£40m Percy Thrower deal will create Shrewsbury tourist hotspot

The daughter of TV gardener Percy Thrower today said plans for a new £40 million retail development on the site of her late's father garden centre in Shrewsbury will transform the area into a tourism hotspot.

Margaret Thrower said the inclusion of a new 60,000 sq ft garden centre at the Oteley Road site would be a fitting tribute to her father, Britain's first celebrity gardener.

The development, which will include a new Waitrose supermarket, is set to create up to 200 job.

The plans, which will go on public display next week, would see the existing garden centre demolished once the new centre is built to the south of the existing one.

The plans also include a 7,000 sq ft parade of seven shops and nearly 600 car parking spaces.

Miss Thrower said: "At present the Percy Thrower's Garden Centre is not a good tribute to somebody who did so much for gardening.

"The new centres are so much more modern and hopefully it should offer more to the customers. I think it's great it will be upgraded and rebuilt.

"It has gone past its sell by date, the floors are on different levels, the roof leaks and it can be a difficult place to shop in. When we sold to Garden & Leisure they said they were going to make the garden centre a destination for tourists to Shrewsbury. Hopefully this new development will make that happen.

"It is great news not only for the memory of dad but also for the town as a whole," she added.

Meanwhile,Councillor Jon Tandy said he was pleased at the number of jobs the development would provide but urged caution on the entrance to the site.

Before a formal planning application is submitted to Shropshire Council, the proposals will go on show to the public in the cafe at Percy Thrower's on January 27 between 10am and 5.30pm and January 28 between 10am to 4pm.

See also:

• Percy-Waitrose Shrewsbury plan doubles jobs boost
• Waitrose in deal with Shrewsbury Percy Thrower’s