Paint, stickers and historic features: New rules for shop fronts in Oswestry could come a step closer
Proposed guidance for businesses is set out in the draft Oswestry shopfront design guide, which includes tips on on paint colours, window stickers, and advice on incorporating historic features into a shop’s appearance.
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The guide will be discussed at Shropshire Council’s cabinet meeting this Wednesday (November 20) to see if an eight-week consultation could be launched.
It was produced as part of the successful Oswestry High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) project, which was completed in March.
This delivered a £2.1m package of enhancements within the town centre through a partnership between Historic England and the members of the Future Oswestry Group, consisting of Shropshire Council, Oswestry Town Council and Oswestry BID.
This included 11 new residential units, 16 enhanced and reinstated shop fronts, 730 square metres of enhanced commercial space, and 690 square metres of enhanced public realm. The guide was also produced in collaboration with the Oswestry and District Civic Society.
Documents released ahead of Wednesday’s meeting states that ‘poorly designed and incongruous town centre shop fronts form the basis of an increasing number of complaints to the council’s planning teams from residents, businesses and business groups, and amenity groups across the authority’.
The draft guide therefore has the potential to provide a template that could be adapted for other towns in the county.
If approved, the consultation would run from December (allowing for the Christmas break), with the intention to bring it back to cabinet for adoption early next year, prior to the pre-election period. Once adopted, the design guide could then be given weight as a material consideration in the making of planning decisions.
