Hundreds get involved with Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Festival
More than 700 people have taken part in a ‘virtual festival’ discussing how Shrewsbury can improve and develop over the next 20 years.
The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Festival saw community leaders and experts from around the UK discussing the next stage in a vision for the future of the town.
A major public consultation into the Big Town Plan’s Masterplan Vision was launched at the festival – and people are being encouraged to visit shrewsburybigtownplan.org to get involved.
The Masterplan Vision is a detailed document outlining ideas and options for how Shrewsbury could develop over the next two decades, looking at how people will move in and around the town centre, along with how the town’s heritage can be celebrated whilst allowing the town to move forward.
The Big Town Plan Festival featured a series of talks, from 19 January to 29 January 2021, looking at various aspects of the plan, which are now available to watch on demand on the festival website.
Members of the Big Town Plan Partnership, made up of Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID, said the festival was a big success.
Peter Nutting, Leader of Shropshire Council, said:
“We were delighted to attract such an array of highly-respected speakers to take part in the festival, and it was wonderful to see so many people engaging with each event.
“We had 30 speakers over seven events which have been viewed over 1,000 times and are available to watch back via the Big Town Plan festival website.
“The events attracted hundreds of questions and comments, with a selection being put to the panel during the events, and all of them will be considered as part of the ongoing consultation.”
An extensive open consultation process is now under way, and people can make and view comments at shrewsburybigtownplan.org – which contains information and details about the Masterplan Vision and a specially-designed consultation section.
Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council, said:
“It’s clear from listening to the various leading experts during the festival that Shrewsbury really is leading the way in this kind of partnership working.
“There are a range of exciting ideas in this masterplan vision, and I would encourage everyone to look at the proposals and make their views known in the consultation section on the website.”
James Handley, director of Shrewsbury BID, said:
“The Big Town Plan Festival has been a great success in that it has helped to get people talking about the future of Shrewsbury.
“It’s vital we develop a shared vision for the future so we can then work together to make ensure Shrewsbury continues to prosper.”
The aim is for the plans to be discussed further when coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased, but in the meantime if anyone without access to the Internet would like to get involved, they can call the Shropshire Council customer service centre on 0345 678 9000 to request information to be sent in the post.
