Oswestry21

FAIR COMPETITION? 

For Simon Hoare, representing the Liberty Mercian/Smithfield development it’s a matter of WHERE and not of WHETHER a development will be built. For OS21 it is a matter of SCALE as well as LOCATION, and for town centre retailers, it’s a matter of how a development will affect their TAKINGS and LIVELIHOODS.

If you don’t have an opinion now, you will certainly have one once one of the over scaled and inappropriately located developments has been built and in is in operation. Yes, you have an economic down turn, increasing oil prices, environmental issues and Parkright to contend with - but do you really want to see the chief economic retail zone of the town effectively relocated to edge or out of town as well - with FREE PARKING?

From The Times July 2006 -“FREE parking at out-of-town shopping centres must be abolished to save traditional high streets from terminal decline and protect the environment, a government commission will recommend today.

The commission’s report, Sustainable Transport Choices and the Retail Sector, which will be delivered to the Department for Transport today, calls for restrictions on the expansion of out-of-town retailing centres.”

“Given the growing problem of congestion and concerns about the environment, this behaviour is unsustainable,” the report says.“ Nor does the out-of-town retail model help engender social inclusion and accessibility for the wider community.

”The report claims that offers of free parking are “distorting the market” because high street stores are unable to compete.