Oswestry21

Extremely sobering interviews on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. John Humphries talked to Charles Bean, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, and to Sir Peter Burt, former governor and chief executive of the Bank of Scotland. Both answered questions in a very measured and cautious manner, enabling much reading between the lines for the perceptive listener.

Apart from the already apparent indications of drying up of liquidity, credit and disposable income, both spoke of an unlikelihood of an early end to recession, talking of the possibility of adverse conditions lasting “for years”, and drawing comparisons with the 1970’s and even the Great Depression of the 1930’s with the added concerns of rapidly rising food and fuel costs. Charles Bean even spoke of keeping fingers crossed - surely a policy of last resort and one unlikely to inspire confidence in major town development nor take-up of space by retailers.

Of course, it maybe possible that Town and Borough Councillors have an access to some shaft of sunny optimism to which these two sober and concerned commentators from the summit of the banking world do not - in which case one wonders why they confine this knowledge to raising Oswestry Council Tax, allocation of wheelie bins and the odd pronouncement on pavement dog-fouling.

It would seem a matter of urgency for the town to face these economic realities head on, rather than to merrily hand it’s economic future over to outside developers and multi-nationals. Neither cheap food nor cheap oil will return, nor the certainties of exponential economic growth. An increasing degree of self-sufficiency in all aspects of production and consumption will need to become standard practise - for towns, cities and communities,  just as much as for individuals with an allotment, a bicycle and chickens in the garden. Transition Towns - express your interest now.

It seems more than timely to take the Transition Town issue further. This year is bringing so many issues to the fore - Peak Oil and energy costs, food costs, car use, the rural/urban divide etc., and we seem to have councils that have not, and are not, taking these challenges seriously.

OS21 think it is time to start to implement Transition in Oswestry and would like to gauge opinion and start to build support from those already on the OS21 e mail list and readers of this website. The aim of Transition Towns is to is to raise awareness of sustainable living and build local resilience to the issues mentioned above. For further information click on the Transition Town link here on on the list of links on the right of the page.

There are currently over 500 cities, towns and villages in the British Isles actively taking this step and a further 800 considering it. So it’s not exactly a radical or left field suggestion, and for a town like Oswestry to be not considering it at this time would seem to suggest a resolutely head-in-sand position.

Rob Hopkins, the originator of TT, will come to Oswestry to give a talk and advice on starting to get this issue on the agenda in this town. We can book the Memorial Hall and it would be good to see it filled with interested parties.

So if you are interested, you know any one or an organisation who would be interested, contact us at os21group@yahoo.com and leave an expression of interest by commenting below and we will take it further by arranging a meeting and discussion with Rob Hopkins.

Does Oswestry really need a hypermarket three times the size of Sainsburys, (whether at the Smithfield or Burbidges), which will retail food, electrical goods, chemists goods and clothes? What effect will this have on the town centre?

How does such large scale retail promote authentic choice when the effect it has is to force out independent retailers and the variety that they provide?

When an out of town Safeways opened in Leominster the number of empty shops rose from 16 to 36 in 5 years and the town unfortunately found itself qualifying for £2.2 million of Single Regeneration Budget funds as a result of town centre decline.

www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2000/fulltext/446a13.1.pdf

The need for increased retail is recognised and there are alternatives. Smaller, varied outlets within and nearer the town centre of scale in keeping with the size of the town and it’s population. (e.g. M and S, Somerfield opening in the old Choices building).

At a time of steeply rising oil prices and declining resources after peak oil, is such car dependent consumerism wise planning for the next 20 years?

It’s time for Oswestry to become pro-active; traders need to coalesce and face development and economic challenges together. It’s time the town demanded a Town Council that was voted in on merit and not longevity of tenure, that didn’t whiff of nepotism and self interest, and that had a genuine and visionary interest in dealing with a post peak oil town at a time of huge environmental and economic change.

Is it not time for Oswestry to join the other 50+ towns and cities in the British Isles which are realistically facing the challenges of peak oil and climate change and become a Transition Town?

http://www.transitiontowns.org/

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin