Retail park plans revealed

Developers behind a rival proposal for a major development in Oswestry have given a first glimpse of how the scheme could look.

Images released by Richard Burbidge show how its current manufacturing and distribution sites in Whittington Road and Unicorn Road could look if plans for a retail and leisure park are given the go-ahead.

Take a closer look at the images below

The proposal is to develop the site with a new supermarket, cinema, DIY store and new health and residential care facilities.

Any development, however, would rest on the firm finding and relocating to an alternative site in Oswestry.

The plans follow huge opposition to similar proposals by Liberty Mercian Ltd for the town's livestock market site, which many say will take trade out of the town centre.

A spokesman for the new scheme said the team had created an exciting plan for the site, which met many of the town's future requirements. The council commissioned a retail study which identified a need for an additional food store in Oswestry as well as extra non-food retail floorspace.

There has also been a long-standing desire for a cinema and the Primary Care Trust has outstanding requirements for health facilities close to the new medical centre soon to be provided in part of the Cambrian Works building.

Development Consultant Peter Vernon said: "A new food store, in particular, should significantly reduce the level of trade being lost to Wrexham and Shrewsbury, improving the town's trading position to the benefit of the town centre as a whole."

The plans are on show at the Memorial Hall in Smithfield Street on June 4 from 11am to 4pm and June 5 from 3pm to 8pm.

How the retail and leisure park in Oswestry could look.

Another image released by Richard Burbidge.