Saving Oswestry:
The Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners’ Report
CPRE Shropshire
Protecting Shropshire
Oswestry will become a bland town dominated by clone shops, says CPRE's Oswestry District. Current ambitions to develop large retail parks outside the town centre will destroy the character of an historic market town and put local traders, selling local goods out of business.
July 2009. CPRE says there is no need for out-of-town supermarkets at Oswestry
"There is no need for out-of-town supermarkets at Oswestry and they will damage the town’s existing town centre shops." That’s the message from Mike Bullen, Chairman of CPRE Oswestry and Charles Green, Treasurer, as the campaign group publishes a new critique of the retail studies that purport to present a case for the developments. "Oswestry is in danger of being swamped by one or more unnecessary and over-size supermarkets, and it could be the end of independent shopping in our town centre" Mike continues. "Do the people really want bland supermarket aisles instead of a vibrant market town, with local shops and their friendly staff selling local produce? No, they do not - but the planning juggernaut seems to be marching on regardless of what is good for Oswestry. It is a known fact that the arrival of an out-of-town supermarket always results in a net loss of jobs in the town."
There are currently three large out of town applications waiting to go before the new Strategic Regulatory Committee, probably on 8 October. A fourth application is expected for a large supermarket on the Oswestry town centre car park. CPRE Oswestry argues that there is no proven need for stores of the size proposed and that the proposed out-of town supermarkets would have a serious impact on Oswestry town centre shops.
CPRE Oswestry has updated its critique of NLP’s retail market analysis. It is still plain that NLP’s figurework and methodology, and therefore their conclusions, remain open to question. In particular:
- 'Leakage' from Oswestry Town has been misleadingly represented.
- NLP themselves say that their figures "should be regarded as broad guidance only for planning purposes". However, they give no sense of just how 'broad' those figures are, nor any sense of the margin of error within their figures.
- NLP’s figures are based on a theoretical model. Practical testing of the model shows it to be significantly flawed.
- The concepts of 'surplus' expenditure and 'overtrading' are open to question.
- The term 'comparison goods' is far too broad a term for sensible decisions to be made about what particular types of comparison goods might be needed.
- The market dynamics of Oswestry’s catchment area have already changed significantly since NLP’s study of March 2007, thereby reducing the need for more retail floorspace. This is demonstrated by NLP’s partial update of February 2009, which also indicates that their original estimates were too high.
- The current recession has reduced retail spending.
- There is no identified need for stores of the size proposed.
- NLP’s approach and figures have been relied on by the promoters of each of the three current retail planning applications and these three retail development proposals all carry the same weaknesses as NLP’s work.
Further Information
January 2009. CPRE rejects NLP's response
CPRE's report (below) was sent by Oswestry Borough Council to Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners for comment. NLP's response does not cause us to alter the four headline conclusions of our original report:
- every effort should be made by the Borough Council and its Planners to keep retail development within the town centre. Out-of-town or edge-of-town retail development should only take place if identified need for retail development cannot be met within the town centre
- it is grossly misleading, when determining supposed "leakage" from the catchment area of Oswestry, to include places such as Ruabon, Cefn Mawr, Baschurch, Overton and Llanfyllin in these figures
- NLP's original Retail Study does not make a case for either:
- a large out-of-town convenience supermarket, or:
- the need for any comparison shops to be built, outside the town centre
- all of the sites proposed for Retail Park development have been identified in the OBLP as employment/industrial sites. There appears to be no planning reason why change of use should be granted. As the NLP report states at para 8.21(iii), "pressure for further retail development within out-of-centre locations … would do little to maintain or enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre".
August 2008: Oswestry planners must not be guided by the NLP Report
Oswestry will become a bland town dominated by clone shops, a report by CPRE's Oswestry District concludes. Current ambitions to develop a large retail park outside the town centre will destroy the character of an historic market town and put local traders, selling local goods out of business.
In Appendix D of the Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners’ Report (NLP) produced for Oswestry Borough Council in 2007, various site opportunities for Retail Development were appraised. Only one site, and one within Oswestry Town Centre, was identified as ‘good’. However developers have put forward rival proposals for three different sites, all of which are outside the Oswestry town centre.
The development proposals are being justified by the conclusions of the NLP report. CPRE has produced a detailed rebuttal of the study and believe it would be disastrous for Oswestry if planners are guided by the data in the NLP Report.
The market town of Oswestry has been more successful than many other towns in keeping its character and identity. It has managed to avoid much of the blandness and loss of identity suffered by towns of a similar size. In addition to five convenience stores within the town centre, there are four butchers, two greengrocers, bakers, specialist food shops, florists, a number of other small specialist shops and a twice weekly open air market. If the current retail proposals are implemented, Oswestry will lose its character and become a clone of other towns scattered throughout England.
Conclusions of the CPRE report
CPRE has reviewed the Oswestry Retail Study and, together with the interpretation of the relevant planning policy, has concluded that:
The Study does not take into account existing planning policy. The planning policies of the Oswestry Borough Local Plan (OBLP), the West Midland Regional Spatial Strategy and the national planning policy (PPS6) all confirm that every effort should be made by the Borough Council and its planners to keep retail development within the town centre. Out-of-town or edge-of-town retail development should only take place if identified need for retail development cannot be met within the town centre.
The case for out of town retail parks is flawed. CPRE has examined NLP’s figures in detail and found them to be based on twenty seven assumptions, many quite unjustified. It concludes that the Oswestry Retail Study has failed to make a case for either:
- a large out-of-town convenience supermarket, or:
- the need for any comparison shops to be built, outside the town centre.
All of the sites proposed for Retail Park development have been identified in the OBLP as employment/industrial sites. There appears to be no planning reason why change of use should be granted. As the Oswestry Retail Study itself states (para 8.21(iii) page 38) "pressure for further retail development within out-of-centre locations … would do little to maintain or enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre".
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Does Oswestry need a Retail Development outside the Town Centre? A Review by CPRE Oswestry District. August 2008.
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