Blog: Wait until you know Shrewsbury plans before criticising
Wednesday 1st June 2011, 9:25AM BST.
Blog: I can see the knees jerking from here, writes David Burrows.
No sooner do Shropshire Council and the owners of the town’s shopping centres announce plans for a major development alongside the river than every man and his dog jumps forward with an “opinion”.
Which is as it should be. But maybe wait until some of the detail is announced before denouncing the scheme, eh?
Detailed plans are still being drawn up and will not go out to public consultation until July, but already there have been (surprise surprise) voices of dissent.
“Doesn’t that place always flood?”
“What’s the point? Who’s going to come here?”
“Pointless unless you build the North West Relief Road.” (!)
“They better make it look mock Tudor so it fits in with the rest of Shrewsbury.”
I’ll take those points in reverse order.
Mock Tudor? like the back of the Darwin shopping centre? Cos that looks proper classy, doesn’t it?
North West Relief Road? Unnecessary. Traffic’s not that bad. More investment in park & ride.
Who’s going to come here? Build it and they will come (there’s a danger I’ve strayed into Field of Dreams territory here).
Doesn’t it always flood? Err, yes. Yes it does. Good point.
But that aside, shouldn’t we wait a bit?
What do we know?
Well, it looks likely the development will involved the “gap site” between the two big shopping centres. Doesn’t everyone agree that’s needed sorting out for some time?
Part of the scheme will involve housing. Y’know, that thing Shrewsbury’s crying out for.
And the Chester Street gyratory will get an overhaul. Yep, that road that causes all the chaos at rush hour/every time a bus goes under the railway bridge.
So, on the face of it I can’t really see why there is already so much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
But, like I say, the devil is in the detail, so I shall practise what I preach for once in my life and wait to see the full scheme. After all, I’m a naturally grumpy man. I don’t want to praise things before I’ve had a chance to examine why I should, in fact, be having a go.
Nowhere to park my giraffe, you say? Down with this sort of thing!
- Read Burrows About Town every week in the Shrewsbury Chronicle and follow him on Twitter @BurrowsAbout
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Hang on,”Every man and his dog jumps forward with an opinion.” Perhaps you should take a step back and maybe you might realise that it was in fact the Shropshire Star that published this ill conceived inflammatory article with a comment box at the bottom in the first place. Who do you think are going to purchase these over priced waterfront apartments, as I have witnessed on numerous occasions it will be those sizing down from Kensington and the home counties who’s primary concern is health care and a slower pace of life in their twilight years not your average shop worker from Shrewsbury.
Keep cramming people into this oxbow with little thought as to infrastructure and you will end up with bigger problems further down the line, but then that’s nothing new is it.
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“But maybe wait until some of the detail is announced before denouncing the scheme, eh?”
The problem with that idea David is that by the time the details are announced the plan is all too often set in concrete (as they say) and people could be left with a development that they do not want or like.
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I really down understand some people in Shrewsbury. A company in a time of recession is planning to spend millions of pounds improving one of the worst parts of the town centre creating lots of new jobs and all people can do is moan. Shrewsbury desperately needs to improve its shopping experience if it is to compete for trade and tourism with other towns/ cities in the area, such as Telford, Chester and Wrexham. Therefore this development would be a great boost the town’s economy and the quality of the town centre experience for tourism and residents.
I question the logic of designing the town and the local planning policy just around the needs of retiring people from “Kensington and the home countries”. What about catering for younger people’s needs (and I am just not talking about teenagers)? What about the 20 to 30 year old university educated age group which is leaving Shrewsbury in there droves. These people are the future of the town economically/ socially and they are leaving the town because of a lack of opportunities, jobs, entertainment and urban life style.
Lastly I also question the argument that we should not be cramming more people into the town centre. I stand totally at the other end of the scale on this point. If you are to house people anywhere in Shrewsbury the town centre is the best place. It has the MOST transport infrastructure of anywhere in the town e.g. the buses station which has buses going all over town, Shropshire and a direct link Shrewsbury Hospital (for those who need health care coming from the home counties), park and ride and a well connected train station with links to Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester.
It also has the most services of anywhere in the town e.g. retail, bars, pubs, restaurants, library, sixth from college, health care, theatre and a cinema. All within easy walking distance when you live in the town centre, which means planning policy will require less parking spaces for new residential units if any at all. Thus the impact from car use from new residential developments in the town centre would be minimal. Therefore if this scheme is designed to a high quality I think it could be a great addition to this beautiful town.
I would also like to point out that I have barely even scraped the surface of why town centre/ urban living is a good idea. So if you question the logic of town centre living I would advise you to read the following books;
I. Bentley et al, 1985, Responsive Environments; manual for designers, Oxford, Architectural Press
H. Barton, 2003, shaping neighbourhoods; a guide for health, suitability and vitality, London, Spon Press
The death and life of great American cities, (1961), Jane Jacobs
Tomorrow: a peaceful path to urban reform, (1998), D. Rudlin, URBED
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zz94 provides another typical example of a Shrewsbury blogger that is full of negativity. It is very easy to criticise from the sidelines but much harder to come up with some proposals that could make a real difference to our quality of life.
Shrewsbury has suffered from the likes of the Shrewsbury Town Resident’s Assoication who seem to want us to remain stuck in the 1950s. Our beautiful town has a fantastic asset in the River Severn that encircles it but it is also isolated from residents by a main arterial road. The idea that new public amenity space, restaurants and apartments could now link the town more fully with the Severn sounds great to me. I’m not going to deride a scheme before it is even out of the starting blocks like some people here! I look forward to seeing the plans in more detail in July.
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This fellow needs to get out and about a bit !
The North West Relief Road is most definitely necessary!
Obviously the fellow has no idea about the amount of traffic that uses the narrow country roads to skirt the town on that side, never mind the hundreds of cars and lorries that come down Coton Hill and St Michael’s Street and then head over the Welsh Bridge and up the Mount and up Copthorne Road (all far to narrow for the traffic that uses it) and in the opposite direction.
These roads most definitely not suitable for the HGVs that use them.
In future I think you should take your own advice and wait until more information is available before making statements that don’t stand up.
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Who are you and why is what you say important to us?
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Let’s just say some who have ‘ knee jerk ‘ reactions know Shropshire council very well and have seen it’s planners destroy and over develop near to every corner of our town, we have alot to loose in this town and SCC too often look at Telford, Birmingham etc and proclaim ‘ why can’t we be like that’ well the answer to that is clear in my humble view… We don’t want to be like that! an Overcrowded concrete box future is not something most of us want, our quality of life will fall and the only ones happy will be the developers pockets who will be on their way to destroy some more hertitage sites or green fields.
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pity voices were not raised in 1960 when the centre of shrewsbury was partially ruined. i refer to the destruction of the old shire hall in the square, the lloyds tsb building, the raven, the crown and morris’s restaurant etc. no planners in shrewsbury are to be trusted. the evidence is there for all to see
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The most pressing concern for me is the council are cutting services but still seem to have money to throw at “schemes”…
How much have they already spent before we even get the chance to be consulted? five figures definately, but probably six…
No money for front line services but always some expensive pipe dream to be working on justifying high wages for the privileged few, (not forgetting their gold plated pensions… naturally).
If the council is short of money the first thing to be cut should be these schemes and stuff like the monstrous slug thing, oh and the half million subsidy to the theatre… which many on here berated me for predicting when it was granted planning, and when it opened, strangely they are quiet now – must be enjoying their plays sunsidised by the tax payer.
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I’m questioning this supposedly generous ‘company spending millions’ not because I am a Residents’ Association fuddy duddy, but because I’ve heard it all before.
Will this increase opportunities for young people? Are there plans for attracting graduate level employment in growing industries? Will there be good commercial space, extensive parking, training? How about some reasonably priced incubator units for new start-ups in the town centre?
But we know we’ll probably get more empty retail space, poky little blocks of flats and grotty leftover open spaces.
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Steady on now, we’ll have no talk of young people within the loop please, they’re noisy and unwelcome..
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As long as they are not from somewhere like Sundorne or Harlescott, or – heaven forbid – Monkmoor – then I will not object to them visiting the town centre
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Cant keep wondering if you are really from Telford?
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That is such an awful, derogatory thing to say! Do not tar everybody with the same brush. If you want people to respect the opinions that you are putting forward in something that is seen as a serious discussion, then coming out with such a ridiculous comment will not get you very far. I’m from Harlescott Grange, was raised brilliantly well and am doing well in life. I’m completely offended by what you’ve just posted. How can you judge somebody on the basis their background?
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Let’s not forget that the shopping centre owners manage £76 billion of assets. The chances they go bust are slim. Of course, the plans could be pulled for other reasons, among them a lack of public support. Although I’d be very surprised if the Council passed up any redevelopment opportunity presented to them.
Empty shops in a purpose-built environment is unlikely. To invest so much money in a development, you’re going to want to be very certain in it getting occupied. We already know about interest from Debenhams, Primark and BHS (all with strong covenants). John Lewis Partnership are evidently interested in Shrewsbury with one Waitrose opened and another to follow. And where those companies go, others want to be.
You’d be surprised who wants space in the town (and our lovely poky buildings simply can’t provide it). The Council’s choice is to encourage knocking down character buildings to develop better units OR to support the redevelopment of the monstrosity which is Riverside. Inaction will simply only lead to decline.
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“Empty shops in a purpose-built environment is unlikely.”
Been to Telford lately?
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What they should do is in fact consult the council tax payers and ask for opinions before dreaming up an idea, or paying some one a large amount of money to come up with a number of ideas.
Instead you will see a few ideas put forward, if your lucky your opinion will be asked for and then they do what they want do ie the select few get what they want and a name plaque to boot.
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Great post Hughes and unlike Atcham Jack I do not agree Shrewsbury was ruined in the 1960s.
Telford mowed his road through the Abbey way before then and the Victorian railways built a station right up to the doors of this ancient building.
Barker street redevelopment resulted in a mass of 1930s pastiche,now getting dilapidated and not energy efficient.
Roads have desecrated the town far more than any 1960s planning and who’s going to complain about them?
Not everyone dislikes 1960s architecture, at least it is actual proper architecture and not a Blue Peter, sticky back plastic stone cladding disaster like our very, very expensive theatre.
Llangollen knows how to sell itself and combines attractive heritage with modern forward looking design and ventures.
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Sorry Eva, I have lived in Shrewsbury all my 70 years and agree with Atcham Jack,numerous books and photographs of Shrewsbury, tell the story of the true destruction of Shrewsbury in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Like Atcham Jack I remember them all, and what a asset to the town they would have been if they were still standing.
The Railway Station, the only building that the lower floor was built after the completion of the main building. hence the stairs up to the platforms. Just a bit of intrest.
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