a document called Manual for Streets. Here is what Manual for Streets says: “Streets should not be designed just to accommodate the movement of motor vehicles. It is important that designers place a high priority on meeting the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.”

But the sole raison d’être of this one-way, two-lane scheme is to allow traffic to and from the superstore. Pedestrians don’t come into it.

The problem arises because a developer, motivated by profit, wants to shoehorn an impractical Birmingham-sized supermarket into a pint-sized market town.

They hope to capitalize on public exhaustion. Everyone who objects to the scheme has already written their letters. Can we summon the energy to write again?

The developers also hope to slip their application through by muddying the waters. This more complex proposal gives the illusion of doing away with the congestion that caused their last scheme to fail. As we have seen, it does nothing of the kind.

The amended scheme has a second, equally damaging consequence - which I will deal with in my next post.

It is vital not to let them succeed with this sleight of hand. A store of this size on the central car park would be entirely destructive to our town centre.

Don’t let them get away with it. Write objecting to the amended scheme to: Edwina Smart, Shropshire Council, Castle View, Oswestry SY11 1JR.

Peter Lloyd,

Secretary, Trinity residents group.