Video view of Shrewsbury Riverside shopping plans

This is the first look at plans for the interior of Shrewsbury's potential £150 million shopping centre.

Developers behind the New Riverside project, which proposes to demolish the Riverside Centre and rebuild and refurbish the Pride Hill and Darwin Centres, made the images public as they launched an exhibition on the proposals for the mall in Shrewsbury.

Under the proposals, the three shopping centres will be combined into one complex, covering approximately 100,000sq ft.

The team behind the proposals, a joint partnership between Shearer Property Group and Ignis Real Estate, who acting on behalf of landlords the UK Commercial Property Trust, said their plans will bring an extra 50 shops and 10 restaurants to the town.

But the plans were given a mixed reception by people who attended the first day of the public exhibition.

Mike Downward, from Frankwell, said he was unconvinced.

"I don't think it will ever happen," he said. "Maybe they can fill it but people aren't spending any money and in the future they are going to be spending even less."

He added that he was not sure the project would be a wise investment.

"How long is it since people poured money into property and got clobbered? Even if it gets built, commercial property has been going downhill for years."

But the proposals were given a warmer welcome by Sue Hargreaves, from Riverdale Road.

"It will be really positive for the town. If it comes to fruition, it is going to be excellent," she said.

She added that the plans could be good for the local economy and welcomed the proposal for the site to include an underground car park.

Meanwhile, Vivien Byrne, who visited the exhibition with daughter Lucy, said she was concerned by the visual impact of the new shopping centre.

"It doesn't really respect the history of Shrewsbury" she said.

By Chris Burn