Future of community centre safeguarded by Oswestry council
Oswestry Town Council has taken over The Centre on Oak Street from Shropshire Council in a bid to safeguard its future for the people of the town.
Opened by Shropshire Council in 2012, The Centre was intended to be a state-of-the-art home for the town’s youth services. However, it has been beset by a number of challenges, not least Shropshire Council’s perilous financial position.
The condition of the roof is particularly poor resulting in water damage to ceilings, walls and other finishes.
Wanting to improve youth provision in the town yet recognising that the building needed a lot of work and was under-used, Oswestry Town Council listened to feedback from the community and began discussions to take ownership of it in 2022.
After two years of lengthy negotiations, a detailed survey that provided a list of defects that had clearly been ongoing since the building was first built, and conversations with tenants, Oswestry councillors opted to save The Centre.
The town council has committed to repairing the roof. Although this comes at a significant cost, the council aspires to create a vibrant community hub with a focus on young people, and to provide a secure base for community groups which include OsNosh, St John Ambulance, SYA and TNSFC Foundation.
The Mayor of Oswestry Councillor Mike Isherwood said: “As well as providing a desperately needed youth facility, The Centre has become a community hub for all ages. The prospect of losing such an important asset doesn’t bear thinking about. We had to secure its future, and to create an opportunity for more services to be delivered from it.”
Local resident Mandy Chase said: “It is a fabulous place to come. You meet so many lovely people, and from all walks of life. It’s somewhere to come and socialise. We all love it.”
Oswestry Town Council will be working with a lead partner to support the running of the building and minimise the financial impact on the council taxpayer. It has set aside £50,000 in the first year to cover initial running costs and £250,000 to cover the cost of putting right the building defects including the roof.
By Lois Winstanley - Contributor
