Jobs and housing boost for Oswestry as £9.3m government funding secured

New jobs and housing could soon be on the way in Oswestry thanks to the efforts of a number of local, regional and national organisations, who are working together to deliver potential housing and employment land developments in Shropshire’s second largest market town.

Led by Shropshire Council, the work involves Homes England, Highways England, The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Oswestry Town Council, the Environment Agency, Severn Trent, and Oswestry BID.

This week the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced the award of £9.3m from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) to improve the capacity of the road network on the A5 at Mile End and improve the viability of the planned housing developments. It follows a funding bid by Shropshire Council in 2018.

The proposed improvements at Mile End could also lead to additional employment land being identified.

Shropshire Council has been working with Homes England and Highways England to agree the proposed design of the Mile End improvements, and local stakeholder engagement is set to take place later this year before the preparation of a planning application.

Steve Charmley, deputy leader of Shropshire Council and Cabinet member for economic growth, said:

“A huge amount of work is taking place to develop housing and employment land in Oswestry and this involves a high number of key local, regional and national bodies, and the hard work of a large number of people. We’re delighted to have received confirmation from the MHCLG of the award of £9.3m to improve Mile End roundabout, as this will be key to developing the land around the island, which would see housing developed and jobs created.”