Development Proposals
The objectives of this application are to:
- Provide funding to allow the relocation of Richard Burbidge Ltd to a site suited to its business needs, safeguarding 200 jobs in Oswestry
- Regenerate Oswestry’s important north eastern Cambrian corridor and kickstart further regeneration in this area
- Renovate the listed historic Cambrian works
- Bring new leisure opportunities for young and old, reviving Oswestry’s economy
- Provide a retail store to facilitate the footfall needed to deliver a new cinema and restaurants
- Not only meet the need for a new quality foodstore as identified by the Council's retail advisers (NLP) and the Retail Assessment carried out in respect of this development, but doing so with one of the country's first ever environmentally friendly foodstores.
The scheme is compliant with national, regional and local planning policy and will have a positive impact on health and should therefore be granted both planning permission and listed building consent.
Key Facts:
- The site is available, suitable and viable and can be delivered by 2012
- The proposal is in line with local, regional and national planning policy
- Confirmed operators are already committed including Tesco, Reel Cinemas and the Borders School of Gymnastics
Strong transport connections
- It is the closest proposed site to the town centre which is actually available and suitable
- The site is within 15 minutes walk of 8,000 people
- It is a five minutes walk to the bus station (27 bus routes) and £150,000 is being invested in the subsidised town centre town centre bus service
- A new, safe, off-road footpath will connect the site to the town centre in five minutes, linked by the proposed medical centre and Cambrian Works. It is a natural extension, not a competitive out-of-town retail environment
- There is no adverse impact on the highway network and it will improve an existing sub-standard junction
Economic benefits
- The retail and leisure uses will sustain the vitality and viability of Oswestry
- A foodstore is needed to deliver a cinema to provide new leisure opportunities for young and old, boosting Oswestry's night-time economy
- It will retain shoppers in Oswestry and attract new visitor spend
- The proposal will safeguard 200 Richard Burbidge Ltd jobs and create 350 new local job opportunities
- Investment to renovate the listed railway buildings will delivery community use. The Borders School of Gymnastics, and its 500 members, are committed to becoming tenants
Environmental benefits
- The proposals will regenerate a brownfield site, removing the issues of operating an industrial manufacturing site near to residents
- The high quality design Tesco Environmental Format Store is energy-efficient, harvests rainwater and uses sustainable building materials
- It will regenerate Oswestry's north eastern Cambrian corridor and historic Cambrian Works complex, improving the visual quality of this gateway
