Oswestry21

Fascinating piece in the Advertizer, 10th June, illustrating some oddly schizophrenic views from the Town Council.

A pension compamy, The Pension Trust, operating on the industrial estate, had made an application to Borough planners requesting them to “lift the condition that 30% of sales must be to the trade”. Councillors said that the current restrictions on how much trade should be allowed to the public were being widely breached. 

Councillor Martin Bennett said that out of town retailing to the general public had been allowed to grow  and had damaged town centre trading. “I would not think there are many premises down there which are not trading to the public”. Councillor Heather Bickerton said “There is more retailing down there than there is in the town centre. Perhaps that is why the town centre is so quiet”.  

These two Town Councillors are members of the council that have been negotiating with Oswestry Cattle Auctions and Liberty Mercian to provide a 40,000 sq ft sales area supermarket, a 5 screen cinema, 30,000 sq ft of non food retail floor space, 3 restaurants, a filling station and office space at the Smithfield. Of the three developments being proposed currently (Smithfield, Burbages, J T Hughes) the Smithfield would occupy the most out of town location.

This is an open and genuine invitation to both Councillor Martin Bennett and to Councillor Heather Bickerton to respond by commenting upon why an out of town supermarket and retail park will somehow not impact upon the town centre while the business of an out of town pension company does.

We will await your response with interest.