Oswestry's empty shops and state of disrepair 'cheapens' town

Neil Jenkins, chair of Oswestry Chamber of Commerce, criticised the poor state of Oswestry's Cross Street, after a lump of concrete fell from the roof of the Sports Direct shop.

Mr Jenkins said footfall in the Cross Street area of the town is affected by its lack of shops and appearance.

He said the former Burton building opposite Sports Direct and the former Clinton's Cards are in a "terrible state of repair" which he claims would "put off a prospective tenant".

"A lot of work would need to be carried out there, and if that puts off prospective tenants, then surely that actually affects the landlord in the long term, as tenants don't want to take them on," he said.

"It's a shame because that cuts the foot traffic through the town because it's not a very attractive area of town. It cheapens the town."

The block came down on Saturday afternoon and pictures were shared by residents on Facebook and Twitter.

Scaffolding is now up on the shop as repairs continue.

Mr Jenkins also said he was doubtful anything could be done about the general state of buildings without a change of legislation.

For a number of years Cross Street has been a strong concern amongst councillors and townspeople, due to its empty shops.

Last year Councillor John Gareth Jones contacted the property agents marketing the large, empty shop units in Cross Street.

He said the state of the empty shops was doing nothing for the image of the town, and in the wake of the drama this week, Councillor Jones said: "This demonstrates that we need to put more pressure on owners of these buildings to protect not only the buildings but the safety of the public."

Following the incident, a request for a structural survey was sent by Oswestry Town Council to Shropshire Council and a petition was launched calling for the councils to ensure the safety of buildings in the town's main shopping areas.