Thoughts shared on the future of Shrewsbury town centre
More than 600 people had their say about Shrewsbury town centre, as part of an ongoing design code project that will improve the quality of future development plots and protect its iconic history.
The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan partnership, comprised of representatives from Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID, have been holding engagement workshops since November 2022, and launched a consultation website to gather views.
The design code will focus on the west end of the town centre, including the Frankwell and Riverside areas.
This feedback will now be formulated by specialist design consultants, LDA Design, who will prepare a draft design code for consultation this spring.
Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for growth, regeneration and housing, said:
“We’re really pleased that over 600 people have engaged in this process so far. Many of these responses were made through the consultation website, but also at various points in town, as QR codes were dotted around the focus areas.
“Common themes of the feedback suggest people felt positive about pedestrianised areas of the town centre, green spaces such as The Quarry park, and outdoor spaces in the town centre for people to sit and relax.
“Essentially the design code will illustrate a set of key principles, expressed in words, pictures and tables, that will guide developers to deliver high quality schemes that will enhance the unique and historic character of the town.
“It’s important that local people have an opportunity to shape the future of their town, and we want to thank those who took the time to share their thoughts. Please keep your eyes peeled for the draft design code which will be produced this spring.”
Councillor Nat Green, Chairman of Shrewsbury Town Council’s Planning Committee, said:
“Shrewsbury Town Council has been a strong advocate for good design across the whole of the town. This piece of work is an excellent opportunity to develop robust guidelines and codes to ensure that the design elements of Shrewsbury we value are incorporated into new and refurbished buildings. The fact that over 600 comments have been received goes to show how the public at large want quality development, and we look forward to seeing how this piece of work can not only shape the town centre but new buildings across the whole town.”
Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said:
“The design and layout of the town centre is of course vital in helping to attract future investment both now and in the future, as well as encouraging people to visit our wonderful town.
“We were happy to share details of this consultation with our members to encourage them to get involved, and we look forward to seeing the draft design code later this year.”
