Former Shrewsbury prison up for sale

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Prison site
Image caption,

Built in 1877, the jail once housed more than 300 prisoners

The Grade II listed former Shrewsbury jail is up for sale.

The 19th Century jail closed in 2013 and was bought the following year by the Trevor Osborne Property Group.

Planning permission was in place to convert the site into a mixture of luxury apartments and student accommodation, Towler Shaw Roberts (TSR) said.

Joel Campbell, who runs tours of the site, said he would look into making a bid.

Asked if he was interested in buying the prison, the Jailhouse Tours CEO said: "If we can put together the funds for it and make it work and make it add up, then certainly I think we'll look at it.

"It wouldn't be the first prison we've bidded on, let's put it that way."

He said he did not think "any changes will happen in the near future" to the tours.

Built in 1877, the jail once housed more than 300 prisoners.

Joel Campbell
Image caption,

Joel Campbell, who runs tours of the site, said he would look into making a bid

TSR, which is marketing the site, said it anticipated "a high level of interest".

Toby Shaw, from the company, said the sellers had "invested considerable effort into achieving an exciting vision" and "reluctantly decided to bring the property to the market" due to other commitments.

Ward councillor for Castlefields and Ditherington, Shropshire Council Labour group leader Alan Mosley said Trevor Osborne had "shown sensitivity to local residents' concerns about the way forward".

The councillor said: "Clearly we hope the new owner will show similar regard in developing the plans if they are different to the ones that currently exist."

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