Planning permission secured for major Frankwell Quay redevelopment
BCHN Architects has secured planning permission for the remodelling and extension of Frankwell Quay Warehouse, a prominent historic building on Shrewsbury’s waterfront.
The approved scheme will transform the vacant and deteriorating warehouse into a mixed-use development, creating a new restaurant at ground floor level with residential apartments above, including a short-term holiday let.
Developed for Frankwell Quay Developments and Engrailed Cross Investments, the project will bring a long-term vacant building back into active use while contributing to the ongoing regeneration of one of Shrewsbury’s most historically significant riverside locations.
Frankwell Quay has played an important role in the evolution of Shrewsbury, having originally been a Norman free trade settlement operating independently of the walled town with the first stone quay constructed in 1608 to support heavy river barge commerce along the Severn.
The warehouse, also known as Frankwell Maltings, was constructed as a maltings building in the early nineteenth century and remained in use as a malthouse until 1952. Following a number of later uses, it has stood empty for more than 20 years, during which time the roof and interior have fallen into severe disrepair.
The approved proposals retain and repurpose the existing masonry building with a new corten-clad extension of residential apartments.
The scheme sits within the Shrewsbury Conservation Area, close to Theatre Severn and opposite The Stew, a recently redeveloped riverside building. The design responds to this sensitive and evolving context through a carefully considered contemporary addition that extends the building upwards while helping to mediate the scale of the adjoining Theatre Severn fly tower.
The final design adopts a stepped and layered approach to the new upper levels, reducing the apparent scale of the extension when viewed from key public vantage points along the River Severn and from Smithfield Road Bridge.
Paul Harries, director at BCHN Architects, said: “Frankwell Quay Warehouse is a building with a long and fascinating history, but one that has been vacant for many years and has fallen into a very poor condition. The challenge has been to retain the character and memory of the original warehouse while creating a viable new future for the building.
“This part of Shrewsbury has continually evolved, from river port to industrial quarter and, more recently, into a cultural destination shaped by Theatre Severn and the growing number of restaurants, bars and leisure uses around Frankwell. The reimagined warehouse will add another important piece to that story.
“The approved design is deliberately clear about what is old and what is new. The existing masonry building will be repaired and restored, while the corten-clad extension provides a contemporary addition that responds to the scale and complexity of the riverside setting.
“Planning approval reflects a careful balance between heritage, townscape, viability and the practical realities of working on a constrained site within the conservation area. We are pleased that the scheme can now move forward and help bring new life and activity to this important riverside location.”
BCHN Architects has a long track record of working with sensitive historic buildings and complex town centre sites across Shropshire and the wider region.
