Talks due on future of Shrewsbury travel agent
Talks are due to take place over the future of a travel agents in Shrewsbury which is in line to shut to make way for the entrance to a proposed new £7 million car park.
The Thomas Cook store on Pride Hill lies on the site where a proposed 467-space multi-storey car park will open out on to the town's main shopping street.
Officials at Morris Property have submitted plans to build the car park.
But staff at Thomas Cook say they have no plans to leave the site and have a long-term lease.
Morris Property bosses said discussions are planned about the future of the shop and added they would be willing to accommodate the travel agency elsewhere in Shrewsbury.
Emma Staples, a spoke-sman for Thomas Cook, said the company was aware of the plans for the site, but added they were 'some way off' coming to fruition.
"We have got no plans for relocation at this stage. We have got a long-term lease," she said.
"There are seven staff and we wouldn't want any of them to be worried at all."
But Robin Morris, chairman of Morris and Co, said talks about the site are now on the cards.
"As owners of the building, we have recently been approached by Thomas Cook's representatives to discuss their lease," he said.
"In any event we would be happy to accommodate their travel agency elsewhere within our Shrewsbury portfolio if and when the shop unit is required."
If approved, the multi-million pound development will be built alongside the planned £150 million New Riverside development, which will turn Shrewsbury's three town centre shopping malls into one giant complex.
The car park will consist of 10 levels and replace a 69-space car park on the gap site between the Pride Hill and Darwin Shopping Centres which is already owned by Morris & Company.
By Chris Burn
