Critics who rounded on 'not iconic enough' multi-million Telford regeneration scheme defeated in council vote

The Telford & Wrekin Council’s planning committee approved plans for the Station Quarter development in Telford at its meeting on Wednesday night.

A six-storey hotel and 189 homes will be included in the scheme – plus a six-storey block of flats – along with a Digital Skills & Enterprise centre.

The regeneration programme has been made possible through £21million of government money matched by £200m of private sector funds.

However, councillor Nigel Dugmore is one of those who feels the look of the new homes could look more ‘iconic’ for the central development.

He said: “It’s the gateway to the Telford Town Centre and it looks like a big block of flats. It doesn’t look like anything particularly different, it doesn’t look like a modern or vibrant area.”

He was supported by councillor Steve Bentley who said he would have like to see ‘more of a breakup in the materials’ proposed to be used.

He added: “It looks pretty bland in my view. We can improve the quality of how it looks and everything.”

As part of the work Telford & Wrekin Council will be moving out of Addenbrooke House with the building converted as part of a partnership with a college and university.

The Lawn Central footbridge, near Darby House, will be removed as part of the plans and replaced with a new level crossing.

Planning officer Penny Stephan said that the route between the railway station and the town centre will have ‘vast improvements’ for pedestrians.

This includes pedestrian priority, roads are going to be narrowed and ramped access up the incline to Aldi.

She added that the incline leading up to the current footbridge ‘didn’t meet current standards’.

This came after councillor Duggan raised concerns about the safety of removing the current footbridge.

He said: “The loss of the footbridge is a very large error in my judgment.

“I was at the town centre this afternoon. I had to drive under the footbridge and counted 20 to 30 people walking across it.

“I also watched a car narrowly avoid somebody who was trying to cross the road at street level. The whole point is that we don’t want people milling around the road, which is busy enough as it is.

“The whole point of the footbridge was to give access from the station on one level because people with mobility issues crossing the ring road outside Darby House.

“It makes it even more difficult for people with mobility issues to get from the station to the town centre.”

Councillor Duggan also raised questions about how delivery vehicles would attend the site amid concerns over a shortage of parking space.

He added: “The flats are designed for young professionals, these people aren’t going to have any parking space.

“There isn’t proficient cycling provision for them. If car-less and bike-less then their shopping is going to be delivered of fast food or whatever. If you’ve got a thousand dwellings there then you’re going to have a lot of delivery vans at all times of the day and night.

“You need to take that into account as it’s going to be the modern way of living. I don’t see why these particular proposals are deemed acceptable, they wouldn’t in other places.

The planning officer added that delivery vehicles attending the site was out of their control, but the homes were centrally located.

Councillor Giles Luter commended the plans and said it was a ‘really great thing for the town’.

He added: “It’s going to create a lot of jobs in terms of the hotel.

“It’s also good to see a mixture of different types of housing and apartments. I think it’s a well thought out scheme and I think it will really add something, specifically to that area of Telford.

“It will really create a community in the centre of Telford.”

Councillors voted in favour of the plans going ahead.