Business leaders in Shrewsbury have welcomed the prospect of Tesco footing the bill for a new town centre manager or supporting a bid for Business Improvement District status.

The plan has been put forward by Shrewsbury Town Council, which wants to see the supermarket giant offer financial support to town centre traders should permission be granted for the planned extension of its Battlefield store.

Among the ideas put to the company at a recent meeting of the town council’s planning committee are helping to fund a bid for Business Improvement District status for the town centre or paying for a manager of the area.

Peter Bettis, chairman of the Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said: “It sounds like a good idea and I prefer the idea of a town centre manager. I think it would help having a focus for Shrewsbury and having someone behind a manned desk anybody can ring.”

Phil Freeman, chairman of Shop in the Loop, said the idea of Shrewsbury gaining Business Improvement District status would be welcomed by traders, despite the town narrowly missing out on the title in 2008 when not enough traders backed the move.

More than 700 firms were asked to take part in a voting process, but only 319 did so – meaning that despite 52 per cent voting in favour of the plan, the measure could not be passed.

But Mr Freeman said: “If there was a successful bid for Shrewsbury town centre, it would be a good thing.

“Any town centre, just like any shopping centre, needs proper management. BID status seems to be the way to go and years ago we used to have a town centre manager.”

He added that it seemed necessary that the council would have to negotiate with Tesco on its application, as if the decision went to appeal, the local authority would lose the power to request things such as extra funding. It is a sad reflection of the of the way the planning system works, but that is the way it is.”

Local businessman Simon Airey, who was on the previous BID proposal committee, said he believed that any vote would gain enough support this time.

“The BID is a fighting fund – it is a war chest providing money that is ringfenced and can be spent. Obviously, there was some opposition against it, people didn’t want to pay an extra one per cent on their business rates.

“But during periods of difficult trading, it is more valuable than ever.”

By Chris Burn