Shropshire Star

Bid to kickstart Shrewsbury's New Riverside shopping centre plan

A top Government advisor is to visit Shrewsbury in a bid to attract overseas investment to help ensure the stalled £150 million New Riverside shopping centre project comes to fruition.

Published
An artist’s impression of the planned £150m New Riverside development in Shrewsbury

Nick Baird has agreed to tour the county later this year, the town's MP Daniel Kawczynski said today.

Mr Baird is the chief executive of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), a Government body which helps British businesses both export and bring in foreign investment,

His visit on November 5 comes after Mr Kawczynski pledged to work with Mr Baird to identify and attract foreign investors to the project.

Mr Baird will attend various sites to learn about investment opportunities in Shropshire.

He will also visit Shropshire Council's Shirehall for a presentation and tour sites earmarked for redevelopment including the planned New Riverside retail complex.

Ahead of the trip, Mr Kawczynski has asked council officers to draw up a list of the top 10 inward investment opportunities in the county to present to Mr Baird.

The MP said the visit was a key opportunity for local businesses and projects to secure overseas investment.

He said: "Nick's trip to Shropshire represents an excellent opportunity for local business groups to interact with some of the highest levels of those in government pushing British investment opportunities, products and services overseas.

"He has told me many times how keen he is to learn about what Shropshire has to offer. I am confident, however, that when he sees for himself what wonderful opportunities are spread throughout the county, his interest to learn will become an interest to support Shropshire in whatever manner possible."

He added that ensuring the redevelopment of the shopping centre took place as soon as possible was a "top priority" for him.

When the New Riverside plans were originally announced in 2011, it was hoped that work on the scheme to build one giant interlinked mall in the heart of Shrewsbury could start this year, with the centre being ready in time for autumn 2015.

But the proposals have been put back by at least two years, with construction now set to begin in early 2015, with completion expected in summer 2017.

If the scheme goes ahead, the Riverside Shopping Centre would be demolished and rebuilt with links created to the two other existing centres, the Darwin and Pride Hill complexes.The construction work and new stores expected from the redevelopment are due to create hundreds of jobs.

The possibility also remains that the development could include a new cinema within the centre, as its leisure offer is extended and retail reined in, although bosses at the centre have remained tight-lipped on the matter.

Despite the setback, the building's owner UK Commercial Property Trust has insisted it stands behind the project.

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