Shropshire Council gives Big Town Plan green light
Shropshire Council bosses have given an ambitious plan for the future of Shrewsbury the green light.
The final draft of the Big Town Plan, developed by Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID), Shropshire Council, and Shrewsbury Town Council, sets out a vision for the town and how it could look by 2036.
Shropshire Council's cabinet approved the plan yesterday, and it will go before Shrewsbury Town Council’s finance and general purpose committee on Monday before going out to public consultation on Wednesday.
Councillor Nic Laurens, portfolio holder for economic growth, told cabinet members: "I wanted to thank Shrewsbury Town Council and in particular Alan Mosley for their help.
"We came up with some really good ideas which went out to consultation.
"Whitchurch now wants to look at forming a BID. What happens in the county town impacts the whole of Shropshire."
Promenade
Some of the ideas mentioned include redirecting traffic from Smithfield Road through Raven Meadows, which would allow Smithfield to become "a pedestrian priority promenade".
The idea combines with suggestions for the future of the Riverside Centre, which was bought by Shropshire Council along with the Pride Hill and Darwin Centres earlier this year.
The suggestions are based around a knocking down the centre and nearby multi-storey car park, building houses, offices and restaurants, leading to a promenade "stepping down to the river".
The plan states: "The removal of the multi-storey car park and the Riverside shopping centre creates a great opportunity to create a mixed use riverside quarter.
"This would include higher density housing, new workspaces, new food and drink venues set around a new public promenade stepping down to the river.
"There is an opportunity to divert through traffic onto Raven Meadows thereby releasing Smithfield Road for the creation of a largely traffic-free promenade next to the river."
The authority's cabinet members agreed that that Shropshire Council continue to be an "active, lead partner" in the Big Town Plan alongside Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID to coordinate the action planning and implementation of the development opportunities detailed within the Big Town Plan.
