Oswestry Town Council would like to update members of the public on three areas of work in the Oswestry town; The Cross Fountain, the pedestrian ramp connecting Horsemarket Car Park and Castle Street, and the Public Toilets on English Walls.
The Cross Fountain
Members of the public may be aware that in May 2023, there was an accident which involved a van driving into the Cross Fountain, damaging it significantly. Due to the extent of the damage and the need to resolve liabilities the repair work has taken some time to commence.
Oswestry Town Council have enlisted the assistance of CBS ltd to restore the Cross Fountain. Due to the intricate work of the original piece, and the material that was used, there have been some delays in identifying the design and obtaining suitable materials. In some cases, substitute materials will need to be used. However, the design has been identified and materials have now been sourced and work has started.
This will begin with the plinth, on which the monument sits, and we are hopeful that this will be back on the Cross by the end of May 2024.
All costs associated with this repair will be met by an insurance company and not the tax payer.
Pedestrian Ramp between Horsemarket Car Park and Castle Street
Following a Road Traffic Collision, the pedestrian ramp has been closed due to significant damage to the safety railings. The railings have been surveyed and are now in the manufacturing stage. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2024.
English Walls Public Toilets
The work taking place on the public toilets on English Walls is nearly complete and the council are scheduling to re-open the toilets from Monday 22nd April 2024. The full refurbishment and inclusion of a changing places facility means that the internal layout has been changed. In addition to the changing places facility there will be 4 individual cubicles and 1 disabled cubicle available for members of the public to use. These will be controlled by a locked door system and payment can be made by either coin or contactless payment. On payment, the door will unlock to allow entry. Should there be someone already within the cubicle, the door will not open. For use of the changing places facility, there is a telephone number to call which shall return a code for entry. These facilities will be available, daily, from 8am to 4pm with only Christmas Day closure.
The facility had not been updated or improved since it was built 30 years ago and was in need of significant repairs to the roof, external fabric and internal facilities.
