High street heritage funding for Oswestry welcomed

Councillors and business leaders have welcomed news that Oswestry is set to benefit from a share of £40m of government funding, after Historic England announced that the town’s bid for a High Streets Heritage Action Zone has been successful and is progressing to the next stage.

Launched two years ago, Heritage Action Zones (HAZ) aim to improve and revive historic high streets, and have already had an impact in places like Ramsgate and Sunderland.

A second round of funding was announced in October 2018 and a bid was made earlier this year by Shropshire Council, in partnership with the Future Oswestry Group, which also comprises Oswestry Town Council and Oswestry Business Improvement District (BID).

Becoming a Heritage Action Zone will help to support the aims of the Future Oswestry Group by tackling empty properties and enhancing the heritage of the town.

As part of the HAZ programme Shropshire Council will look to deliver a repair scheme for the key strategic buildings, look at converting empty buildings with mixture of uses including workspace, retail and restaurants on the ground floor, with residential units above.

There will be permanent enhancements to the historic environment including key shop fronts and a residential conversions programme for the upper floors of shop units to provide a number of new homes within the town, plus increased spend and an enhanced  town centre experience.

As part of the HAZ scheme Shropshire Council will engage with various partners through the Future Oswestry Group, Oswestry Heritage Forum, the Civic Society and residents, to contribute to an inclusive project.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for economic growth, said:

“This is fantastic news for Oswestry, which could thrive on its cultural and heritage offer but needs investment to enable this to happen. Our proposals aim to maximise the existing assets of the town to provide an enhanced offer to visitors, residents and businesses and look at how to create a vibrant place where people want to be.

“Building on the work of the Future Oswestry Group, we have an exciting opportunity to tackle and address some of the heritage issues and empty properties within the conservation area of the town. Through a strong place-based approach to management of the high street, we will be working with key partners to deliver this vision and to bring the town’s high street to life.”

Mayor of Oswestry John Price said:

“This announcement is excellent news and rewards the hard work that councillors and officers have put in over recent months. The Future Oswestry Group has had a really positive impact.

“Tackling empty properties has been a priority for local people and this investment will help to rejuvenate the town centre, protect the town’s heritage characteristics and make it a place where people want to spend time. We are very much looking forward to working with Shropshire Council and partners to deliver.”

Ian Follington, chairman of Oswestry BID, said:

“Oswestry is town with a proud history and a bright future. This funding will allow us to make the best of our heritage whilst improving the look and feel of the town for workers, residents and visitors. It will also encourage continued development and business investment in the town. Congratulations to the team on winning this important funding for Oswestry.”