Pressure is mounting on Shropshire Council to step in over a vacant shop that has blighted an otherwise vibrant town centre for over five years.
Bishop’s Castle Community Land Trust has launched a campaign for the council to buy the former Stars newsagent in Church Street for the benefit of the community.
The trust is asking for the input of town residents on what the shop could be turned into if its push for a compulsory purchase order is successful. It also wants to refurbish the space above the shop into two flats.
The building is in a prominent position within the conservation area and has been described by the trust as an “eyesore” and a “blot on the landscape” within the town.
Trust secretary Jonathan Brown said: “There is an acute shortage of affordable housing in Bishop’s Castle.
“We know from first-hand experience how this can drive young people to go further afield.
“We can ill afford to lose the very people that Bishop Castle needs if it is to remain a vibrant community.
“By turning the empty space above the shop front into two flats, let to local people in housing need, renovating the Stars can be part of the solution.”
The trust has pledged to pursue every avenue to get the Stars back into use, working with the town council, Shropshire Council and other stakeholders to “secure a successful future for the building”.
A petition launched last week has already been signed by more than 120 people and generated a broad spectrum of ideas as to what activities, businesses or community groups could be accommodated in the ground floor shop premises.
Ruth Houghton, Shropshire Councillor for Bishop’s Castle, said: “Post Covid-19 it will be hard work to attract visitors back to Bishop’s Castle so we need to make our high street as inviting as possible.
“By working together as a community there is a chance that we may be able to do something about this empty shop which local residents have been unhappy about for many years.”
Shropshire Council said it was working with the community land trust over the plans, adding that the authority was supportive of compulsory purchase where necessary.
Anyone wanting to find out more or help the campaign can contact Jonathan on 07497 142 485, or by emailing jonathan.starfish@hotmail.com. To sign the petition, go to savethestars.org.uk
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