Walking and cycling improvements set for Oswestry
Over £500,000 worth of improvements for walking and cycling in east Oswestry were announced by Shropshire Council today.
Some of the funding has already been used to complete a footpath link from Ascot Road to Harlech Road.
Other projects in the pipeline include:
• Improvements to Wilfred Owen Green to connect Coney Green to the Medical Centre
• A stepped path on Shelf Bank linking Queen Elizabeth Drive and the Wilfred Owen Green, and improvements between Shelf Bank and Unicorn Road
• A new path expected along the route of the disused railway line from Coney Green to Maesbury Road, creating a pedestrian/cycle link from the Industrial Estate to the town centre
• A direct footpath link between east Oswestry and the new leisure centre
• Minor improvements to the Watts Dyke path
• An improved route along Whittington Road, and improved refuge crossing at A5 junction
• Proposals for improvements for walking through Henley Wood
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for transport planning, said:
“These schemes are great and I’m pleased that we can now get them completed.”
Keith Barrow, Shropshire Council’s leader and local Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry South, said:
“This money will go a long way towards improving walking and cycling routes in the town, making it much easier for local people to get around.”
Martin Bennett, a local Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry East, said:
“I am really pleased that, at a time when public funding is so tight, we have been able to get some money from central government to help with these schemes. Some of the projects are ones that I have lobbied for, and to be able to say ‘yes we can’, rather than the more usual ‘sorry there is no cash to do this’, is great.”
Bill Benyon, a local Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry East, said:
“I walk my dog in some of the areas, and having spoken to my fellow walkers I am sure these projects will be very popular.”
Vince Hunt, local Shropshire Councillor for Oswestry West, said:
“I am delighted that this money is available to make projects happen that have such benefit to communities in Oswestry. Well done all involved.”
