Shrewsbury car park fencing plan prompted by tragic death of 18-year-old student is set for approval
Plans to install fences around the upper levels of a Shrewsbury car park following the death of an 18-year-old student are set to be given the go-ahead next week.
Shropshire Council's plans to install 2.4-metre-high fences on the upper levels of the Raven Meadows car park will be recommended for approval when they go before councillors next week.
The proposal followed a recommendation from Shropshire's coroner regarding measures that could be taken to help mitigate and prevent future deaths at the multi-storey car park following the tragic death of an 18-year-old Shrewsbury College student in September 2023.
Access to the upper levels of the car park has been closed off with fencing since the incident, and the car park has been subject to frequent security foot patrols.
The local authority, which put forward the scheme, also said it was hoped the new fences would also help tackle an increase in antisocial behaviour at the car park, which included youths climbing the building, and jumping the gap between the car park and the neighbouring Premier Inn.
According to the application, there were "several incidents" last year of youths throwing objects - including fire extinguishers - from the upper levels.
The car park, which was built in 1968 and extended in 1990, is due to be demolished in the fourth phase of the Riverside redevelopment, but Shropshire Council states that the structure could be in service for another eight to 10 years.
Throughout the consultation process a conservation officer from Shropshire Council raised concerns about the choice of a dark green colour, with a spokesperson from the civic society warning the colour could "draw unwanted attention to the austere fencing".
But a response to the concern said green anti-climb fencing was already in place on the top decks of the car park, with the colour having been selected to blend into the landscape views.
Recommending the plans for approval, the council's planning officers said the visual impact of the scheme would not be to a degree that would warrant refusal, and the development would "ensure public safety is maintained at all times to users of the multi-storey car park".
The plans are set to go before the Northern Planning Committee next Tuesday, April 22, at 2pm.
Shropshire Council anticipated the works would begin this spring and take around six weeks to complete.