Proposal for Shrewsbury Business Improvement District seeks support

Business leaders in Shrewsbury are looking into the possibility of creating a Business Improvement District to increase the numbers of visitors to the town centre.

Shropshire Council is supporting the project and is currently looking for an expert to lead the work to assess whether businesses in the town centre are behind the idea.

Traders have been talking to the council about how to raise revenue to do more to promote the town centre, which is where the idea of a Business Improvement District (BID) has come from. This would place a levy on business rates and collect a significant sum that businesses could use to further enhance the town centre.

In Shrewsbury, the BID proposed has a boundary of the river loop and the railway bridges at Castle Foregate.

Applications are currently being sought for someone to work with local businesses to gain their views, hold a ballot, and put together a business plan for the BID proposal.

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for economic growth and prosperity, said:

“We have been working very hard with local traders to bring more people into Shrewsbury town centre. We are taking a flexible approach and trying things out in a much more proactive way than ever before.

“This gives us more opportunity to see what works and enable people to enjoy our wonderful town, because it really is special. This also allows us to evaluate where we and local businesses should invest.

“The recent car park promotions and Spectacular Sundays, along with our new branding, have been an amazing success.  Some traders have reported double takings and our ‘Shrewsbury, the original one-off’ branding is receiving great acclaim in the national marketing press.  But there are even more ideas coming forward and we want to continue to try new things out – with businesses leading the way.  It’s not about what the council can do on its own, it’s about what we can achieve together.”

For more information about the BID role, contact Louise Cross, visitor economy manager, via email on: Louise.cross@shropshire.gov.uk