Homes hope for Oswestry site plagued by vandals
Plans to build homes on the site of a former leisure centre that has become a target for vandals and arsonists over the past five years have been welcomed by town officials.
Oswestry Town Council backed the plans to build 46 homes at the site in College Road.
The premises have been empty since the leisure centre moved in 2011 to a new build a short distance away.
Town mayor Councillor Peter Cherrington said: "I'm 100 per cent behind it. There have been concerns over fire risk and vandalism, and now there's the opportunity to revitalise the area and create additional housing for Oswestry.
"We do need to work with highways and other agencies to make sure we address any concerns regarding access for the residents on to College Road, and we will talk with the college which is next to the site as some of the students do use the site to park at the moment. I anticipate that it will go through the planning process without any issues or objections and that we'll see work starting in the summer."
The Wrekin Housing Trust has submitted a planning application for a mix of two and three bedroom affordable homes for rent.
Sarah Bradshaw, who oversees a number of developments in the area for the trust, said: "If given the go-ahead, it would mean the regeneration of the area as well as the provision of much-needed quality, modern, affordable homes for local people."
The plans will be decided by Shropshire Council's north planning committee in the next few months and if planning consent is given, contractors Jessup Build will start demolishing the site in the summer. The new homes would be complete next year.
The leisure centre was built in 1976 and was sold by Shropshire Council after it closed in 2011, when the site was put forward as potential land for a new housing development.
Since closing the site has been plagued by problems including fires, break-ins and fly tipping. Police warned people to stay away from the site in 2014 amid rumours the building had been used by people sleeping rough. Arsonists were blamed for a fire in the building after rubbish was set alight.
Last year parents were asked to warn their children about the dangers of playing in empty buildings after a number of incidents in which children were found inside the old centre.