Shrewsbury Riverside plans ‘will bring 1,000 jobs’

Friday 15th July 2011, 6:09PM BST.

Up to 1,000 long-term jobs could be created in Shrewsbury if a proposed new £150 million shopping centre is given the go-ahead, developers today claimed.

The owners of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres are hoping to connect all three into one giant complex containing a department store, 50 new shops and 10 restaurants.

An artist's impression of how the Shrewsbury Riverside development would look

They say the development would provide a major economic boost for the town.

Shearer Property Group and Ignis Asset Management hope to begin development in summer 2013, subject to planning permission, with an opening date scheduled for autumn 2015.

Guy Shearer, managing director of the Shearer Property Group, said: “There would be a lot of people on the construction job –it will be hundreds and hundreds over a period of two-and-a-half years.”

He said more positions would also be created when the centre opened.

“We reckon we are looking at the creation of about 1,000 jobs, with employment for a lot of young people,” he added.

“It will bring new life to the town. The shopping offer here is not good enough and this could bring a lot of customers back.”

Mr Shearer said independent retailers had no reason to fear the arrival of the new centre, as it should bring more shoppers into the town who would spend money at their stores as well.

The plans remain on show in the Darwin Shopping Centre today until 5.30pm and will also be available to view tomorrow between 10am and 4pm.

A spokesman for the developer said more than 300 people attended the exhibition yesterday.

View more: Riverside news, Shrewsbury news.

1
leon

July 15, 2011 at 18:31

If you want to see roughly how this will look before it’s built visit the Cabot centre in Bristol

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2
Dan

July 15, 2011 at 18:41

No doubt these jobs will be advertised in Warsaw before Shrewsbury.

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- spencer
  
  July 18, 2011 at 17:53
  
  Possibly Walsall..
  
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3
Tom

July 15, 2011 at 20:33

I.E. minimum wage retail jobs – great just what we need !

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- John Howard
  
  July 18, 2011 at 18:11
  
  The article tells us that most of the “1000 jobs” will be temporary construction workers building the centre:-
  
  ‘Guy Shearer, managing director of the Shearer Property Group, said: “There would be a lot of people on the construction job –it will be hundreds and hundreds over a period of two-and-a-half years.”’
  
  After that there will presumably be a much lesser number of minimum wage retail jobs with “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” shops just like we have in the Darwin and Pride Hill centres today.
  
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4
mark rickards

July 15, 2011 at 21:15

what about the older people who will have to work till they are 70 will they get a job at new revamped centre or will that let the new image down?

like i always say talk the talk and you will get what you want. keep wasting council taxes money on rubbish ideas.

Dont for get to waste another few 100.000 on xmas decorations for the new high street as well. another wast money again.

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- Katherine deGama
  
  July 16, 2011 at 10:47
  
  Many friends from the South East come up to do their Christmas shopping here at the independents. A good display of festive lights nust boostthe local economy.
  Kat
  
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  - Andy
    
    July 18, 2011 at 12:35
    
    Independents?
    
    All I saw on my last visit to the ghost town, (on a saturday I might add and the place was dead!), were mobile phone and chairty shops… oh and empty units. It makes me wonder who, exactly, woudl come here from the “South East” unless of course you mean South East wales…
    
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5
Double Dee

July 15, 2011 at 21:33

This looks fantastic, and just what Shrewsbury needs. It is, however, far too ambitious for the town and will likely stumble at residents’ consulations.

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6
Grim Reaper

July 16, 2011 at 07:53

Absolute rubbish. And the inevitable accompanying “artist’s impression”. How many times have “1,000s of jobs” been promised by developers, across the country, in order to “con” local authorities into granting planning permissions for schemes which were unviable and which otherwise would not have seen the light of day?

Given the dire economic state of the country, where are the retailers to come from who will occupy the proposed new units? And even if any jobs are created (apart from those related to the construction of the scheme which will be of temporary duration)they will be poorly paid and part-time.

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7
spencer

July 16, 2011 at 09:28

No pleasing some people..

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8
Henry

July 16, 2011 at 10:54

A thousand low-wage retail jobs. Great. Just what Shrewsbury needs.

The town needs high-wage industries.

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- spencer
  
  July 18, 2011 at 10:02
  
  A jobs a job owd lad
  
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- Barbara
  
  July 18, 2011 at 10:10
  
  So as an employer would you be happy to pay £40k to someone who says ‘do you want fries with that?’
  These jobs are going to be in the service/retail industry,the only people that make money are the employers.
  
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  - spencer
    
    July 18, 2011 at 13:12
    
    Who’s going to build it, fluffy kittens
    
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9
HAM

July 16, 2011 at 13:56

Looks exactly the same as Cabot Circus.

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10
eva land

July 18, 2011 at 11:37

[like i always say talk the talk and you will get what you want. keep wasting council taxes money on rubbish ideas.]
Mark, these are developers proposals not councillors or the LA.

I wonder how it came about that land that belonged to all of us somehow passed into private hands but I think most of that happened in the 1980s.I assume that the land the shopping malls were built on was compulsarily purchased by SABC ie:on behalf of us all and then sold.

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11
twisting my melon

July 19, 2011 at 09:29

Welcome to Shrewsbury, a town of negatives.

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- The Original Jake
  
  July 19, 2011 at 10:42
  
  “Noesbury”
  
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- Henry
  
  July 19, 2011 at 13:58
  
  Or perhaps a town fed up of being a low wage economy? Retail is not the answer.
  
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  - spencer
    
    July 19, 2011 at 16:45
    
    I’m sure theres a lot of out of work construction workers out there that would disagree
    
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  - Black Country ex-Pat
    
    July 20, 2011 at 14:01
    
    Not every one can be a high wage earner! Plus, the high wage earners need decent places to go and spend their money!
    
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12
Tori

July 20, 2011 at 17:07

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a John Lewis!

For a Shrew living in Brum I say improve away, the town needs some investment & energy about it. Any complaints about the number of closed shops cannot be those to complain about this.

And, it doesn’t mean that independent shops are to be forgotten about. They DO still exist and I for one love them, they are the reason I would rather go to shrewbury than the bullring for a day shopping.

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13
David

July 20, 2011 at 23:55

I read lots of criticism about investment. What would folk wish the owners of these properties to do? Stop investment?

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