Planning Policy
The site lies adjacent to a designated Regeneration Site in the Oswestry Local Plan which covers the north eastern corridor leading from the town centre, focussing on the Cambrian Works complex and surrounding land...
...The Shropshire Core Strategy identifies Oswestry as the second largest town in Shropshire and the service centre for a wide rural hinterland. It proposes a sustainable urban extension on the south eastern edge of Oswestry to help meet the future development needs of the area. A growing town will need strengthened retail and leisure facilities accordingly.
National Policy in PPS 4 requires a sequential approach to site selection for retail and leisure development schemes as follows:
- Priority is given to available and suitable sites within the town centre;
- Secondly, edge of centre sites (up to 300 metres from the primary shopping area) that are, or will be, well connected to the centre;
- Considered lastly are out of centre sites with preference given to those which are, or will be, well served by a choice of means of transport, which are close to and have a high likelihood of forming links with the centre.
PPS4 Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth also emphasises the importance of accessibility by a choice of means of transport, especially public transport, walking and cycling.
The local plan shopping policies stress the importance of linked shopping trips between any new foodstore and the town centre in terms of the attractiveness, convenience and safety of pedestrian routes. Additionally, the availability of store car parking conveniently located will allow dual use of car parking for short-stay town centre use as well as shoppers using the new store.
The planning application for the Richard Burbidge site is accompanied by a detailed Sequential Assessment in accordance with advice in PPS4 Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth . It assesses four sites; the Central Car Park, Livestock Market, Victoria Road (JT Hughes) and Richard Burbidge against the criteria set out in the planning policy guidance.
The Sequential Assessment concludes that the only town centre site, Central Car Park, is neither suitable or available for a foodstore development. Its redevelopment would result in severe traffic congestion problems and insufficient parking for both the store and town centre. These factors led to a refusal of planning consent for a foodstore in the past. The Assessment concludes that the Richard Burbidge site best meets the sequential and accessibility criteria of planning policy. The site is located within a short walking distance of the town centre, with good pedestrian links which will be strengthened by the proposed walkway/cycleway along the disused railway line.
The site is a natural extension of the town centre, linking with the proposed medical centre and quasi retail uses within the Cambrian Works building, which will provide continuous retail/commercial/community uses between the town centre and the site. The location of the new car park serving the development will encourage linked trips with the town centre.
The Richard Burbidge site is within a comfortable walking distance of a large proportion of the residential population compared to the other sites and is accessible to the largest population by public transport with 27 bus services within a 5 minute walk time serving a wide geographical area. Direct access for buses into the site will also be made.
The site also has the advantage of being of sufficient size to accommodate a cinema for which there has been a longstanding desire in the town and which would not otherwise be viable.
