Campaign group to hold public meeting on hillfort housing
Members of the public concerned about housing plans affecting Old Oswestry hillfort are invited to an open meeting organised by campaign group, HOOOH.
The move comes after HOOOH’s recent weekend of hillfort awareness events, prompting numerous pledges of support from local residents worried about the future of the nationally significant Iron Age site.
The meeting will take place on Saturday 27th February from 2pm to 4pm in Hermon art centre, Oswestry.
HOOOH members will provide an update on the campaign following Shropshire Council’s approval of the hillfort housing estate, known as OSW004, in its SAMDev local plan. There will also be a discussion of future action and awareness events as the hillfort debacle moves into its next phase.
Backed by a petition that has risen to 10,000 signatories, HOOOH is leading the fight against housing feared to be a foothold for town expansion that could eventually devour the hillfort’s setting.
Over 400 people took part in a Valentine’s Day hug of the Iron Age monument described by Historic England as ‘one of the greatest archaeological monuments of the nation.’
Objectors spelt out their feelings about nearby housing plans by forming the letters HOOOH – Hands Off Old Oswestry Hillfort – on the side of the iconic 3,000-year-old hillfort. A drone captured the scene, taking further stunning aerial images as people lined the hillfort’s plateau in a ring of protection, drinking in panoramic views of the landscape.
