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Big plans to transform Shrewsbury’s riverside revealed
Monday 23rd May 2011, 2:56PM BST.
Smithfield Road in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury’s riverside area is set to undergo a huge transformation under multi-million pound plans to create a new retail destination for the town.
Bosses of the town’s three biggest shopping centres and Shropshire Council are pumping cash into the project which will see new bars, restaurants, cafes and housing in a bid to fully utilise the area which runs along the River Severn in Smithfield Road.
The proposals also include an overhaul of the town’s Chester Street gyratory and an improved link between the railway station.
Detailed plans are being drawn up and are due to go out to public consultation in July ahead of a planning application which is expected to be submitted in December.
A report to Thursday’s meeting of the council’s enterprise and growth scrutiny committee says officials want to increase the quality and quantity of the town centre’s retail offering.
Objectives include a new hotel and department store.
The report says: “The Shrewsbury Vision Regeneration Framework provides an overall vision, that Shrewsbury is a distinctive, progressive riverside county town that is continually and sustainably growing and evolving and is extending its role and growing its influence with new uses, infrastructure, activities, neighbourhoods and relationships by building on its special attributes, character, history and quality of life.”
The report also shows plans to turn Frankwell into a small business destination and develop Abbey Foregate’s business potential, partially developing the council-owned car park in Abbey Foregate for office or employment uses in combination with an enhanced food and leisure offering.
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I think I would rather see the council maitain services than “pumping cash” into commercial development that will not provide a return.
Do they really think that by just throwing money at private developers that businesses will suddenly appear to fill retail units?
I went into town on saturday and the amoutn of empty units in the two shopping centres shows how desirable these units are, with their preposterous rates levies. If one were to remove all the charity shops from the town centre it would look even worse.
For crying out loud when will the council stop “pumping cash” into landowners’ hands?
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between the railway station and what?
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Not a lot of point unless you build the North west relief road and take advantage of automated parking that the Japanese have had for the last twenty years, instead of that pond that develops in Frankwell every time there is the slightest shower in mid Wales.
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I simple solution would be to build a bridge around the Chester Street/Ellesmere Road area across to Frankwell. This would stop a lot of traffic congesting along Smithfield road.
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Great news, much needed. I dont want to say it too early but i see some green shoots possible in shrewsbury with many stalled construction projects getting going again now, bring it on, we need to keep the medieval and victorian stuff, but so much of Shrewsbury is barren and derelict and awful 60′s buildings, we need massive regeneration, millions worth so lets encourage developers more
i for one welcome this
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Forgive me for asking, but the area in the photograph? Is this not the same place that was under 3ft of water a few months ago?
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i just wish for once they could build something vaguely ye olde worlde lokking like shropshire should be, even mock tudor or victorian style, i find it beyond me why no one can build nice looking buildings anymore, the morris people did so, why cant the council, the whole of the riverside is being modernised and its ruining shrewsbury
development is welcome of course in this economic times, but architecture must be beautiful to last for time, lets not repeat the 60s development of shrewsbury, we are not that desperate for construction yet, quality counts!
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Mock Tudor??? like the back of the darwin centre nice!!! when done correctly modern architecture can compliment the older buildings (the new theatre not being a good example)rather than pretending to be like them!
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Never heard so much council ‘ speak ‘ in my life. This vision is fatally flawed, there is no point whatsoever in overdeveloping the town, it will lead to a decrease in the quality of life we all enjoy, increased traffic and a clueless notion that by building more retail units business will spring up!?! It’s laughable to hear mention of our history, it’s this history that is at risk by such regeneration and if the councillors at shirehall could actually think for themselves they would tell officers to stick their pet projects and concentrate on investing in the retail units we already have!
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i thoroughly welcome this but agree with the comments re – flooding at frankwell car park, how can a mall here be a success when it will have no car parking for one month each year?
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“public consultation” that’s ok if the the council will listen to the public opinion.
Unlike they have regarding that thing next to the Welsh Bridge and that stupid thing in the middle of Smithfield Road
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As per usual lots of shouting without details of what the plans are. Yes there are issues that any development in the town will have to address but let us at least look at them before saying yea or nay.
After all the land around Welsh Bridge used to be swampy but we drive cars on the area now.
Yes the town has some dire buildings (and I include the theatre in that) but let us at least look to having something worthwhile to bring money into the town – and not just alcopounds from drink and drug fuelled Friday and Saturday nights.
But, Shropshire Council, if the people say no don’t foist the officers ‘grand plan’on us as we’ll be paying for it forever more
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I think this is excelent news for the town , I wish people would stop moaning about all these empty units when you look how many new bussinesses have opened over the last 12 months just take a look at other towns and you will see that Shrewsbury is doing very well and with this developement planned this will improve the shopping centres (which is much needed )
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what new businesses have set up? The Council needs to attract large business which will create 100′s of new jobs before they develop this, then retail can develop to serve the increased population, not the other way round.
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Maybe the most atractive thing to do would be to widen the river for a couple of hundred yards?
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Northern relief road please – the council take my money but I seem to have no say in how they waste it!
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why is it that all the little shops moan at tesco and out of town shops but the real draw is the Mall, this is killing our high st allowing people to shop in plastic neon air conditioned hell, with tannoy music and flourecent lighting i cant stand malls, give me an open air market any day
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I agre the architecture of the new theatre is ghastly but be fair to them, it was a steel shed (rusty) housing a polluting iron foundry before hand! so its alot better than before, equally no doubt they will stick up a posh cattle shed on this site to pass as a mall, but its currently derelict barren land, so surely its improving it what ever gets built their frankly …
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So this is where the Flaxmill dosh is going… great!!
I agree re the pollution and increased access to the town centre, it is chokka already, surely developing and restoring the Flaxmill – the first Ironframed building in the world!!! – is more important and could bring more tourism into the area. Plus, it is on a major route into the town centre and would make Ditherington much nicer for visitors and the people who live round there. That Bus Station ain’t pretty!!
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I agree re the pollution and increased access to the town centre, it is chokka already, surely developing and restoring the Flaxmill – the first Ironframed building in the world!!! – is more important and could bring more tourism into the area. Plus, it is on a major route into the town centre and would make Ditherington much nicer for visitors and the people who live round there. That Bus Station ain’t pretty!!
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After years if asking why Shropshire Council and SABC have been building offices on green sites such as Battlefield and Emstry, to which you will find half have been leased to Shropshire Council because the owners can not find tenants are they building more offices , and then in one breath stating they wish to have new Xmas lights to attract tourism they are going to use car parking space in Abbey Forgate for office accommodation, Hello , this will lead to a shortage of parking space and drive parking charges up again. I believe any one that sits on a council should pass an IQ test, its clear they have no idea what they are doing and panda to devolpers.
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i think this is sensible idea but it will need a section 106 agreement to put long term revenue support into the park and ride otherwise it wont be physically possible to access the mall due to the traffic gridlock on smithfield road and castle foregate,
i would support more parking around coton hill which is comfortable walking distance to town, the old pub would be good or use parts of the west mid show ground and then put a brdige from coton hill to frankwell hey
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Face [I agre the architecture of the new theatre is ghastly but be fair to them, it was a steel shed (rusty) housing a polluting iron foundry before hand! so its alot better than before, equally no doubt they will stick up a posh cattle shed on this site to pass as a mall, but its currently derelict barren land, so surely its improving it what ever gets built their frankly …]
The buildings there before did not destroy the views towards town from Frankwell nor the views of Frankwell from the town.
A better designed contemporary building could have protected those views but not for the theatre, the site was always going to be too constrained for that type of building.
Shrewsbury is dominated by small town thinking and anyone who tries to breathe new life into it is villified and driven out.
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