Public consultation to end on Mile End roundabout proposal

The current public consultation on a proposed second roundabout at Mile End in Oswestry is about to end.

A public consultation about proposed improvements to Mile End roundabout in Oswestry ends next Friday, and people are being encouraged to have their say before the 1 November deadline.

The consultation is gathering people’s views before a planning application for the work is submitted. The proposals and a questionnaire are available to view until Friday 1 November on the council’s website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved – and at Oswestry Library.

Oswestry Dumbbell Roundabout

The proposed plans include the construction of a new second roundabout, constructed on land owned by Shropshire Council – the Oswestry Innovation Park site – and then be connected to the existing strategic road network on the A5 and A483, therefore minimising the disruption to the network during the construction phase.

Subject to planning permission, work to construct the new ‘dumbbell’ roundabout could begin in July 2020 and be completed by March 2022.

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

“The development of housing and employment land within Oswestry has been heavily constrained by the existing capacity of the road network.

“These planned improvements will improve the capacity of the road network on the A5 at Mile End, and improve the viability of planned housing developments.

“Improvements have been made to the Mile End junction in recent years but these have only addressed existing traffic issues. The subsequent, significant increase in traffic means these further improvements are vital so that much-needed additional housing and employment can be delivered in the area.”

The preferred design option for Mile End has been agreed in principle through ongoing discussions with Highways England and is based on detailed traffic modelling work to assess future traffic requirements.

The planning application is due to be submitted in December 2019, before a final design is published in June 2020.