What would you do with the match fund?

HERE’s your huge chance – what would YOU do with Oswestry’s £1.3m match-funded boost, spread over four years, for our High Street?

Me, I’d start with the gruesome twosome derelict buildings ruining otherwise lovely Cross Street, plus a little to restore Lawrences’ abused old shop.

MP Owen Paterson rightly observes it’s “great news” for Oswestry “for repairs to historic buildings, developing educational projects and boosting local skills”. As it’s not every day such a windfall drops in, all interested bodies must unite to seriously consider how best this ‘legal booty’ can be spent! And this is where you come in! Use my email of dpj.tizer@gmail.com with your suggestions and we’ll publish as many as we can. It’s incredible that we are one of only 69 centres nationwide to share the £93m proffered.

The money can transform disused historic buildings into shops, houses and community centres and help traditional businesses to better compete with online outlets. With a smile on your face, get thinking now!

Roads need shaking up!

MAJOR changes could be made to Oswestry’s roads and streets to ease traffic snarl-ups to help attract more visitors to our attractive market town. A task force will put our traffic set-up under the microscope to see how best it could be altered, while parking deregulation will be considered.

Future Oswestry is looking at all ways the town and its struggling retail scene can develop. Shropshire councillor Steve Charmley says several attempts have been held to help to identify ways to improve the town and these could be fed into the Future Oswestry probe. Two decades ago there was a major change in the traffic routes – including making Cross Street part-pedestrianised – which I and others hope persists.

New look for station cafe

GOBOWEN’S Station Cafe is reopening – with a fresh look. Derwen College students have been working with Teresa on ideas for the new menu. They say they would love customers to share their thoughts over what should go on the menu.

They recommend you pick up a suggestion form from the cafe or to pop on social media.

Extra bobbies is bright future

WHAT great news 10 extra police officers have been recruited to Oswestry police station, making a record number of 30 police officers now based there. It follows West Mercia Police’s biggest recruitment drive that’s to continue into next year. So our moans over the decline in the numbers of officers and Oswestry being the poor relation have been heeded and the future is bright!

More must be done to homes

THERE are 1,329 empty homes in Shropshire – causing the council to consider spending £36,000 a year on a dedicated officer to concentrate on the problem. Regulatory services manager Karen Collier reckons creating the new post is a “longer-term sustainable option”.