£150m Shrewsbury shopping centre plans approved
Plans for a new £150 million shopping centre which will create more than 700 jobs in Shrewsbury were given approval at a council meeting yesterday.
The plans will see the existing Riverside Shopping Centre bulldozed and rebuilt with links created to the Darwin and Pride Hill centres.
A giant two-level shopping complex will be created on the site of the current centre, housing a department store, 50 shops, office space, 10 restaurants and cafes.
A 300-space underground car park built will be built with the existing Raven Meadows multi-storey car park refurbished and the bus station entrance improved and linked to the New Riverside centre.
Shearer Property Group and Ignis Asset Management, the developers behind the plans, hope to begin development in summer 2013, with an opening date scheduled for autumn 2015.
Councillor Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, welcomed the development and the improvements to the county town:
This is a crucial time for our market towns in Shropshire, and this development will deliver great benefits including new business units, and increase the footfall through the whole of Shrewsbury town centre, improving the area for shoppers and local businesses alike. This development is the first of a number of key projects within the town as part of the Shrewsbury Vision Regeneration Framework which seeks to deliver quality investments resulting in new jobs and a vibrant town centre.
Over 450 jobs will be created during the construction period, with a further 150 retail jobs. Once complete, there will also be an opportunity for new office accommodation. I look forward to the creation of this development and the boost it will give Shropshire. There will be investment in excess of £150 million, which the developers have committed to use in partnership with the wide variety of independent shops and businesses to make Shrewsbury a great place to work, live and visit."
