Project Benefits

By providing essential improvements the scheme will ensure the long term security of the livestock market that has been a feature of the town since the mid 19th century, and which attracts regular visitors from other parts of Shropshire and Wales.

Bringing an inward investment of £56 million from the private sector the scheme will underpin the local economy at a time when recession and the credit crunch are hitting hard. The scheme is backed by the Town Council who have confirmed that any financial gain they receive from the implementation of the scheme will be ring-fenced to provide community benefits for Oswestry.

Whilst workers elsewhere may be worrying about cut-backs and redundancy, those employed on the Smithfield site need have no such worries. Neither will they have to worry about relocation as the new Market will be constructed on the same site as the old. As well as protecting existing jobs the Smithfield Redevelopment scheme will also create around 800 NEW jobs for the area, with the potential to inject at least £9 million into the local economy in terms of wages and salaries.

The Smithfield scheme is built on hard facts and is totally within the control of the Project Team as ownership of the site is within the consortium and the requisite funding is already in place for the redevelopment. You can therefore be assured it will be delivered as stated.

A further reason why deliverability is so certain is that every aspect of the scheme has been covered before the planning approval stage - from securing pre-let agreements from occupiers that will underpin the cost of the new development, to identifying and disclosing the whereabouts of a readily available site for the relocation of the active business operation.

Proof of deliverability is essential to preventing delays in getting the scheme underway. Once planning approval is given, work on the Smithfield site commence immediately.

The provision of a 60,000 sq ft food store together with 40,000 sq ft of non-food bulky goods retail floorspace will compliment current provision in the town and acknowledge the Borough Council’s retail assessment. The proposal will improve choice and competition for the benefit of consumers whilst also attracting to Oswestry many of those shoppers who currently visit Wrexham and/or Shrewsbury. Furthermore, by attracting new shoppers to Oswestry and providing a FREE Town Centre Shuttle Bus service to and from the town centre and FREE 5 hour parking, the potential exists for new linked trips to be undertaken to the town centre, with spin-off economic benefits for businesses located there.

A 19,000 sq ft world class, state of the art, 5 screen Multiplex cinema and 3 nationally recognised family restaurants will provide much needed evening leisure facilities for local people who currently have to travel to other towns to see the latest films. Operators of both the cinema and the restaurants have been carefully selected to provide a wide choice for the community and cater for every generation. The size and quality of the Multiplex cinema, for which there is a widely acknowledged strong and pressing need, will reinforce the overall role and attraction of Oswestry. The late running Town Centre Shuttle Bus will also enable cinema goers to leave their cars parked and go into town for a meal or drink if they prefer, making a major contribution to reduced car use and emissions

The Smithfield site has secured the support of a national dental service provider. The new 6,000 sq ft dental clinic will have its own dedicated car parking facility.

Oswestry currently lacks substantially sized, quality office accommodation, with some businesses being forced to spread their staff across several different sites. The 15,000 sq ft Smithfield Business Village, with units available from 2,500 sq ft, will go some way to appeasing that situation and has already drawn considerable interest from the local business community, particularly those anxious to escape rush hour congestion in the town centre.

Designed to ease traffic flow through the town centre, decrease congestion at peak times and release town centre car parking, the highly accessible Smithfield site will provide separate parking facilities for Livestock Market traffic, shoppers, commuters and cyclists. Blue Badge and Parent & Child spaces will be located at key areas around the development. Parking will be FREE for up to 5 hours, allowing plenty of time to shop, eat, go to the cinema and visit the town centre all in one go.

Walking: The Smithfield site is within a 10-15 walk of the town centre and a new Pelican crossing will be sited at the main site access to make the walk safer.
Cycling: Dedicated path and cycle ways within the site will be linked to an existing cycle route that runs past the entrance.
Bus: Although the Smithfield site is already adequately served by buses, a free Town Centre Shuttle Bus service from the site to the town centre and bus station will be provided by the developers, Liberty Mercian. Three new bus stops will be sited at the food store, cinema and offices and a 'bus gate' will shortcut around the main entrance to reduce journey times and encourage trips to the town centre. The Town Centre Shuttle Bus will run Monday to Saturday every 15-20 minutes throughout the day, and into the evening to support activity at the development and town centre. A Sunday service will also be operated on a 30 minute frequency, again at times to support visits to the town centre and the development.
Taxi: A dedicated taxi drop-off/pick-up area will be sited at the supermarket, with an in-store Freephone facility from which to call a taxi.
Park and Ride: A Park & Ride scheme will operate every day except Wednesday market days, enabling workers to park on the Livestock Market site and use the free Town Centre Shuttle Bus after purchasing a competitively priced parking pass. This will ease town centre congestion and drivers' frustrations, as well as freeing up parking spaces for those shoppers who do want to pop into town and nowhere else.

Despite the scale of the Smithfield Redevelopment scheme the access has been designed to maintain current levels of accessibility to nearby residential areas. The existing site access will remain where it is now, as therefore will the access to homes on College Way. An extension of the 30mph zone further east on Shrewsbury Road will make cycling and walking a more pleasant and safe experience and promote ‘sustainable travel’. A new pedestrian, cyclist and bus infrastructure linking with existing travel provision in the area will maximise the effectiveness and continuity of local transport services and improve the through flow of traffic in the town centre. Attractive landscaping visible to passing traffic will flag the existence of this important Gateway to Oswestry. During construction every effort will be made to minimise disruption, although there will inevitably be some ‘pain’ for the gain!