Star comment: Great news in growth of Telford town centre

Southwater is a £250 million scheme with the hand of Telford & Wrekin Council on the tiller, which will bring a new cinema, hotel, shops, restaurants and housing into the town centre.

The impact this will make on the town is incalculable. But after one dose of good news, we have another dose of good news.

With the council-backed scheme having got a head start, Telford has waited to see how the owners of the shopping centre will respond and whether they could match the vision and ambition of Southwater.

• £200m shopping centre revamp plans good for Telford, says MP

And now we know that is exactly what is planned. The shopping centre is to be transformed in a £200 million development creating 3,000 jobs. Bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, hotels, and a new cinema are all schemed in.

It is currently a broad vision, not yet set in stone, but nevertheless represents a massive vote of confidence in Telford which will improve and expand the facilities that the town has to offer.

Over the next few years Telford is going to be a really happening place with an astonishing amount of investment.

With these plans announced in the 40th anniversary year of the opening of the shopping centre, they will take it to another level, building on the achievements to date and providing many new jobs.

There does come with the ambition a challenge. There are tandem schemes – the council's, and the vision by the pension fund owners of the centre. Both schemes have similar elements, and the challenge will be to ensure that they meld into a harmonious whole, complementing each other.

Working together, there is a great opportunity to provide Telford with a town centre which will be the envy of the Midlands.