Shrewsbury Big Town Plan moving into its ‘delivery phase’

Shrewsbury’s Big Town Plan is moving into its ‘delivery phase’ with the appointment of two key roles and an injection of £450,000 of funding.

The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan was formally adopted by Shropshire Council in 2018, and outlines a series of ambitious proposals for how the town could develop in future years.

Now, the three partners behind the plan – Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID – are pushing ahead with the next phase.

A chair and programme co-ordinator are set to be appointed who will drive the development of a masterplan containing more detailed proposals for future projects.

Butcher Row, Shrewsbury

There is a now a Big Town Plan space in the Darwin Shopping Centre, where the plans are displayed and future consultation events will take place.

A new website has been launched at www.shrewsburybigtownplan.org which will be the place for people to stay up to date with progress as the plans develop.

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said:

“Shrewsbury is really leading the way with the development of the Big Town Plan, and by taking a truly collaborative approach we now have a solid foundation to shape the future of the town.

“The Big Town Plan contains some ambitious and hugely exciting projects, all designed to make Shrewsbury a better place to live, work and visit.

“It focuses on making the town centre more accessible, providing more business and residential opportunities, helping to future-proof the local economy and encouraging people to spend more time in the town by providing a wider array of leisure activities.

“The delivery phase will begin with the creation of a masterplan about how we can put these plans into action.”

A combined budget of £450,000 from Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID will fund the work for the next three years, during which time it is hoped formal planning applications will be submitted to enable the first projects to get under way.

Shrewsbury Big Town Plan

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said:

“This next stage will be incredibly exciting, as the masterplanning work that we will be undertaking will add a lot of detail to the vision and aspirations we already have set out within the Big Town Plan.  It will give further certainty and detail that I am sure will increase investor interest in the ambitious approach to the development of the town centre we are taking.”

“This work alongside recruiting a Chair and Programme Co-ordinator and making a submission to the Future High Streets Fund will ensure that the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan moves forward towards delivery and becomes the catalyst for changes in the town centre that will benefit residents, businesses and visitors.”

Helen Ball, Town Clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council, said:

“The town council has welcomed the opportunity to work in partnership with others to not only attract visitors and investors to Shrewsbury, but more importantly to improve and enhance the experience and enjoyment of our local residents and gives us the chance to make it even greater.”

More details about the chair and programme co-ordinator roles can be found on the Big Town Plan website at www.shrewsburybigtownplan.org