Re-use of Oswestry’s historic buildings discussed during Historic England visit
Back row left to right: Andy Wigley, Rob Macey, Jez Brotherton, Lezley Picton
Front row left to right: Eilis Scott, Arren Roberts, Adele Nightingale, Joe Bubb
Opportunities to support the re-use of historic buildings within Oswestry, along with possible future projects, were discussed when the Future Oswestry Group hosted a visit from Historic England last week.
The visit included a meeting, and a tour of the town with councillors, council officers and business leaders.
The Future Oswestry Group is a partnership between Oswestry Town Council, Shropshire Council and Oswestry Business Improvement District (BID). The Group has been working collectively to co-ordinate projects and activities and to develop project proposals, to help create and support a thriving town.
Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture, leisure, waste and communications, said:
“The visit was really positive and included a tour of Oswestry and the Conservation Area, plus a discussion about the Future Oswestry Group’s aspirations for the town. It was great to show the Historic England representatives around the town and talk about ways in which some of our historic buildings could be used in the future. I’m looking forward to continuing these discussions with Historic England in the future.”
Councillor John Price, Mayor Of Oswestry, said:-
“It was fantastic to see senior officials from Heritage England come to Oswestry, and they left seeing the same potential in the town that the Future Oswestry group sees. Positive, productive and full of possibilities, and I am looking forward to hearing from them again very shortly.”
Adele Nightingale, Oswestry BID manager, said:-
“The meeting was both enthusiastic and energetic, and a great example of how different organisations can come together to pool their resources, connections and skill sets. It was an opportunity for us to have feedback from an independent viewpoint, and it was re-assuring to the Future Oswestry Group that the aspirations and projects we are considering for our town were met with great interest, support and encouragement from Heritage England.”
Further information
Those joining the meeting and tour were:
Historic England
Eilis Scott, Assistant Regional Director and HSHAZ regional co-ordinator
Jez Bretherton, Heritage At Risk Project Officer
Shropshire Council
Lezley Picton – Cabinet member for culture, leisure, waste and communications
Robert Macey – Cabinet member for housing and strategic planning
Gemma Davies – assistant director for economic growth
Andy Wigley – natural and historic environment manager
Joe Bubb – senior project officer
Oswestry Town Council – Arren Roberts, town clerk
Oswestry BID – Adele Nightingale, Oswestry BID manager.
