Telford shopping complex plans a step nearer
Thursday 16th September 2010, 11:25AM BST.
Plans to build a new £27 million shopping complex creating hundreds of jobs in Telford have moved a step closer after councillors approved the scheme in principle.
Plans board members gave the thumbs up to an outline application by town centre owners Hark to build the new development on the Red Oak car park at a meeting last night.
The scheme also includes a new public square, shops, restaurants, pub, bars and offices, as well as a 24-hour petrol station in the shopping centre.
Hark bosses said the multi-million investment would create between 400 and 600 new permanent jobs and 160 short-term construction jobs.
It said the development would also safeguard the future of the wider town centre — which employs nearly 3,000 people — by creating a flagship “anchor” store.
Concerns had been expressed about the loss of car parking, as well as the effect on the nearby Asda store while building work was taking place.
Councillor Nigel Dugmore, plans board chairman, said: “I was very concerned about the car parking but I think perhaps it’s more being able to get onto the car park than the issue of spaces.
“I do hope the applicant will look at that when it comes to more detailed planning.”
But Councillor Gill Green said: “We should be celebrating that we have a large organisation wanting to invest in our town centre during this hard economic time.”
Julia Bunting, speaking to the plans board on behalf of the applicant, said they had had many discussions with planning officers to try to resolve issues. She said: “We’ve done a lot of work looking at car parking.”
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Good, it’s nice to see Hark & the Council working together for once.
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Once it’s built, I give it 6 months before the kids trash it.
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It’s Telford what do you expect.
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That’ll be the first of the predictable moronic banjo playing anti Telford comments then.
Well done John i hope it makes you feel good about yourself..
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What an absolute load of pompous rubbish, this isn’t a council run (or not run in many cases) town centre, that means investment in CCTV and security. Go take a walk around Telford Shopping Centre, there isn’t a thing out of place – can you say that about your local high street? I can’t.
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Well done Hark nice to see mr Asda has not had it all his own way.
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What fantastic news! At a time when job cuts are everywhere we need more investment to make Shropshire a thriving economy!
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It just goes to show that Telford is a town worth investing in..
Good news..
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Give the jobs to the unemployed not people who “fancy a change”
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that’s true, the amount of people that just change from job to job when their bored, or people that have two jobs when some people cant get one.
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I’m sure the jobs will be available for any successful applicant whether they are employed or unemployed..
i’m also sure that the odd person will not bother applying because they like being unemployed.
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My word – I always thought it was a joke about Teford just being a shopping centre. But having visited there and now seeing these plans I can see it really wasn’t a joke. The place is a soulless concrete mass dissected by dangerous roads. Where is the character & heart seen in most Shropshire towns?
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Come again, only this time open your eyes, if you only go to the town centre then you will only see shops ( same as all town centres ). Only this town centre doesn’t have traffic jams..
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I don’t think you get the point of the comment. I believe the writer is looking for more than the copy & paste blandness of the shopping centre. Natural light should be the bare minimum for a start!
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nope, i’ve read it three times now and there is no mention about a lack of natural light.
Although on this occasion i shall come down to the level of Monkey and say
Ner ner ner ner ner, my towns better than your’ors
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Here we go again. Something else that councils and town planners think we need – a concrete monstrosity with no redeeming features or aesthetics, whilst at the same time acclaiming that we should be so grateful or how great it is. If we can’t have something that looks good or interesting, I’d rather not have it at all. I should look on the bright side though – it’ll be knocked down in about 50 years’ time, like Madeley’s 1970′s shopping centre.
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How is that concrete? It looks like its clad in timber and glass with the odd light-box and living walls. It is a far better looking supermarket than many others that are proposed including the already approved Asda on the site of the civic offices.
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Thats what modern buildings look like. Nobody builds Tudor (or mock tudor) buildings anymore and on the odd occasion that they do they tend to look even more ridiculous than a modern structure. You only have to look at the Darwin Centre in Shrewsbury to realise that.
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nice one telford, shrewsbury council would never have allowed this to be built, being pro business is good for a town
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I suppose you’re right. We will have to make do with our beautiful, historic, riverside town centre with a great choice mix of independent & national shops not to mention a wide choice of restaurants & pubs.
So the council wouldn’t build a shopping mall, so what we’ve got a lovely new theatre instead. Just goes to highlight the differences between Teford folks & us slightly more cultured people of Shrewsbury.
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” beautiful riverside town centre ” i didn’t know you lived in Chester
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It’s a town ……. next to a river ………… riverside.
Besides which, I think you’ll find Chester is a CITY – another well thought out comment from the brain of Telford!
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ok then, Northampton
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“Just goes to highlight the differences between Teford folks & us slightly more cultured people of Shrewsbury”
As a resident of errrr, Teford, my I take this opportunity, on behalf of myself and my fellow knuckle-dragging philistines, to thank the thousands of Shrewsbury people who manage to suppress their high cultural standards to come and work in Telford every day….
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Some shrewsbury folks may commute to Telford I admit. This is only due to the shortage of people in Telford who actually WANT to work. Someone has to pay in the tax for all your benefits claimants.
Sorry about the Teford thing – that’s predictive text for you.
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Oh yes because places like the Smithfield Road are full of architectural gems, not to mention the horrible new guildhall, plastic fake tudor shopping centre and brutalist market hall. I’ll give you the theatre though, it was nominated for a famous architecture prize – the Carbuncle Cup, clearly it is amamzingly beautiful.
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good one
i ll go there
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