THE FUTURE OF SHREWSBURY TOWN CENTRE
Smithfield Riverside is just one part of the overall shared vision for the future of Shrewsbury Town Centre.
This shared vision was developed as part of the Big Town Plan (2018), which brought together Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID to set out a series of clear goals for the future of the town centre.
These goals were further developed into the Shrewsbury Masterplan Vision (2021), which identified key priorities for development across six different character areas within the town centre. The Masterplan Vision recognises the special identity and heritage of Shrewsbury and how change should be managed in a way that is sensitive to this character.
The Smithfield Riverside Strategic Development Framework, sets out the principles for the site’s redevelopment and was adopted by Shropshire Town Council in 2022 following public consultation.
With these ‘big picture’ plans already in place, both Shropshire Council and the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership are now bringing forward a series of more specific plans and initiatives.
Shrewsbury Design Code
Led by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, the Design Code will ensure future developments are delivered to the highest standards and remain sensitive to the town’s outstanding heritage and character.
Shrewsbury Movement and Public Realm Strategy
Led by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, the emerging Movement and Public Space Strategy seeks to improve movement and connectivity in and around the town centre. A separate consultation on this is currently ongoing. Find out more about how to get involved here.
River Severn Partnership
Shropshire Council is joint chair of the River Severn Partnership, which places water at the heart of future economic growth. The partnership looks to help people, businesses and the environment along the River Severn by reducing flood risk, securing future water resources and improving and delivering shared natural assets. To find out more click here.
Town Centre Accessibility Improvements
Utilising funding from the Levelling Up Fund Round 2 (LUF2), Shropshire Council is proposing several active travel and public realm improvements in Shrewsbury Town Centre. Directly linked to the Movement and Public Realm Strategy, these initial improvements will start the process of transforming movement and public spaces in Shrewsbury.
SMITHFIELD RIVERSIDE:
THE STORY SO FAR?
Plans for the redevelopment of this area of Shrewsbury town centre have taken shape over several years, responding to the challenging retail market and its impact on the three primary shopping centres – Pride Hill, Riverside and The Darwin.
January 2018
The three Shrewsbury shopping centres were purchased by Shropshire Council. This gave the Council overarching control over their futures and has helped pave the way for future redevelopment of the riverside area to facilitate the economic growth and desired regeneration of the town centre.
March 2021
Building on the priorities established in the Big Town Plan published in 2018, the Shrewsbury Masterplan vision highlighted Smithfield Riverside as one of six character areas with a unique identity that would contribute to the regeneration of the town centre as a whole. The masterplan vision was developed with feedback from stakeholder engagement workshops focusing on each of the character areas.
February 2022
The Smithfield Riverside Strategic Development Framework (SDF) is adopted by Shropshire Town Council, having been finalised following public consultation.
November 2022
Regeneration specialists Rivington Hark were appointed by Shropshire Council in November 2022 as the development manager to lead the regeneration of Smithfield and Riverside areas.
January 2023
A successful bid award for Levelling Up funding sees funding awarded to two projects helping to transform Shrewsbury Town Centre, one of which is Smithfield Riverside. The funding award means practical work can now start on the redevelopment of the area.
June 2023
The full project team is assembled, with Shropshire Council and Rivington Hark appointing Faulkner Browns Architects to lead on design. Tasked with developing a high-quality outline masterplan for Smithfield Riverside, they work alongside landscape architects Spacehub.
October 2023
The project team held an initial round of public consultation on our vision for Smithfield Riverside and the plans for a new park on Roushill. We heard from people all around Shropshire and used your feedback to develop our plans further.
Click here for a summary of the feedback we received as part of this consultation.
December 2023
Informed by our consultation in October, the first of four planning applications was submitted for consideration. This application contained our detailed plans for Roushill Park.
February 2024
We launch our second round of public consultation to gather Salopians’ feedback on our plans for a new social development on the site of the former Pride Hill shopping centre.
View our consultation boards for a more detailed timeline.