Six units are to be knocked down in Shrewsbury’s shopping centre, along with a former police station and a pedestrian walkway canopy.
The work, to be undertaken later this year, paves the way for ground investigation works that are needed to inform the design of Shropshire Council’s Smithfield Riverside regeneration masterplan.
Earlier this year, Shropshire Council secured almost £19m of Levelling Up funding from the government to support the regeneration of Shrewsbury town centre. Smithfield Riverside aims to regenerate the area between The Darwin centre, Roushill and the River Severn in the town.
Mark Jones, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for economic growth and regeneration, said: “It is crucial that we capitalise on the levelling up funds we’ve secured from the government and move efficiently and effectively to deliver Smithfield Riverside over the coming years. Today is an important and necessary first step that will enable us to fully explore and understand this unique development site, with the findings ensuring the design team create a masterplan that is big on ambition but is also completely achievable.
“We anticipate work starting later this year, and will continue to liaise very closely with the Riverside centre’s existing tenants and other key stakeholders within the community to ensure the programme can move forward at pace, while also causing minimal disturbance to the wider town centre.
“We are extremely excited about our vision for Smithfield Riverside and confident in delivering a masterplan that will be a huge asset, both for Shrewsbury and the wider Shropshire region.”
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