Plans to tear up the road layout around Telford shopping centre and install a new two-way traffic system were today welcomed by the town’s MP.

David Wright said the plan for the box road around the centre was ‘exciting’.

A bid for nearly £9 million in Government cash is to be lodged so vehicles can travel in both directions on the main road which goes around Telford town centre’s shopping complex.

The four roads – Woodhouse Central, Lawn Central, Grange Central and Coach Central – form a square around the shopping centre and are currently one-way.

Labour MP Mr Wright said today: “I have lived in Telford all my life and seen the town centre grow over the years.

“I think people have grown used to the box road, but I think it is probably time for a change.

“Opening it up to two-way traffic is quite an exciting plan which should improve the accessibility to the town centre and enhance the plans for Southwater.

He added: “We now have to make sure we deliver this project in partnership with other major players in the town centre.”

The authority is one of 13 that has been encouraged to apply for cash from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet is expected to approve the commissioning of a full business plan to submit with the bid at a meeting on Thursday.

Changing the road layout is a priority in the Central Telford Area Action Plan, a blueprint setting out a vision for the future of the town.

The document claims the box road layout is detrimental to the town, saying it ‘encircles and segregates’ the shopping centre from the rest of the town centre, acting as a ‘barrier’ to the free and safe movement of pedestrians.

It is also claimed the road promotes high-speed driving, putting pedestrians at risk, while it is said to have a negative impact on the appearance of the town.

The cabinet is also being informed of a successful bid to the same Government fund for a smaller scale programme to complement the plan for the box road.

The Department for Transport has agreed to put £3.5m towards the total cost of £6.5m for the smaller programme, with the rest of the money coming from Telford & Wrekin Council and partners such as Network Rail and the NHS.