New atmosphere as shoppers return to Oswestry
Oswestry’s independent traders say shoppers are returning to their stores and claim the town must use the impetus to re-invent itself.
While national budget chain Poundstretcher shut up shop on Bailey Street, as part of a nationwide store closure, other shops were welcoming customers back.
The town council is about to embark on a raft of measures to woo people into the heart of Oswestry.
Together with Shropshire Council and Future Oswestry Group it made a successful bid for £500,000 funding from the Historic England High Street Action Zone with matched funding from the town council’s windfall Smithfield money.
Private funding will also be used for some of the projects.
Those projects include a repair scheme for key strategic buildings, looking at converting empty buildings with a mixture of uses including workspace, retail and restaurants on the ground floor, with residential above.
There will be permanent enhancements to the historic environment including key shop fronts and a residential conversions programme for the upper floors of shop units to provide a number of new homes within the town.
As many people wandered around the town over the bank holiday Tony Lowry, owner of Pickles in Church Street, said: “Customers have told me how pleased they are to be out and about again. For them it is more than simply shopping, it is emerging from lockdown and integrating with others.
“So many have told me it is a delight to be out.
“We need to grab this opportunity to reinvent the High Street experience in Oswestry.
"A cafe here in Festival Square had really brought atmosphere to Oswestry with its outdoor tables.”
