Six of the best: Tenders invited for Shrewsbury masterplan
Moves for major changes to the centre of Shrewsbury have taken a significant step forward, with companies being asked to come up with “masterplans” to reshape the town.
Six areas will be the focus of the ‘Big Town Plan’ including the dilapidated Riverside Shopping Centre, which could be demolished and replaced as part of the vision to revitalise the town centre.
Specialist companies are being invited to bid for the contract – valued at up to £89,000.
Peter Nutting, leader of Shropshire Council and member of the Big Town Plan board, said: “We’re looking for a specialist team that can produce a series of concept masterplans for these six key areas of Shrewsbury.
"This exciting and important work will enable the Big Town Plan Partnership, landowners and investors to make investment decisions that will bring forward work to develop, grow and revitalise the Big Town Plan area.”
The council, and town plan partners Shrewsbury Business Improvement District and Shrewsbury Town Council, have said the six areas selected represent the “biggest opportunities to grow and revitalise the town”.
The authority has been criticised over its £51 million purchase of the town’s shopping centres, which included the Riverside, but has consistently argued that along with extra revenue they will generate, the ownership gives it far greater control over the ability to rebuild parts of the town.
The six areas being looked at include the ‘Central Business District’, which surrounds the train station leading up to Castle Gates, and across to the Riverside, a ‘Northern Corridor’ from the central business district to the redeveloped Flaxmill Maltings, and the ‘historic quarter of the town’ which includes Wyle Cop, St Mary’s Street, Pride Hill, High Street and The Square.
Appointment
Other areas are the ‘West End’, incorporating Mardol, Barker Street, Bellstone, Lower Claremont Bank, Bridge Street, St Austin’s Street, and Victoria Avenue and Quay, The ‘Riverside and Frankwell Quay’ areas, incorporating both sides of the River Severn as it passes Frankwell and Smithfield Road and English Bridge, Abbey Foregate and Old Pott’s Way.
The tender launch has coincided with the appointment of a chair of the Big Town Plan partnership board.
The aim is for the six masterplans to come up with ways to rebuild and use the land in the town differently.
The company drawing up the masterplans will also be asked to come up with a ‘movement and access strategy’ which will look at pedestrian, cycle, and car use, and how people access the town centre.
The tender launch has coincided with the appointment of a chair of the Big Town Plan partnership board.
David Parry, managing director of Wellmeadow Consulting, based in the centre of Shrewsbury, took up the role as chair on Monday.
He said: “A tremendous amount of work has already been done to bring the Big Town Plan to the stage it is at today. It has some very passionate partners in the shape of Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID.
“As the project moves in to the next phase, I am honoured to have been asked to work with this board to help them achieve the goal of making the plan a reality.
"Shrewsbury is already a great place to visit, live and work, and the Big Town Plan offers an inspiring view of how it can get even better.”
Helen Ball, clerk of Shrewsbury Town Council, said: “Shrewsbury Town Council has always wished to see that the Big Town Plan is not just a document that sits on a shelf.
"This next stage of the process will see the plan materialise into a series of actions that will be for the benefit of all who live, work and visit Shrewsbury. The town council looks forward to being actively involved in this process.”
