Four Oswestry alleyways set to be given new £175,000 lease of life

Four historic alleyways are set to be given a new lease of life thanks to Oswestry’s High Street Heritage Action Zone project.  

The Clawdd Du, Star Inn, Cae Glas Park and Herbie Roberts’ Way passages are all set to be given a major overhaul after the project secured a further £175,000 funding from Historic England.  

A series of consultation events were held in the town throughout the summer and now work is set to progress, making the passages more welcoming. 

Clawdd Du alley

At Clawdd Du, a solution is being worked on for better bin storage and the Cae Glas Park alley will be given a major spruce up, becoming an extended part of the park, with planting taking place and an enhanced entrance, signposting people inside.  

The Star Inn passage will be given better security and spruced up; while Herbie Roberts’ Way will also be given a major overhaul enhancing the courtyard. 

Samantha Jones, HSHAZ project officer, said:  

This is a major step forward for our alleyways project which is something we have been looking to do to help make Oswestry shine. 

Many of Oswestry’s alleyways have been neglected over the years and have issues so this project has given us the opportunity to speak to people who use them and then make changes to bring them back to life.

We are so grateful for the funding and it will help enhance the town centre and make Oswestry a much more welcoming place to both locals and visitors and we can’t wait to get started on the work early next year.

The HSHAZ project is a partnership project between Shropshire Council, Oswestry Town Council and Oswestry BID (Business Improvement District). 

The HSHAZ Project is tasked with looking at ways to regenerate the town through heritage, and it has been recognised that the alleyways play an important part in the history of the town, reflecting the medieval layout of the town, providing links between streets. 

About High Streets Heritage Action Zones 

The High Streets Heritage Action Zones is a £95 million government-funded programme led by Historic England, designed to secure lasting improvements and help breathe new life into our historic high streets for the communities and businesses that use them. 

Historic England is working with local people and partners to unlock the rich heritage on these high streets, through repair and improvement works as well as arts and cultural programmes, making them more attractive to residents, businesses, tourists and investors. 

Find out more: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/heritage-action-zones/regenerating-historic-high-streets/