New road planned for Shrewsbury town centre as part of Riverside redevelopment

The proposal, which is recommended for approval, will go before Shropshire Council's Northern Planning Committee next Tuesday (February 18).

It also includes changes to how a number of the town centre roads operate.

The plan is part of Shropshire Council's redevelopment of the Riverside area of Shrewsbury, which will see the creation of a new park, as well as a number of plots for the site of the former shopping centre of the same name.

It asks for planning permission to approve the creation of a new road, from Smithfield Road through to Raven Meadows - running north to south alongside the Premier Inn and the Raven Meadows multi-storey car park.

Initially the road, which is called 'The Avenue', would be one-way - in the southbound direction from Smithfield Road towards Raven Meadows - but eventually would operate as a two-way route.

A report prepared for the committee says the proposal would reduce the amount of traffic using Roushill.

It adds that the western end of the Raven Meadows road, which exits onto Smithfield Road, would be closed as a 'through route to general traffic'.

The report, from planning officer Ollie Thomas, said the road is a key part of changes to allow the redevelopment of the area - allowing vehicles to access the multi-storey and the rest of the site instead of using Roushill.

It stated: "The new link road is considered a key section of enabling infrastructure, creating an access road to allow servicing vehicles, buses and cars into the wider redeveloped Smithfield Riverside site, in lieu of Roushill."

The report explained that the plan would also help support plans for the park along Roushill with fewer vehicles on the road.

It stated: "The highways proposals have been designed to reduce the volume of traffic movements along Roushill, thereby enabling the delivery of an improved pedestrian and landscape (public realm) environment, to support the recently approved (and under construction) public park.

"A new road, ‘The Avenue’, is proposed to accommodate traffic that currently uses Roushill to access Raven Meadows.

"This in turn would enable the western end of Raven Meadows to be closed as a through-route to general traffic and for Roushill to be downgraded to a local access route with low traffic flows, used for local access and servicing properties along Roushill itself, Mardol and Claremont Street.

"The Avenue is proposed to provide a highway connection between Smithfield Road to the north and Raven Meadows to the south.

"The new road will be constructed along the alignment of the existing Premier Inn access road which currently extends north from Raven Meadows.

"The Avenue will be a two-lane single carriageway and would be implemented in two stages to align with the phased delivery of the wider redevelopment works."

Under the plan Roushill would also be closed to vehicle traffic - except for vehicles requiring access or for service.

The report stated: "Roushill will be closed to vehicular traffic at the western end of Roushill, enabling it to be downgraded for use as a local servicing and access only, as a one-way southbound road. The resultant traffic demand along Roushill would be significantly reduced and would only serve traffic heading for Mardol and Claremont Street."

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