Car showroom planned for Shrewsbury town centre where supermarket was once located
A store at the top of Pride Hill in Shrewsbury could become a car showroom if the plans are given the green light.
A change of use application has gone in for 27B Pride Hill, the former home of Waitrose.
The rear of the store that also once hosted the town's Post Office and Burger King would become a car showroom if the plans are approved. The front of the former supermarket became a branch of Greggs in 2021.
The application has been submitted on behalf of one of Shropshire's oldest car dealers, the Greenhous Group.
But this car showroom will be a little different than a generic location - as every vehicle promoted at the store would be electric. Additionally, customers won't be able to drive away in any of the vehicles from the store.
Instead, the new premises would be used to offer what Greenhous is calling a "professional, non-pressurised customer experience and make life easier for local consumers to book services".
Services include test drives, vehicle viewings, annual maintenance and servicing, MOT and winter check and offering advice on electrification and valuations on current vehicles.
"In summary," the design and access statement reads, "the unit will become a destination to promote Greenhous in the local area and a useful marketing tool for the rest of their business."
The Greenhous Group, which is based in Osbaston in Telford, is one of the largest automotive groups in the UK selling new and used vehicles as was founded in 1912 by Vincent Greenhous.
The company say that they believe the proposed development "will support the company’s current operations by providing them with a town centre presence".
The proposal states that the ground floor of the unit would provide an 87 square-metre showroom, while the remaining 60 square metres would provide offices and facilities and the basement used for storage.
It's proposed that a maximum of three electric cars would be on display at any one time, which would be changed every quarter. The company anticipates housing vehicles from a range of manufacturers, including Nissan, Vauxhall, Omoda, Jaecoo and Lumen Automotive.
As part of plans to get vehicles in and out of the building, the existing aluminium display window and doors would be removed and replaced with a large sliding door.
Temporary metal ramps would be employed during a changeover, which the company states would take place in the early hours of the morning to "reduce pedestrian conflict".
They also say that temporary barriers would be erected around the temporary ramps to protect pedestrians from slips, trips or falls.
It's intended that the store would be operational from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The new site would also provide one full-time and two part-time jobs.
The application is currently open for consultation, and can be found online using Shropshire Council's planning portal and reference number: 24/01891/FUL
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