Shropshire Star

Town square flats plan criticised as 'boring'

Designs for up to 50 flats and a new restaurant in Shrewsbury's town square have been criticised as over-bearing and boring.

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People were invited to comment on the proposals for Princess House, which would see a major change in the appearance of the The Square in the centre of the town.

The public consultation has now finished but one critic labelled the design as "massive and over-bearing and uniform."

The apartments above the ground floor shops will include 12 penthouse flats on the roof and photovoltaic panels will be set up on the side of the building facing The Square.

The living rooms of the flats will look out on to The Square, according to plans put forward by Retail Plus Property Partnership.

Comments submitted on the Shropshire Council website have seen nine objections submitted by the public as well as two comments which were neutral.

Hugh Kent said: "I support the principle, but I don't like the design - it's too massive and over-bearing and uniform and boring. It is not in keeping with the micro medieval architecture of The Square."

Another objector, Jeremy Crabb, said: "It is rare that any town with such a rich architectural heritage as Shrewsbury gets the opportunity, twice in a lifetime, to transform for the better what is probably the most important and most visible site in the town.

"The first opportunity was a disaster, let's make sure the second time is a good deal better.

"It is good that the new building will be largely residential, that some parking will be retained, that it should attract even more high quality businesses to the Square. I think the design of the new Princess House is marginally better than its predecessor but then it could hardly be worse.

"However, it is simply not good enough."

Shrewsbury Town Council gave its backing to the scheme, as has English Heritage, although it requested the materials used be in keeping with the area.

Shrewsbury Civic Society also support the idea behind of the renovation, but say it has misgivings over the outer cladding of the development looking on to The Square.

The 50-space car park based on the first floor would remain, and an extension would be built on the High Street side of the building to accommodate some of the flats.

Offices currently based above the ground floor of Princess House include clinics, blood tests and podiatry services run by Shropshire NHS Community Trust, the Armed Forces careers office and the town's job centre.

In plans submitted to Shropshire Council, the scheme's agents, Stride Treglown, state leases for the offices are due to expire in the next two to three years and that current occupiers do not wish to extend the existing arrangements.

No timescale has yet been set for the project.

A statement submitted by Stride Treglown says: "The new scheme seeks to transform Princess House into a positive asset to the historic core of Shrewsbury by changing its appearance and, in particular, by breaking down the apparent bulk of the building."

The plans can still be viewed on Shropshire Council's website and will be discussed by members of the authority's central planning committee at a date still to be decided.

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