Last chance to have a say on Oswestry roundabout plans

A public consultation is open on proposed alterations to Mile End roundabout in Oswestry, which could see a new 'dumbbell' design created with the construction a second roundabout next to the existing one.

Under the plans, the second roundabout would be built on land owned by Shropshire Council – the Oswestry Innovation Park site – and then be connected to the existing A5 and A483, therefore minimising the disruption to the network during the construction phase.

Subject to planning permission, work could begin in July 2020 and be completed by March 2022.

The consultation, which opened on October 2, has been gathering people’s views before a planning application for the work is submitted. The consultation closes on November 1 and is available on Shropshire Council's website and at Oswestry Library.

Viability

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

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.