Star’s front row seat for sporting history
- Local newspaper week
New Riverside plans impressive, but get those kids off the steps
Monday 13th February 2012, 8:00AM GMT.
This is the view of what the £150 million New Riverside centre could look like from Smithfield Road
New images have emerged this week of what the New Riverside shopping centre will look like. And given that developments ALWAYS look like artists impressions, we can pretty much be guaranteed that that’s how it will end up writes Dave Burrows.
So what do we learn from this new image?
Well, firstly, the new centre will have stairs. A LOT of stairs. Maybe it’s part of a Government scheme towards more exercise. Or maybe it’s simply a way of encouraging lazy people to go into the shops so they can then get from one level to the other using the escalators and lifts which will no doubt be inside.
In fact, judging by the artist’s impression, the main purpose of the steps is not as steps at all, but as seats where young girls can sit and gossip (why lads aren’t allowed to sit on the stairs is beyond me. Maybe cos they’re all still on Pride Hill sitting on that planter outside McDonalds). What a good use of steps.
Let’s face it, there nothing better when you’re in a hurry, loaded down with shopping bags, than a load of kids getting in your way as they chat about Justin Bieber.
The other thing we learn is that the new development will take advantage of Britain’s famously reliable climate. There are roof top eating areas with parasols which certainly won’t blow off in a gust of wind (hopefully hitting the kids sitting on the stairs below) and many other areas which are open to the elements.
But, as the artist’s impression clearly shows, there are nothing but blue skies in Shrewsbury. Just once, for the heck of it, I would love to see a computer rendering of a new development in the pouring rain. Make that look lovely, developery people. I dare you.
But all cheap cynicism aside, I think the New Riverside is looking pretty good. A £150 million revamp of the town’s shopping experience, bring 700 jobs and hopefully taking people away from rival shopping areas like Chester.
Work could, finally, start next year, which gives the town plenty of time to make more of the river and Quarry so that Shrewsbury will at last be a medieval town which understands the needs of its 21st Century residents and visitors.
Sponsored Links
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Will look nothing like this artist impression , as for the odd child siting down i do not think those are steps? they are sat on , the steps are to each side , could they be built in seating ??.Lot of imagination wasted here .
Report abuse
Good spot! Each of those ‘steps’ in the foreground is equal to two of the steps to either side so they must be an architectural feature designed for people to sit on.
Report abuse
We haven’t developed up to the river in the same way Chester or even Llangollen has and it’s too late now. Anyway, another Temple to the Holy Quid on the way I see, is buying stuff the only way to happiness and contentment. Are there really no other ways of developing our town and our society?
Report abuse
Reminds me a little of Liverpool. However, the concrete block of a department store to the left looks depressingly like the 1960′s monstrosities which we’ve been all to eager to demolish!
Report abuse
The steps are obviously designed as the new “seat of learning” for our students, who currently seem to spend most of the day on Pride Hill. Poor old McDonald’s, what will they do with all those empty seats?
Report abuse
Students have to eat!!, educate yourself on how college works it is not five days a weeks 8-45am-3-30pm that is school, classes are split through out the day you may have some in the morning and none in the afternoon or free periods etc and surprise surprise students have to hang around for a bus or train to get home ,and add to that they are paying for the food etc .
Sorry for rant guys just hate thick people.
Report abuse
May I suggest that before you ‘rant about hating thick prople’ you ensure your grammar, spelling and punctuation is 100% accurate, so you yourself don’t fall into the same bracket of those people you hate.
Report abuse
May i thank you for pointing out my poor grammar etc etc not my strongest point.
However please go and educate yourself on what a “thick” person is,It has nothing to do with grammar or indeed how intelligent one is .
Report abuse
Sally may i also point out your spelling error what is a prople??.Please make sure your spelling etc is 100% accurate before picking faults with others.
Report abuse
Fine comment Sally. Pity you can’t spell people !!!!
Report abuse
is it a measure of dimension, biscuit?
height, width, thickness?
Report abuse
Andy it has many meanings etc , dont be so lazy!
Report abuse
“I just hate thick people” – unbelievably crass; perhaps a cull of those below a certain IQ? As grammar is not your strong point one can only speculate where your singular point of strength lies.
Report abuse
Not thick, just educated, unlike you Biscuit as your English clearly needs some revision. That apart, my experience of college, and subsequently university, was that it required a great deal of work both in class and out of it. If there is so much spare time between classes today then why can’t students spend it in the library, common room or college refectory? Is that too much like hard work, or just less “cred” than being seen all day in McDonalds?
Report abuse
Who cares where they’re sitting so long as they’re not causing any trouble. Same goes for any age group of people. Oh i forgot, it’ll automatically be assumed they are up to no good.
Report abuse
I quite agree, there seems to be plenty of space for people to sit, in London people sit on steps and there is still space for everyone else to get around.
Report abuse
I’m excited about this development! But, I don’t like the negative attitude towards kids on this.. Are kids really THAT annoying?
This Article is poor, you are too negativly bias!!
Report abuse
Short answer, Bex?
Yes! :)
Report abuse
Those who criticise our generation, forget who raised it.
Report abuse
Well i must say many old people assume age is an excuse for poor manners.
Report abuse
why no ramps for wheelchair users. We don’t always want to get into lifts and be inside all the time.
Report abuse
Can’t have ramps sorry , the fun police fear they will encourage youths to hang around with skateboards.
Report abuse
I agree. It doesn’t look very wheelchair, mobility scooter or buggy friendly.
Report abuse
This was my initial thought as well – but perhaps the planners thought it would stop a possible attack by Daleks – By the look of the development Shrewsbury planers still live in the 60/70s before Daleks could fly.
Report abuse
New empty boxes to replace the old empty boxes!
can you imagine the wind whipping through that canyon and the ice on the steps in winter?
No, not just scoffing,but where is the imagination? its just more same old same old to be knocked down again in 20 years.Where is the innovation to tempt tourists and me away from Telfords easy access? Is there a decent architect in the house???
Report abuse
the artists impression is a bit deceiving, remember the concrete slinky, towering above the trees, and look what we got!! A squat grey thing.
Report abuse
I think thats because when Darwin had his idea for the slinky those trees were but little saplings…
Report abuse
The Slinky wasn’t his idea.
Report abuse
Oh dear…
Report abuse
This along with theatre Severn will be the towns Market hall of the future, ugly, faceless and out of character, hope you are happy SCC for another blight.
Report abuse
As opposed to the delightful Riverside Shopping centre which it replaces…
Let’s be honest even if the shops don’t all get full at least they wil be better looking newer empty shops, and it will provide a boost to the local economy regardless.
What’s the worst than can happen???
Report abuse
Well aside from the negative comments (particularly about anyone under the age of 20 which is just servinc to reinforce older persons’ stereotypes) I think it looks good. Some useful comments made about additional seating and wheelchair access. This is out for planning consultation – if you want your ideas to be acknolwedged contact the Planning Department at the Council now while you have the opportunity. If you don’t you may just regret it!
Report abuse
You leave old people out of this, it was they who educated us to be racist, homophobic, and that children behaved better after a good slap..
Report abuse
Twisting my melon. Yes you are right, But it was a better country for it.
Report abuse
Nice one! Goodness knows why people immediately have to be so negative!
Report abuse
this new delvelopment is ment to bring 700 jobs to the town, can they actually say this will bring 700 long term jobs, no because i would be interested in knowing where there are goin to get the buisnesses from, we are in an enconomical climate where shops are closing as they are makin no money just losses, before this is built they should consider filling the empty shops that are in pride hill and charles darwin centres, riverside is ment to be knocked down to make the changes and merge the centre, what will happen to the shops that are in there, as the co-op has just been refurbished so that would be a waste of money, refurbin a shop to only go and knock it down again. do that have signed contracts to actually say that when the merge has taken place the bigger shops shrewsbury lack and we go else where for will definately move into shrewsbury, because unless they do it seems pointless building on a whim that the stores will move into shrewsbury, the rent on the shops will no doubt be through the roof as they need to make there money back somehow and no doubt the shops that are already in the centre will have a rent increse to compensate as well, which no doubt will close further stores down. i wonder if they have actually taken any of this thinking on board.
Report abuse
700 part-time, poorly paid temporary jobs
Report abuse
A job is a job who cares if they are part time or full time if you are unemployed etc go and apply and be grateful .
I would imagine this is going to take rather a few years to build, ooops more jobs created for the building sector currently on its knees what ever next.
We need to look to the future not wonder around like a load of negative thinking whinging zombies.
These shops will be filled, negative thinking by some on here from children to low paid jobs etc etc , i say to them get your acts together , applaud people who are actually trying to improve things , create jobs, etc and not just moaning in fact thank god for these people who go out and do.
Report abuse
You really honestly believe they are being built altruistically; by people trying to improve the local economy rather than as an investment for a developer!? Incredible.
Report abuse
0h for god sake they are a business at the end of the day grow up.
Report abuse
So we are agreed it is about profit, not about “making things better” as you originally tried to insinuate. Phew, for a minute there I thought you really were that gullible.
Report abuse
Local building trades ???? Major developments mean massive money for the same few ‘Contractors of Choice’, all of whom prefer to employ eastern E.U migrant workers. Shops create jobs only when there are enough buying customers which is why so many are empty.
Instead of ‘slagging off’ everyone who disagrees with You try joining the real world.
Report abuse
You negative world NO THANKS.
EU WORKERS that old chestnut mmmmm.
Contractors of choice , yes they have to big enough cant get bob the builder with a few laborers doing it .
Shops yep they will fill up and people will spend again.
Stop being so Negative it achieves nothing .
Report abuse
what a brilliant write-up
Report abuse
“But, as the artist’s impression clearly shows, there are nothing but blue skies in Shrewsbury”
And the sun is shining brightly in the, er, North West…
Report abuse
What a pointless and annoying article. Full of boring negative stereotyping. Also what planter outside McDonalds are you referring to? Didn’t they remove them all a few years ago?
Report abuse
yes why not build it but put and ASBO on it so no kids can go near it
Report abuse
Aside of the glaring omission of disabled people’s ramps next to the stairs, any benches for people to sit on or even litter bins, it sure does look lovely, I will say that.
It’s just a shame that nobody will go shopping there because of Shrewsbury’s crippling parking charges. That’s the only reason I haven’t visited your lovely town in years; the bank manager keeps declining the overdraft required to park for an hour…
You could build Disneyland in Shrewsbury but until the parking charges are reduced I won’t be setting foot anywhere near it.
Report abuse
Where are the fat people?
Report abuse
didn’t you know there are no such thing as fat people, only sizes 8-10s allowed.
Report abuse
Do not forget the all that extra revenue from over-priced car parks – a certain councillors dream.
Report abuse
what we need is a perfectly sensible moderate centre right policy of a curfew. After say 6pm, no under 18′s should be allowed anywhere within the river loop, if the police find them they can escort them home and fine their parents, that would make britain great again
Report abuse
Whatever it does or does not looks like while the car park charges in Shrewsbury are so high then the shoppers just won’t come in. £1.20 for an hour on Frankwell? that’s daylight robbery. Make it a pound for three hours and the shoppers will come back.
Report abuse
Clearly the design is based on the Cabot Center in Bristol which has similar stepped seats.
http://ourpressoffice.com/testdump/sapphirebalustrades/images/thumb/Cabot_Circus_-_Bristol_47-0.jpg
Report abuse
I remember the Artists impression, of Quantum Leap, so don’t worry too much, I doubt it will look anything like the picture.
Report abuse
dont be daft, shops without kids is like ice cream without sprinkles, who ever heard of a town centre not thriving with children, when i was 16 it was the think to do to go into town to meet friends on saturdays just to hang out, we saved our pocket money and bought cd’s maybe mc’ds maybe went swimming, used the local buses and local cafes, without young people this town would be dead
personally i find seeing all the college kids around town brings a sense of energy to the town and puts a smile on my face
back off OAPs, this town is for EVERYONE and children and young adults are part of our community and a crucial thriving part
Report abuse
Bex at long last some one out of this pathetic arguments of oap’s. The children and young adults help shrewsbury thrive with out them buisness’s would cripple only be m&s open!!
Report abuse