Shropshire Star comment: Room for us all if we get it right

Morrisons is planning to open a store on the Smithfield site in Shrewsbury Road, investing millions of pounds in the county. The news is a boost to the construction industry and to those seeking full and part time jobs in the area.

The scheme has been a long time coming and there will be considerable warmth at the prospect of development with the job opportunities and the boost for the economy that it will bring.

The site as it stands is an eyesore and to transform that land and turn it into something productive will be welcomed by many for the town after the previous scheme hit the buffers three years ago.

Of course, there are two sides to every story and some will ask questions about how many supermarkets one town the size of Oswestry needs.

There will also be concern among traders in the town who will be further squeezed by the competition they will face from one of retail’s big hitters.

And yet independent traders are fighting in a different sector of the economy. They offer niche products and high levels of customer service. Entrepreneurs and business people who own their own retail outlets tend to offer something different to major high street brands, supermarkets and online shopping concerns.

For some, perhaps, more important questions will be asked about what efforts are being made to rebalance the economy and bring more manufacturing to the region. Oswestry has a competitive service industry with plenty of retail and a high percentage of agricultural businesses.

Regardless, the news caps a promising start to the year for Oswestry.

The BID is now up and running, which should help support the town’s businesses, including its independent traders, while progress is being made with the Oswestry business park.

It is important that all of our market towns continue to develop and thrive at this most challenging of times. The prospects for Oswestry are certainly looking brighter.