Shrewsbury Riverside: Public consultation on revamp approved

CGI of the development shows how Shrewsbury could look in the future

People are being encouraged to have their say on plans to redevelop part of Shrewsbury town centre.

Shropshire Council's cabinet has approved the consultation ahead of an application to demolish Riverside shopping centre.

Deputy leader Ian Nellins said it would make way for "a new green area between Pride Hill and the river" with a view to create better links with the Severn.

Leisure facilities, homes and offices are also proposed.

An application to demolish the Riverside and adjoining medical practice is expected before the end of the year.

The four-week public consultation begins on Thursday and ends on 15 November. People can contribute online or at a stand in the Darwin shopping centre.

Architect Ben Sykes said future developments would include homes, workplaces and a hotel

The redevelopment, partially backed by £18.7m of levelling-up funding, forms a central part of a masterplan for Shrewsbury town centre.

Its three main shopping centres were bought by the council in 2018 in a £51m deal.

Since then the Pride Hill centre has closed and the latest plans include partial demolition of that in summer 2024.

Before that, if approved, the first buildings are expected to go up on the Riverside site in the first half of next year.

Ben Sykes from the project architect FaulknerBrowns said the whole development would eventually include homes and offices, as well as leisure outlets such as restaurants and a cinema.

"It will cascade down from Pride Hill, to continue the idea of connectivity across the town," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.