Great news for my home town of Shrewsbury, £1bn is quite a lot for a town of 70,000. i'll try to find details of some of these projects and post them when I have time. :)

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http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=38033

One billion pounds is to be pumped into Shrewsbury in the next 10 years as part of major plans to bring the historic town into the 21st century, it was revealed today.

But only about £40 million will be taxpayers' money, with hundreds of millions of pounds coming from private investments. The cash will pay for 40 major projects by 2015.

They include Shrewsbury Sports Village in Sundorne, the Frankwell theatre complex and Ditherington Flax Mill regeneration.

The combined cost of the projects is £777 million but council chiefs today confirmed that if all private housing developments were included the figure could easily top £1 billion.

Projects range from a £2 million luxury hotel in Frankwell to a £96 million reinstatement of the Newport to Shrewsbury canal.

Councillor Peter Nutting, leader of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, said: "This amount of money being invested in the Shrewsbury area is a really good plus for the town.

Projects, at varying stages of completion, also include the New Meadow stadium, new livestock market and a £12 million refurbishment of the Music Hall.

And plans for many of the projects are well on their way with five schemes including New Meadow, the Gay Meadow housing development and the St Julian's development, having gained planning permission.

Wow!

Fellow Salopian here! Sorry I haven't posted for a long time - but I'm busy these days.

Shrewsbury's a really nice town (in a very nice county) - and is the commercial capital for most of Shropshire and Mid Wales.

Looking forward to seeing the combined shopping centre ("Castle Gate" as it will be called) and the new theatre at Frankwell.

Floreat Salopia! ;)

Shrewsburys a big turd hole, it needs regeneration. It should follow in Worcesters footsteps a little bit more and promote itself.

You've obviously never been to Shrewsbury. If anything, other towns should copy its example. It's one of the nicest places I've been to. Only Chester and Bath have impressed me more (for medium sized towns).

Shrewsburys a big turd hole, it needs regeneration. It should follow in Worcesters footsteps a little bit more and promote itself.

Oh yes it needs regeneration! I mean look at all the poverty!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Old_Market_Hall.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/Shrewsbury5.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrewsbury

http://www.steveconrad.co.uk/cadfael/visittoshrewsbury.html

http://www.ehgp.com/aeropic/shrewsbury/

:crazy:

Another Shrewsburyite here, good news if all this planned development takes place.

When is the link between the two shopping centres happening by the way, as that street at the back of them is pretty grim since they've been built.

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster. Fantastic news this for the town, but a lot of it needs to be taken with a huge pinch of salt, as nimby's will get their way on some.
As someone who leaves quite near the Flaxmill it will be brilliant to see it transformed and the grand plan is to create a new public space in front of it. Seeing what is being done at Fort Dunlop there is no excuse to not get started on it. Afterall, without it, no-one on hear would even be discussing skyscrapers.

The new shopping centre link will begin soon and will be completed by Christmas 2007. It has planning permission.

You've obviously never been to Shrewsbury. If anything, other towns should copy its example. It's one of the nicest places I've been to. Only Chester and Bath have impressed me more (for medium sized towns).

I used to live about 5 minutes away from it, been there more times then you've probably entered Manchester buddy.

Sure it has some nice stuff but other then that it offers very little

"offers very little" - were you expecting an international airport or a university or something?! we're talking about a town of 70'000 people!! :lol:

I used to live about 5 minutes away from it, been there more times then you've probably entered Manchester buddy.

Sure it has some nice stuff but other then that it offers very little

Elaborate a bit?

I used to live about 5 minutes away from it, been there more times then you've probably entered Manchester buddy.

Sure it has some nice stuff but other then that it offers very little

Well, it's a town of 70,000, what do you want? What does Worcester have to offer that Shrewsbury should be looking at? I can only think of a couple of things.

1. A cathedral, but Shrewsbury has the Abbey and plenty of nice churches.

2. A professional Rugby club and County Championship cricket ground but Shrewsbury has a league football team to make up for that.

Apart from that I would say Shrewsbury is equal to or better for shopping, nightlife, restaurants, housing, transport, arts, architecture, parks, the river, tourism, jobs, schools etc etc.

Shrewsbury, IMO, is the perfect size for living in. It's not too small, but it's not too big either. We have everything we need and only occassionally do we need to go further afield for things like an airport or a major theatre production. Shopping is great in Shrewsbury - the shops we are missing will move in once the shopping centre is extended.

Shopping is great in Shrewsbury - the shops we are missing will move in once the shopping centre is extended.

And there are plenty of independent shops too that seem to co-exist well with the big chains. You don't just see the same shops that you see in every town around the country which I like.

Well, it's a town of 70,000, what do you want? What does Worcester have to offer that Shrewsbury should be looking at? I can only think of a couple of things.

1. A cathedral, but Shrewsbury has the Abbey and plenty of nice churches.

2. A professional Rugby club and County Championship cricket ground but Shrewsbury has a league football team to make up for that.

Apart from that I would say Shrewsbury is equal to or better for shopping, nightlife, restaurants, housing, transport, arts, architecture, parks, the river, tourism, jobs, schools etc etc.

Now you really are being daft

You're not very good at explaining your position, are you Birminghamculture? Especially on your stance that "Shrewsbury is a big turd hole"...

I heard recently that the big expanse of duel carriageway in between Shrewsbury and Telford was named one of the most boring stretches of road / motorway in the country. Man the amount of times I've nearly fallen asleep driving along there!

Shrewsbury certainly looks nice (once you're in the town centre) but I've never really wanted to spend more than a couple of hours there although it's good as a stopping off place when you're on your way to north Shropshire, mid and north Wales. Maybe this regeneration will help the town, but you don't want to attract TOO many people otherwise even more bland highways and byways will be built, creating yet another Telford.

I heard Shrewsbury is one of the most dangerous towns to go out at night in. Fights everywhere all the time, is that correct?

I heard Shrewsbury is one of the most dangerous towns to go out at night in. Fights everywhere all the time, is that correct?

Quite simply, no.

I wouldn't fancy my chances in the Rock & Fountain at kicking out time, and Efe's kebab shop can get a little rum at 3AM, but compared to others town I have lived in like Stevenage, Shrewsbury is a modicum of serenity of a night

I heard Shrewsbury is one of the most dangerous towns to go out at night in. Fights everywhere all the time, is that correct?

You are pretty likely to see a fight outside Liquid/Diva nightclub at 2am on a saturday night but apart from that there are only a few rough pubs including the Rock and Fountain as Brum tiddly un tum mentioned. If you don't go to those places (and there are plenty of other places to go) you are unlikely to see anything.

There are probably approaching 100 licensed premises in and around the town centre if you count all bars, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs and you'd be very unlikely to see any trouble in about 85 of them.

What are you guys favourite watering holes then?

Whenever I'm back there I always have to make a nostalgic visit to the Nag's Head and the taphouse down in Greyfriars.

Three Fishes on Fish Street, top pub and smoke free (good for an ex smoker like me)
Very partial to the Nag's Head as well, which has that rear beer garden with the old Tudor outhouses there :cheers:

I live in Much Wenlock some of the time, and Ive gotta say that Shrewsbury is almost perfect. I'd prefer it without the 50s market building. The old tower was less eye catching but very harmoniously integrated with the character of the area. But i guess there are folk on this site who prefer Telford just cos its got a little skyscraper.

Three Fishes on Fish Street, top pub and smoke free (good for an ex smoker like me)
Very partial to the Nag's Head as well, which has that rear beer garden with the old Tudor outhouses there :cheers:

It's also got a ghost apparently, one of my mates used to work there and saw it late one evening.

lol 'late one evening in shrewsbury' = drunk! I've been there, done that myself, i go to shrewsbury everyday and there is always someone late in the evening toddling around claiming things...

Article from Property Week

Plans to link three shopping malls to create one large, covered centre could drastically change Shrewsbury’s look.
03.06.2005
By Christine Eade

Shrewsbury’s narrow lanes and medieval streets make it difficult to imagine the town with a 965,000 sq ft (89,650 sq m) covered shopping centre.

But before the decade is out, Dunedin Property hopes to have joined the three centres it owns, so that Darwin shopping centre, the Pride Hill shopping centre and Riverside Mall will be merged into one.

Dunedin is now engaging a marketing company to canvass the reaction of local Shrewsbury shoppers to a single name.

But the renaming of the three centres is years off, even though the development took an important step forward in March, when Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council gave consent, subject to section 106 obligations, to link the 115,000 sq ft (10,685 sq m) Pride Hill with the 350,000 sq ft (32,525 sq m) Darwin. The two 1980s centres have separate entrances on to Pride Hill, the town’s prime retail pitch.

Dunedin director Ian Solley predicts that work on the link, which will join the two centres at the back, could begin as early as November.

The only impediment is that, despite owning the centres, Dunedin does not own the land on which the link will be built: a surface car park in Raven Meadows, owned by the long-established Morris Property.

Neither side will disclose the nature of the deal whereby Morris’s land becomes the link between Dunedin’s two shopping centres. Solley merely says that a deal has to be hammered out, but admits that the two development companies – both privately owned – have been discussing the matter for four years.

Nevertheless, Solley remains upbeat about the opportunities offered by the link, which also creates 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sq m) of retail space. He explains that it will be an opportunity for retailers to extend their existing space, and create new space at the same time. Two of the retailers he is talking to are Gap and HMV.

Solley describes the section 106 demands as benign. Dunedin has to contribute £100,000 to improve Pride Hill, the pedestrianised road outside the two shopping centres. The developer also has to pay £100,000 to provide a park-and-ride service for shoppers. Solley is pleased with the fact that the park-and-ride buses will bear advertisements for the new centre.

The second phase to create an extra 400,000 sq ft (37,160 sq m) sounds far-fetched, but could be more straightforward. In the next year, Dunedin is to put in a planning application to redevelop its Riverside Mall to include a department store. Work should begin in 2008, when most leases of the existing tenants, such as Wilkinson and Somerfield, will have expired.

Solley describes the shopping centre that will replace Riverside Mall as ‘a covered centre, but not hermetically sealed’.

http://www.property-week.co.uk/Pictures/web/o/u/j/22_LINK_MALL_CMYK.jpg

Watch out Trafford Centre! :P :D

Watch out Trafford Centre! :P :D

To put it in context the Trafford Centre is currently around 130,000 Sqm and Bluewater is the UK's largest with 140,000 Sqm while this proposed development in Shrewsbury will be 90,000 Sqm when completed.

Article from 'The Stage'

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Designs for Shropshire’s first purpose-built theatre and entertainment complex have now been submitted to the planning department at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, giving a picture of what the £17.5 million project could look like.

The town’s old music hall, which has proved a difficult place to stage modern productions in, is being replaced with a larger 650-seat theatre and 250-seat studio theatre on site overlooking the River Severn, in what is expected to be a major new centre for the arts in the West Midlands.

Architects Levitt Bernstein, who have been working on the concept for three years, have now presented plans that include a dance studio, two bars and exhibition and meeting room space housed partly in a converted chapel.

Project architect Colin Muir said: “The studio can be used for dance classes or rehearsal space. There will be dressing rooms, a large public bar at circle level and a second bar/restaurant, which can be used as a sponsors’ area.

“The area it is in, Frankwell, is a conservation area, so we’ve tried to blend it in with the surroundings. Although it will be a 21st century building, we will be using materials used around the local area, like brick, sandstone, timber and slate.”

A local competition is being held at the moment to decide the name of the venue, expected to open in the summer of 2008.

Charles Armstrong, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said: “We’re looking for the main touring companies to have a proper performance space, so they can come to Shrewsbury - regional operas and ballets, which at the moment we can’t attract because they can’t fit on our stage.

“There are also a lot of small production companies who at the moment are having to perform in village halls and the main space will help subsidise the second space, which will be affordable for local groups and fringe companies to perform in.”

Tuesday 2 August 2005 01:20 PM

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Some pics of the plans from the Leckitt Bernstein website

http://www.levittbernstein.co.uk/images/photos/shrewsbury1.gif

http://www.levittbernstein.co.uk/images/photos/shrewsbury2.gif

http://www.levittbernstein.co.uk/images/photos/shrewsbury3.gif

From English Heritage

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'Father of the skyscraper' rescued for the nation

Ditherington Flax Mill in Shrewsbury , the world’s first iron framed building and ancestor of the modern sky-scraper, has been bought by English Heritage thanks to a grant from Advantage West Midlands.

Despite its global importance, the mill has been lying empty since 1987 and has fallen into a state of dangerous neglect and decay. Today’s purchase will at long last secure its future, putting an end to more than a decade of gradual decline.

English Heritage, Advantage West Midlands and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council will be working together to establish what conservation work is needed and the most pressing repairs and security works will be carried out as a priority. At the same time, a developer will be sought to take forward the regeneration of the site which is likely to include a mix of residential, business, community and heritage uses. Public access to the building’s remarkable interior will form part of the plan.

Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said: “Ditherington Flax Mill is an outstanding building of international importance and one of the most significant monuments of the Industrial Revolution. It is one of those rare structures that changed the world of construction and design. With its revolutionary iron frame it was the predecessor of the modern sky-scraper. To see it in its current state, lying decayed and neglected, windows smashed and roof leaking is little short of scandalous.

“But the neglect ends here! Thanks to vital funding from Advantage West Midlands, English Heritage has at long last been able to secure the future of this internationally important building. By bringing in a specialist private sector developer we are confident that the Flax Mill will be saved for the nation and once again become a thriving local resource, bringing new life to the surrounding area.”

Mark Pearce, Director for Shropshire at Advantage West Midlands said: “This purchase is an important step towards restoring the Flax Mill back to its former glory. We are confident that the redevelopment of the site will have a positive knock-on effect for the surrounding area, which provides a unique opportunity for future redevelopment and regeneration. Eventually, the Flax Mill should provide the focus for a vibrant gateway into the heart of the town centre.”

Councillor Malcolm Price, Conservation and Design Champion for the Council, said: “The future of one of Shrewsbury’s most historic buildings has been the subject of debate for many years, with local people believing that it would continue to fall into disrepair and remain a blot on the landscape of this northern gateway to the town.

“The news that finally the building is to be saved and preserved, and part of a greater regeneration scheme for the area of Ditherington, is incredible.

“This, I believe, will also be the catalyst for further development, in an area that has been neglected and run down for many years.

“I must pay tribute to the persistence and tenacity of the partnership team of the Council, Advantage West Midlands and English Heritage in securing this fantastic historic building for future generations.”

Since the mill buildings were left vacant in 1987, a series of owners have tried to find a viable future for them, but without any success.

In 2001 the Flax Mill was bought by Maltings Development Limited (MDL). English Heritage and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council tried to help them find a commercial solution for the site. In 2003, fears over the continued decline of the site led Shrewsbury and Atcham to issue an Urgent Works Notice. The work was carried out in 2004, managed by English Heritage. A subsequent Full Repairs Notice led to a Compulsory Purchase Order being served in August 2004. During this time English Heritage and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council held discussions with MDL with a view to buying the site. However, these discussions came to an end when MDL went into liquidation earlier this month.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/img_400/Ditherington3.jpg

http://www.mawddwy.freeserve.co.uk/shropshire/maltingsback.jpg

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/arts/2005/04/08/ditheringtonmill2357.jpg

Approximate locations of these developments

Frankwell Theatre
Shopping Centre expansion
Ditherington Flax Mill

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a20/jonesy55/shrewsbury.jpg

Stadium plea is turned down


Controversial plans to let housebuilders demolish Shrewsbury Town’s Gay Meadow stadium when its replacement was only half-built have been thrown out by planning chiefs.

Developers Jennings Homes had applied for permission to start work on a £60 million housing development at the site in Abbey Foregate as soon as the club’s new Oteley Road stadium was built to a 5,000 capacity.

That capacity is half the final total planned for the new stadium.

But Graham Watson, chairman of Sutton Area Residents’ Association, told members of last night’s borough council development control committee there would be serious implications for neighbours if the club was forced to play in a half-built stadium.

He said: “If two sides are left open how will light pollution and noise be contained? Great play was made regarding the design of stands and roofs to restrict this.”

Eric Wood, spokesman for Jennings Homes, today said the company was “disappointed” with the decision.

Council have done a u turn on the ground and have agreed to the Jennings proposal, so Town will have half a ground built until the whole housing development on Gay Meadow is done. Hope they build it on stilts after teh flooding!!!!

Council have done a u turn on the ground and have agreed to the Jennings proposal, so Town will have half a ground built until the whole housing development on Gay Meadow is done. Hope they build it on stilts after teh flooding!!!!

Yeah, they could either do something like that (maybe make the bottom floor all garages or something?) or maybe removeable flood defences like by the Welsh Bridge, they seem to work pretty well but could be expensive

Yeah, they could either do something like that (maybe make the bottom floor all garages or something?) or maybe removeable flood defences like by the Welsh Bridge, they seem to work pretty well but could be expensive

Worked a treat although the river burst and flooded near Monkmoor. I hope they don't stick flood defenses up, or all it will do is push the flooding down to Castlefields

Aticle from tonights Shropshire Star. The borough council have sold the old Telephone House site to Dunedin for £3.5m

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Town set for £3.5 million revamp


The centre of Shrewsbury will be turned into one huge shopping centre after a £3.5 million deal was clinched to develop the town’s former Telephone House site.

Shopping centre developer Dunedin Property has bought the site to create a new shopping mall - linked to the existing Darwin and Pride Hill shopping centres it already owns. It will also be linked to Raven Meadows bus station and car park.

The centre, which is due to be built in 2008, will see all indoor shopping in Shrewsbury brought under one roof in a giant complex named Castle Gate.

Ian Solley, director of developers Dunedin Property, today confirmed the company had reached agreement with the borough council over the Telephone House site.

He remained tight-lipped on how much the development would cost, although the sale of the site is believed to have netted the borough council about £3.5 million.

Mr Solley also confirmed today that discussions with bosses at Riverside Medical Practice, the site for which is also due to become part of the new mall, had been fruitful. He said the firm would be looking at extending the lease to give them time to find an alternative.

Shrewsbury chosen for pilot of new congestion charges - could lead to public transport improvements.

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http://www.shropshirestar.com/show_article.php?aID=39755

Congestion fee for town
By political Editor JOHN HIPWOOD


Shrewsbury was named today as one of the first towns in the country where motorists will be forced to pay congestion charges to try to avoid traffic gridlock.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced that Shropshire County Council is to be given £480,000 to work out a pricing scheme for the county town.

The scheme is one of seven which will share £7 million to begin feasibility studies in preparation for pilot projects. The biggest pilot scheme will operate in the West Midlands conurbation, so Shropshire motorists who drive into Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Birmingham to work will also face congestion charges.

At the moment only motorists driving into or through central London have to pay a congestion charge, which is currently set at £8.

But under plans which could eventually affect the whole country, most schemes will involve drivers paying variable fees from 2p per mile on the quietest roads to as much as £1.34 a mile at peak times on the busiest routes. These charges would take over from petrol duty and vehicle excise duty as the principal means of taxing motorists.

Ministers want the Shrewsbury feasibility study completed by next summer with a view to having a scheme up and running by 2009.

Shrewsbury New Entertainment Venue, more details from Council website:

"SABC's Development Control and Environmental Protection Committee approved in principle the NEV planning submission in October 2005. The planning application was then submitted to the Government Office of the West Midlands who reviewed the submission before giving approval for SABC to proceed with the next stage of granting planning permission.

The final decision will be made on completion of a legal agreement under section 106 of the Planning Act to cover a commuted sum for improvements to the operation of the flood alleviation scheme nearby. This is likely to be in the new year 2006.
Shrewsbury is about to be given a dose of cultural dynamite!

The New Entertainment Venue is intended to be built on Frankwell Quay (alongside Frank's Café Bar and the Welsh Bridge). This exciting development will send out a bold cultural statement for Shrewsbury and will help in the regeneration of Frankwell. The new venue will continue to develop Shrewsbury as one of the most attractive places to live and work in the UK and will be a major factor in bringing visitors to the town.

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/nevpostcard.jpg

With a beautiful riverside setting, excellent car parking and room for all the imagination and creativity that Shrewsbury can develop the New Entertainment Venue will provide a host of exciting new opportunities. A 650 seated Main Auditorium with air conditioning and full technical facilities will play host to an exciting and diverse programme of live performances.

The 250 seated Studio Theatre will house our more experimental programme with cutting-edge performances by a range of creative artists. The Studio Theatre will also offer Shropshire's amateur and community-based groups a place to perform their work and will have the technical facilities to match their aspirations. With the seating retracted the Studio Theatre becomes the perfect venue for live music, enabling Shrewsbury to host a diverse range of performances and building on an already excellent reputation for live music.

This site will be updated through the course of the project. Please click on the links to the left hand side as they become available for more information or email projects@shrewsbury.gov.uk. Information is also available on the Music Hall's website http://www.musichall.co.uk/.

Shrewsbury Sports Village:

"The sports village will provide first class sporting facilities, with a sports hall accomodating a wide range of sports including badminton, netball, basketball, volleyball, tennis aerobics, climbing and squash.

Outside there will be specially designed areas for cycling, skateboarding and BMX activities, and a variety of premiere football pitches with spectator areas and dedicated changing facilities.

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/shrewsburysportsvillage/informationforschools/p1-n1-b.jpg

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/shrewsburysportsvillage/p8-n1-b.gif

Wow! Great stuff but where is this going to be built and how much?

Wow! Great stuff but where is this going to be built and how much?

Not sure about the cost but the sports village is being built in Sundorne next to theTA centre and the New Entertainment Venue is going to be on the Riverside next to the Council Offices in Frankwell. Behind where the floating Thai restaurant is.

Oh behind that sunken Thai restaurant ;) Yeah Shrewsbury really needs some redevelopments rising fast. Inside the Pride Hill shopping centre near HMV are some renderings of new developments in the town. I will try and grab some photos of them this week if i can.

Inside the Pride Hill shopping centre near HMV are some renderings of new developments in the town. I will try and grab some photos of them this week if i can.

There's even a Wikipedia entry for the new shopping centre development but I can't find the plans anywhere on the web. I've looked at them by HMV though and they seem to be pretty good. That whole riverside area needs to be revamped, it's an eyesore at the moment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Gate_Shopping_Centre

Latest theatre development - £1.8m grant from AWM

Shrewsbury’s long-awaited theatre complex today received a massive cash boost after it was revealed that it had been awarded a £1.8 million grant.

Advantage West Midlands has made the grant to help the £28 million entertainment venue in Frankwell Quay move a step closer to reality.

Councillor Charles Armstrong, portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said it was a milestone for the borough council.

He said up to £5 million had previously been pledged in funding to the theatre.

But he added: “The Advantage West Midlands grant is far more important. It’s the first time we’ve had direct funding from them.”

About £2 million in savings on everyday council services must be made over the next two years to avert a crisis. In November it emerged the planned multi-million pound theatre is about £2 million over budget even before a brick has been laid.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/storage/editorial/9/SD1281479@theatre.jpg

Its all go at the moment. They also commisioned a report into how to sort out the Northern Corridor into the town from Battlefield, which is frankly a dump and gives an appalling first impression of the town. Top of that of course will be what do with the Flaxmill (Maltings) and the abandoned buildings opposite in Spring Gardens. Let's hope they come up with something more sensible than "We'll wait until the Shrewsbury canal hopefully gets rebuilt and then sort out the Flaxmill" otherwise, I'll be getting grey hair before anything happens.

Luxury flats for Flax Mill - From the Shropshire Star

A multi-million pound development of Shrewsbury’s Flax Mill will create luxury apartments instead of affordable homes despite the town’s housing crisis, it emerged today.

The cost of restoring the 18th century mill is likely to mean developers need to recoup the expense with upmarket homes, rather than low-cost housing.

But less than six months ago, councillors said that officers were being forced to knock on farmers’ doors in a desperate bid to find land for homes.

And a Labour councillor today said it was a “disgrace” that better provision was not being made for affordable homes.

Could the grandaddy of all skyscrapers be turned into yuppie pads?

Some renders of the new Theatre Severn, the ground is cleared, construction due to commence 31 October!

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/view1_across+final15pc.jpg

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/view6_1st+floorfinal15pc.jpg

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/view+2_nightfinal15pc.jpg

It looks great and Shrewsbury really does need a decent venue. I get sick to death of having to go to Wolves to see live music.

How's the new meadow coming along? I can't find anything about it on the internet :(

This applies to Shrewsbury...

06/11/2006 10:52


Department for Transport (National)

Further £7.5m allocated to tackle congestion



Nine areas across England will share £7.5 million to help them develop innovative plans to tackle local congestion and inform the debate on a national road pricing scheme, Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today.

The money comes from the second round of an £18 million fund, set up in July 2005, awarding pump-priming in advance of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF). The TIF money can be used to improve public transport, offering alternatives to car use and more choice for the travelling public.

Today's new funding will support local authorities who are developing proposals for local pilot road pricing projects. These will help inform discussion on a national road pricing scheme, providing experience on the ground and ideas about how road pricing technology will work.

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said:

"Congestion has significant costs to the economy and environment, causes delay and frustration or motorists and it is forecast to get steadily worse over the next ten years. We must act now.

"Road pricing has the potential to cut congestion by nearly half and we need to explore how well-designed schemes can help us with our congestion problems. We are clear that the first step on this path is helping local authorities to establish local pilots, which will inform our thinking on a national scheme. Today's announcement is another step along that path."

Six areas which received funding under the first round are being awarded further funds:

Cambridgeshire

Durham County Council (for Durham City)

Greater Manchester

Shropshire County Council (for Shrewsbury)

Tyne and Wear

West Midlands conurbation

In addition, three new areas bid successfully:

Nottingham, Derby and Leicester and the surrounding counties;

Reading;

Norfolk (for Norwich)

Douglas Alexander added:

"Today's announcement brings to ten the number of areas across England giving serious consideration to local road pricing schemes. I am delighted with the work that the first seven have done to date, and was pleased that so many more authorities showed they are willing to engage with us in finding real solutions to their congestion problems."

The Government will work closely with these authorities on this developmental work. The three new areas will be invited to join the Road Pricing Local Liaison Group. This group is responsible for developing a consistent approach to road pricing - looking at technical standards, design and scheme appraisal.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. In July 2005, £18 million was made available to support preliminary scheme development by transport authorities between 2005-06 and 2007-08. The Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) 'pump priming' funding will be made available over the next three years, to support planning for local demand management schemes where pricing is a major element.

2. TIF pump priming funding round two


Authority Funding total (£K)
West Midlands 600
Greater Manchester 1950
Tyne & Wear 750
Cambridgeshire 1055
Shropshire 377.8
Durham 50
East Midlands 1800
Reading 680
Norfolk 250
Total 7512.8





3. The schemes could then be funded from the main TIF, subject to a further bidding process. Up to £200 million a year is ultimately available to support such local pilots. If more good schemes emerge, more money may be made available. Local authorities that supply a business case for a congestion management pilot before July 2007, will receive a decision from the Department for Transport (DfT) before the end of the year.

4. The TIF makes £290 million available in 2008-09 and is set to increase over time reaching some £2.5 billion by 2014-15. The Fund offers substantial, long term investment and will support smarter and better management of the capacity we already have.

5. The pump priming money is no guarantee that an authority will be successful in bidding for the main TIF. The Government is committed to working closely with the successful authorities to deliver the work programmes set out in their pump priming bids, to support future decisions both on the main TIF fund and on road pricing more broadly.

Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

Client ref 121

GNN ref 140149P

How's the new meadow coming along? I can't find anything about it on the internet :(

All the pictures of construction that you can possibly ever need can be found here:

http://www.newmeadow.com/

Just click on 'Pictures' and then 'Image Library'.

Its looking pretty good in my opinion, I went back up to Shrews at the weekend, and from the train its starting to look pretty impressive.

So is this where all the Shropshites hang out?
There is a thread on the New Meadow on SSC somewhere, i've posted in it. It's probs in the stadium section.
The Shrews will be overtacken by the mighty Bucks soon enough any way, they shouldn't have bothered building it.

pffff, shut up! :)

This applies to Shrewsbury...

It does indeed, there are even noises about building a couple of new rail stops, one in north and one in South Shrewsbury for local crosstown traffic. The 'Northern corridor' is subject to a public consultation at the moment.

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/planning/planningpolicy/ncrs/default.htm

See option 3 in this PDF

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/planning/planningpolicy/ncrs/lo+res+shrewsbury+2.pdf

Latest on the flaxmill:

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/haveyoursay/bigissues/maltings2.jpg

"The Flaxmill, sometimes called "The Maltings", is located in the North of Shrewsbury.

Ditherington Flax Mill was the first iron-framed building in the world. Built in 1797, its fireproof combination of cast iron columns and cast iron beams developed into the modern steel frame which made skyscrapers possible. Despite its global importance, the mill has stood empty since 1987 and is considered to be one of the most important buildings at risk of neglect and decay in England.

Since the buildings were left vacant in 1987, a series of owners have tried to find a viable future for them, without any success to date. Unfortunately over the years the buildings have fallen into a state of disrepair, with vandalism and water leaks in the roof resulting in damage to the buildings. The Flax Mill is now regarded as being at the top of English Heritage’s national ‘Buildings at Risk’ register.

An investigation is underway to determine how best to preserve and utilise it"

latest update leaflet and engineering report summary (http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/planning/conservation/flaxmill/updateleaflet-lores.pdf)

The council has bought much of the surrounding land so hopefully it won't be long until something gets done.

How's the new meadow coming along? I can't find anything about it on the internet :(

OR go to this thread where I have taken the best latest photos from www.newmeadow.com:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=387088

"An investigation is underway to determine how best to preserve and utilise it"

Knock it down and build something nice! The building looks too bruised and broken for it to be simply kept there for another few decades so get rid of it before it is too late!

Knock it down and build something nice! The building looks too bruised and broken for it to be simply kept there for another few decades so get rid of it before it is too late!

I hope you're joking, this is probably the most important historical building in Shrewsbury. How many world firsts does Shrewsbury have? As a skyscraper fan I would have thought you'd appreciate this granddaddy of them all.

All of those Victorian warehouses and factories in Manchester, Birmingham etc looked terrible before they were renovated and now they are some of the most desirable addresses in the city. This could do wonders for the regeneration of the most run-down part of town.

The flaxmill should definately be retained, I can't help but think that if it was in a major city it would be a much bigger deal. Also i wonder why is was built in Shrewsbury anyway. I mean the place is hardly known for its industrial might is it. They should re-create the canal as well IMO.

www.shropshirestar.com

You can see the site in this photo to the right of the big shopping centre.
http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/darwin.jpg

"Go-ahead for £12m shops link

The Darwin shopping centreA £12 million scheme to link Shrewsbury’s two main shopping centres has been given the go-ahead. The boss of the Darwin and Pride Hill malls today said the move could attract a new department store to the county town.

Workers will now move on to the Raven Meadows “gap site” to start to build a retaining wall at the back of the Pride Hill shops.

The five-storey link mall was approved last night at the borough council’s development control committee.

The application was made by Morris Property, the company which owns the vital piece of rundown land currently used as a car park.

The company today announced it is looking for a “joint venture partner” to build the landmark development.

A spokeswoman from Morris said today: “Morris Property are pleased to have received consent to resurrect their original scheme for a five-storey retail building which could potentially see a link to both the Darwin and Pride Hill shopping centres.

“Morris Property will now carry out some enabling works, principally a retaining wall to the rear of the Pride Hill shops. The company intends to commence in the immediate future.”

She added: “Morris Property is actively looking to secure a joint venture partner to develop this scheme which is estimated to be in the region of £12 million.”

She added that the development was only a shopping scheme and did not include car parking.

Victoria Gibson, centre manager for Protego, which owns the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres said Morris Property was solely responsible for developing the “gap site”.

Mrs Gibson added that new development could attract big-name stores. She said: “There has been speculation for a long time that department stores have been looking to come to the town.”

Morris hopes to blend the new brickwork with either the Pride Hill or Darwin Centre buildings, but create a front mostly from glass.

Plans to create one main mall under the name “Castle Gate” were scrapped at the beginning of the year after the Scottish investment group Dunedin sold the three current shopping centres to Protego."

The flaxmill should definately be retained, I can't help but think that if it was in a major city it would be a much bigger deal. Also i wonder why is was built in Shrewsbury anyway. I mean the place is hardly known for its industrial might is it. They should re-create the canal as well IMO.

That's the grand plan, but as this place is hardly a major city I very much doubt it will actually happen.

New football ground coming along nicely :)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/newm15.jpg

:banana: :lock: :banana: :cucumber: :banana: :cheer: :banana: :carrot: :banana: :pepper: :banana:

The new Theatre in Frankwell is also rising quickly, I might pop along and take a photo today.

^^ Please do! I see it growing everyday in college but never have a camera on me :)

This link's got some good renders:

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/nevmapsplansandphotographs.htm

The Northern Corridor masterplan has been published, (link) (http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/planning/planningpolicy/ncrs/executive+summary+of+the+masterplan.pdf)

What do you think, It looks like a vast improvement on what's there currently, I especially like the Castle Foregate Urban Village idea, the question is can the finance be put together?

Webcam pic of Theatre construction today.

http://www.parkright.org.uk/webcam/WelshBr_00001.jpg

The Northern Corridor masterplan has been published, (link) (http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/planning/planningpolicy/ncrs/executive+summary+of+the+masterplan.pdf)

What do you think, It looks like a vast improvement on what's there currently, I especially like the Castle Foregate Urban Village idea, the question is can the finance be put together?

I can't imagine too many Shrewsbury folk appreciating some of those modern public spaces and architecture. I haven't met anyone who likes the Darwin Gate sculptures yet because "they look like they are from Dracula's castle" or "Lord of the Rings". lol. It is a vast improvement ofcourse, but my money's on bid budget cuts and a rather cheap looking Northern Corridor "masterplan".

I like the Darwin gate thing, but then I'm an uneducated heathen from down the A5 :naughty:
I can't get over how big the theatre is gonna be.

Article about the theatre development in tonight's Shropshire Star.

---------

This dramatic picture shows Shrewsbury’s £28 million theatre complex as it towers above the town’s skyline.

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/theatre.jpg

The steel frames at the site of the showpiece 650-seat venue now dominate the riverside view at Frankwell, rising high above surrounding buildings.

The super-structure is expected to be completed by the end of September. Work on the internal fittings such as heating and electrical wiring will start in October.

Borough council architect Geoff Trantham said: “We are still slightly behind schedule but we have now started on the super-structure frame and that hopefully will be finished at the end of September and then things will be back on project.

“Once the shell is finished, we will start on the internal features.”

Mr Trantham said the building had reached its full height except for the roof.

Impact

“We have to finish the steel frame itself and then the cladding and the brick work and the glass.

“People are likely to see a lot of changes in the next few weeks.”

Leisure and culture portfolio holder for Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, Councillor Charles Armstrong added: “It’s going to have a great impact on the skyline in Shrewsbury rather than looking like a giant climbing frame as it does at the moment.

“It’s a giant step forward for the town and the region.”

General manager of Shrewsbury Music Hall, Lezley Picton, who will run the new theatre, said: “I’m very excited. It’s just taken such a long time to get here.

“I came here nine years ago to open this and it’s finally taking shape. It looks a bit scary at the moment because it’s a lot of steel.

“It’s really stating Shrewsbury’s intention of being the rural cultural hub of the West Midlands.

“You can often find me viewing it from the Welsh bridge.”

Work on Theatre Severn officially started in November when the Mayor, Councillor Roger Evans, cut the first sod.

It is due to be completed in November 2008 and will open after the last pantomime at the Music Hall.

Latest photo of Theatre Severn, taken by me on Saturday.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a20/jonesy55/dscf1183.jpg

Thanks Jonesy. :)

www.newmeadow.com is getting so many visitors the servers have crashed :D There are lots of people interested in the new stadium...

I like the curved bit at the top, will that be the actual auditorium bit or is it just a feature?

I like the curved bit at the top, will that be the actual auditorium bit or is it just a feature?

I think that will be the main auditorium, don't quote me on that though!

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/yourcouncilatwork/councilprojects/nev/view1_across+final15pc.jpg

Disused Abbey Foregate train station to be refurbished

-------------

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/05/funds-for-rail-work-approved/

Funds for rail work approved
Shrewsbury council chiefs have approved funding of £140,000 to transform the town’s historic Abbey railway station.

The Shrewsbury Railway Heritage Trust plans three phases of work to bring the derelict Old Potts Railway Station in Abbey Foregate back into use.

At Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council’s Cabinet meeting yesterday council chiefs agreed £140,000 to cover the first two stages of work, subject to tenders.

Phase one of the scheme will involve repairs to the shell of the building to form a display area with funding from Heritage Lottery Fund to complete the fitting-out.

The second phase of work will consist of creating a community meeting area.

In 2003, the council made £60,000 available to the Trust as match-funding for the provision of a railway visitor centre, and in December 2006 it agreed to the provision of £80,000 in the capital programme.

Mansel Williams, who is chairman of the Trust, said after the meeting that he was hopeful they would be able to secure additional funding to complete phase three of the project to create an external exhibition area.

The building formed part of the old Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway.

In 1911 it reopened as the more modest Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway from Shrewsbury to Llanymynech.

Urban Splash chosen for flaxmill redevelopment :banana:

---------

Urban Splash to develop mill

Shrewsbury’s historic Flax Mill will be transformed by the award-winning property developers responsible for restoring Fort Dunlop in Birmingham.

English Heritage and members of the Ditherington Flax Mills Steering Group have chosen Urban Splash as their first choice of developer to find a viable future for the building.

Ditherington Flax Mill is the world’s first iron-framed building and is the ancestor of the modern-day skyscraper.

It was used as a flax mill for 100 years before it was converted into a maltings. It closed in 1987 and is currently in a poor condition.

English Heritage bought the site in 2005 for £900,000 and started the search for a company to redevelop the buildings last year.

Nathan Cornish, managing director of Urban Splash Midlands Ltd, said: “We are very excited to have the opportunity to forge the partnership.”

Urban Splash recently converted the redundant Fort Dunlop, just off the M6, into offices, shops and a hotel complex.

Chris Smith, English Heritage Planning and Development Director for the West Territory, who chairs the Steering Group, said the parties would now work together to find a suitable use for the Flax Mill.

---------

£30m scheme for Flax Mill


About £30 million is to be spent on transforming Shrewsbury’s historic Flax Mill, it was revealed today. A consortium of partners will be pumping money into the scheme.

The cash could help pave the way for a major overhaul of the 18th century mill.

Last month Ditherington Flax Mill’s owners English Heritage announced Urban Splash as the first choice developer to find a viable future for the structure - the first iron framed building in the world.

Councillor Charles Armstrong, portfolio holder for capital projects at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, said the firm, which was responsible for restoring Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, would be responsible for finding the bulk of the £30 million including bids to external bodies.

He said: “The scheme total is £30 million and most of that will come from Urban Splash and other funders.

“As a commercial organisation they are looking to take the uniqueness of derelict buildings and bring them back into economic use.

“Urban Splash has a good track record of bringing in external funding.

“English Heritage, Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and all the normal funders will be putting money in.”

Mr Armstrong added the investment was a “tremendous boost” for the area and would play a major role in the regeneration of Shrewsbury’s northern corridor.

The news comes as it emerged councillors also decided to press ahead with attempts to seek a compulsory purchase order on the Arriva Bus Depot in Ditherington which fronts the 18th century mill.

In May, a public inquiry to consider objections to the CPO was adjourned for six months to see if a site could be agreed between Arriva and the council.

Just curious to why this thread is not in the Brum forum?

I just found out where shrewsbury was and its not far from Brum at all. So I am going to pay attention to this thread because I want to see what is happening.

Any attempt by Brum to annex us will be met with fierce resistance from the Shropshire Martyrs Brigade :gunz:

;)

Just curious to why this thread is not in the Brum forum?

Because Shrewsbury is

a) Not in Birmingham
b) Not neighbouring Birmingham
c) Not really anywhere near Birmingham
d) Nothing to do with Birmingham
e) etc

Anyone visiting Shrewsbury of late will have noticed the great improvement in the town centre pavements :D Almost a foot wider :D EVERYWHERE!!! :D The new theatre was also looking huge, but I visited at night so my pictures were too dark. Plus I didn't take any.

Webcam's here: http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/News/Webcam/WelshBridge.htm

Because Shrewsbury is

a) Not in Birmingham
b) Not neighbouring Birmingham
c) Not really anywhere near Birmingham
d) Nothing to do with Birmingham
e) etc

Yeah, if anything it should be in the Wales forum.

Sorry, I had to do it.

Yeah, if anything it should be in the Wales forum.

Sorry, I had to do it.

As you are from Telford, taking the mickey out of Shrewsbury isn't too clever. If anything you're just jealous.

Pff, yeah yeah whatever :|

Yeah, if anything it should be in the Wales forum.

Sorry, I had to do it.


:eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: etc

Pff, yeah yeah whatever :|

Shrewsbury -

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/d/8451-1/aa04056b.jpg

Telford -

http://www.bigdaddymerk.co.uk/wp-content/pic_06_large.jpg

:|

Yeah, you don't have to tell me that Shrewsbury town centre is better than Telfords. Other than that there is nothing really that Shrewsbury has over it.

Better railway station for a start.

^^A better train station:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/station.jpg

AND a better park:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/quarryhill.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/qyauury2.jpg

AND more buildings like this:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/tudor3.jpg

AND better bridges:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/welshbrige.jpg

AND a river:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/welshbank.jpg

... all in the town centre.

No need to tell me - tell "Telfordboy"..

Like I said a better town centre. The park is debabtable and I can think of at least one bridge in Telford that is better than all of yours.

Also, while I can see the appeal that Tudor buildings have they never really do it for me.

Our surrounding countryside is better than yours as well. We have way more trees too.

Oh that bridge that's in Ironbridge? Shame that they didn't build it in Telford or else you'd have a case ;)

Did I mention churches and abbeys also?

Ironbridge is in Telford. We have churches too but fair enough, I'll give you the abbey and remind you of our World Heritage Site.

We have a couple of decent abbey ruins near by though :| Hmm although Shrewsbury has Haughmond near by I suppose.

If Ironbridge is in Telford then Wroxeter is in Shrewsbury. Adding history from a nearby older settlement (eg Ironbridge/Wroxeter) to a newer one (Telford/Shrewsbury) is cheating. The Iron Bridge, which is in Ironbridge, was built centuries before Telford got started. Using it to represent Telford is pathetic (which is what is done on the M54 for instance, also stating that Telford is the "birthplace of industry" which is not true - how can Telford have been the birthplace of industry when it was built centuries after industry began).

Face it - Telford is a mediocre new town in beautiful Shropshire countryside.

So you're saying that the older settlements within Telford are just holes? That is an awful lot of Telford. The fact is the new town was designated with the aim of regenerating the old towns and villages of the East Shropshire coalfield. Take them out and nothing would have happened except further decline.

All of the towns and villages on the coalfield, and Wellington have a long and shared history, the fact that they have had an out of town shopping centre, new roads and new residential and industrial developments between them and a new name imposed on them is fairly irrelevant. They had mostly turned into a mini version of the Black Country by the time of the first designation, except riddled with the scars of exhausted industries. The fact that the three old towns in the south Dawley, Madeley and Ironbridge were so entwinned with the the two in the north Wellington and Oakengates was the very reason it was redesignated in 68 as Telford and included all five towns plus all the villages and hamlets in between.

If you knew what the area was like previously you would think that the new town was a good idea. Sure I don't like how it was planned but I can't change what has already been built. But I can see enough potential to know that its not totally a lost cause.

Why do you care any way?

For the record here is the map of Telford's boundaries

http://www.transformingtelford.co.uk/_library/img/www/Map/Projects/Economic-Growth.png

I like how the boundary just passes Ironbridge :D That map just shows the lasso in Telford's dirty paws stealing worthwhile neighbouring settlements. If Ironbridge is in Telford, Shrewsbury's in Northern Ireland...

It actually crosses the reiver a little bit, just to make sure. However Ironbridge was part of the original new town before it was called Telford, and as for the settlement grabbing was Harlescott always in Shrewsbury? Was Frankwell even? No, places change towns grow and absorb other towns. It has happened pretty much all over the world.

Yo see the white bit just above the word Ironbridge? can you guess what that area is called? Well its Woodside? Is that in Telford? Its closer to Ironbridge.

Shrewsbury -

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/d/8451-1/aa04056b.jpg

Telford -

http://www.bigdaddymerk.co.uk/wp-content/pic_06_large.jpg

:|

:lol: Manchester Planner, it's cruel to point out these things, it's bad enough that people have to live in Telford as it is without you rubbing it in ;) :laugh:

Anyone visiting Shrewsbury of late will have noticed the great improvement in the town centre pavements :D Almost a foot wider :D EVERYWHERE!!! :D The new theatre was also looking huge, but I visited at night so my pictures were too dark. Plus I didn't take any.

Webcam's here: http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/News/Webcam/WelshBridge.htm

The new pavements are an improvement and should allow for more pedestrians to flow freely through the town, hopefully we will get round to pedestrianising more of the town centre at some point, starting with mardol maybe.

The theatre is coming along nicely, the brick cladding has started to appear at the end by the Guildhall.

In other news, Shrewsbury Environmental Technology Centre, a sustainable office development (aimed at environmental technology companies of which there are a cluster in Shrewsbury) on the site of the former SABC social club is taking shape. Some of the office space has been pre-let to Water Management Consultants, the international environmental consultancy founded in Shrewsbury.

http://www.pump-house.com/node/

http://www.watermc.com/

:lol: Manchester Planner, it's cruel to point out these things, it's bad enough that people have to live in Telford as it is without you rubbing it in ;) :laugh:

Pff you're losing your place as my favourite Shrewsburyite on SSC :mad:

Pff you're losing your place as my favourite Shrewsburyite on SSC :mad:

Arrgh, don't be upset I was only joking. :hug::pet:

It's not as if you would never diss Shrewsbury now, is it?

What me? Never :|

I have to admit, I hate it slightly less theses days. Your public transport is still terrible though and some of your bus drivers are real gits.

Shropshire's most famous bridge:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_green/403861210/
"Ironbridge, Shropshire, UK"

I love Telford's version of the famous Hollywood sign:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_green/249067506/

I always see chavs humping Thomas Telford when I walk past it.

What me? Never :|

I have to admit, I hate it slightly less theses days. Your public transport is still terrible though and some of your bus drivers are real gits.

I don't like the way that buses stop at about 1930 and there are hardly any on sundays :ohno: But the buses themselves are not too bad, especially those cute dark blue dinky little ones, they are quite comfortable.

And the rail links are pretty good too, you can get direct trains to Welington, T-Town, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Crewe, Manchester, Wrexham, Chester, Holyhead, Aberystwyth, Hereford, Cardiff, Swansea and lots of little towns and villages all over shropshire.

The direct service to London Marylebone starts next spring too.

We could do with direct trains to Liverpool rather than having to change at Chester and also direct trains to Birmingham and Manchester Airports would be handy.

The direct service to London Marylebone starts next spring too.

:banana:

That bypasses Birmingham doesn't it? So we've effectively got another train service to the Midlands too.

Look at the addresses that the Ironbridge Gorge Museum trust use

http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/

I never get to use any of the little blue ones, just the ageing arriva ones that look like they were the ones we had before our 'Quality' bus routes were created.

Our buses stop being regular at about 6 after that its like once an hour, its such a pain if you miss one by a couble of seconds

I can't wait for the direct rail link, if only they would electrify the line though.

Yo see the white bit just above the word Ironbridge? can you guess what that area is called? Well its Woodside? Is that in Telford? Its closer to Ironbridge.

I noticed last time I visited Ironbridge earlier this year that Woodside is really close to Ironbridge - pretty much as soon as you drop down from Woodside - voila and you're in Cutesville! :happy:

I think Telford is okay as it is, you could say one expects it to be a bit dodgy in places as it's a 1960s town so there's no real surprises. I find some of Shropshire's rural villages more shockingly skanky as you expect them to be nice but some themselves have Telford-style housing in all shapes and angles. :shifty: Oh and chavs hanging around, albeit on a smaller scale, as there's even less for them to do out in the sticks.

There's a nice view of Telford from Church Stretton actually.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1071077573&size=o

Is that because you can't see it? :| It is a good picture though, I love the way the Wrekin rises from the pain all on its lonesome :happy:

I noticed last time I visited Ironbridge earlier this year that Woodside is really close to Ironbridge - pretty much as soon as you drop down from Woodside - voila and you're in Cutesville! :happy:

I think Telford is okay as it is, you could say one expects it to be a bit dodgy in places as it's a 1960s town so there's no real surprises. I find some of Shropshire's rural villages more shockingly skanky as you expect them to be nice but some themselves have Telford-style housing in all shapes and angles. :shifty: Oh and chavs hanging around, albeit on a smaller scale, as there's even less for them to do out in the sticks.

I like the use of the word drop, I agree. If the slope wasn''t so steep and unstable I reckon they would have built right into Ironbridge.

I find some of Shropshire's rural villages more shockingly skanky as you expect them to be nice but some themselves have Telford-style housing in all shapes and angles. :shifty: Oh and chavs hanging around, albeit on a smaller scale, as there's even less for them to do out in the sticks.

Which ones in particular? I think that the most skanky Shropshire town is possibly Market Drayton. Wem and Whitchurch are not great either.

The villages don't tend to be that bad in general although I wouldn't want to live in one, as you say there's not much to do except throw stones at cows and chew sticks. It might be okay if you are retired and like gardening and pootling round country lanes in your car.

I quite like Market Drayton, and if the article I read on the towns of North Shrops the other week is right then they could be in for a similar take off to that which Ludlow went through.

I bet he means Shifnal or somewhere though.

No I didn't mean Shifnal actually! I meant deeper into Shropshire than that. I've mentioned my surprise at Craven Arms before, and I remember driving on the road between Bishop's Castle and Shrewsbury and one of the villages had skanky kids sitting on walls by a council estate backed with a warehouse/factory thing.

Also, Ludlow seemed to have lots of boy racers and graffiti. These places may look nicer than Telford but some of the things you say about Telford you do find in small doses in Shropshire-proper.



I like the use of the word drop, I agree. If the slope wasn''t so steep and unstable I reckon they would have built right into Ironbridge.

I'm kinda glad they didn't. ;)

Me too.

Ludlow's surprisingly diverse. There are so many different types of poeple living on such a small hill. Wherever you go you'll see scallies/chavs, but Telford just looks worse in photos.

Have you seen this? http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/01/hotel-bid-for-site-revival/

Its for a new hotel up to 9 storeys on Smithfield Road, I remember hearing something of it a while ago but its nice to know that things are progressing. I hope for your sake that its not as butt ugly as some budget hotels across the country. Although I would secretly love it if it was :D

Btw, I noticed this morning that they are starting to glaze the new theatre, its starting to look fairly smart although the top seems to be missing something at the moment.

First render released:

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/01/first-glimpse-of-hotel-plan/

They really need to take out the bus station, multi-storey car park and other assorted 70s crap in the area as well though.

Woodhousen has supplied a bigger pic of it...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/woodhousen/shrewsbury.jpg

Also here is a flood pic showing the progress of the new theatre...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/images/2008/01/21/flood_update_gallery_100_470x353.jpg

Its growing on me.

I think it looks pretty good, there are the usual people on the Shropshire Star website saying that any hotel on the site should be a mock-tudor crapheap but hopefully nobody will listen to them!!

9 storeys! This is a supertall! Put it in the World Forums!

The theatre's taking shape - cladding seems to have turned up judging by the webcam:
http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/News/Webcam/WelshBridge.htm

I haven't seen it in person for a while so can't comment on quality...

The cladding looks alright but it's still difficult to say at the moment, I went to have a look last night and the glass is being put in on the main section in the middle.

Another project is nearing completion, the Shrewsbury Environmental Technology Centre on the former SABC social club site, Coton Hill. It looks pretty good with its solar panels, I think they might be set back a few weeks by flooding though, whoops. There are already several businesses signed up to take space which should mean some good jobs in the town.

http://www.pump-house.com/

We had the hotel plans in at work this week and I can confirm that it is not the most attractive looking building in the world. Its 36.9m tall and is partially within the functional floodplain and the 1:100 year flood zone. There will be parking on the ground level, a roof top garden, a coffee shop type bit overlooking the river and bar/restuaraunt on the lower floors of the hotel section. It means we probably won't be objecting to it.

When I was showing it to some of the Shrewsbury-ites in the office I heard all the familiar cries of it being too tall and not fitting in so I reminded them that Telephone House was never winning any beauty contests (nor will this), the current vacant site hardly provides a decent street scene and that that part of town is currently as ugly as a mule. Someone actually described it as high-rise, I laughed in their face and reminded them that Telford has a 25 storey planned, Birmingham has 50 etc, 9 is sweet fa. There are too many bumpkins in Shrewsbury.


Oh and it will be a Premier Travel Inn.

Sounds pretty naff - anyway, isn't there a busy road between it and the river?

^^ Yes there is and until the NWRR is built it's the only realistic route for anybody travelling from West of Shrewsbury to North of Shrewsbury or vice-versa so it gets congested at times.

They should build a tunnel for that road and cover it with a landscaped park/riverside walking area. It's not going to happen but I can dream :D

Premier Travel Inn isn't very glamorous but the town centre does need more hotel rooms I think.

Does anybody know if work on the 'gap site' between the two shopping centres is starting soon?

It's the car park at the bottom-right of this photo.

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/gallery/d/8543-1/aa04029b.jpg

All the renders and plans have been taken down when I was in town at the weekend...so I have no idea! Wikipedia calls the new link "Castle Gate" and says work has begun:

More recently, the local company Morris Property has begun a five-storey link mall development project on the link site, which will perform the task of connecting the existing shopping centres

I have my doubts...

I hate the plastic mock tudorness on display in that picture. What was there before the shopping centres? Its a shame that the topography was so brutally and totally hidden.

There's a never ending supply of council members who want every new building in Shrewsbury covered in that bloody cardboard Tudor mock up :(

I'm starting to look at real Tudor buildings and think that they look tacky now. :(

I hate the plastic mock tudorness on display in that picture. What was there before the shopping centres? Its a shame that the topography was so brutally and totally hidden.

I can't remember what was there before, I was only about 10 when it was built but you're right, it's probably Shrewsbury's biggest eyesore. I think they should build some taller buildings along Smithfield Road just so that the Darwin Centre is hidden from view!!

The fact that the building doesn't even have any windows makes it even worse, just a huge wall of Mock-Tudor madness!!

Personally I think that the riverside precinct should be bulldozed and replaced with a taller mixed use scheme, shopping at ground level with offices and apartments above, tall enough to hide the shopping centres.

They should make the car park look a bit softer by having climbing plants all over it, I've seen a few multi storey car parks that have done that and it looks much less brutal.

I'm starting to look at real Tudor buildings and think that they look tacky now. :(

:lol: :pet:

But real tudor buildings usually look fantastically wonky and the glass is crinkly. (I apologise for my lack of good words. :|) That building just looks like plastic and a bit weird.

Shrewbury's small Tudor buildings are fantastic! But the more I look at Rowley's House Museum the more it looks like the Darwin Centre... :(

Sometimes when I'm bored with Shrewsbury's crap nightlife I'll wander over to that vast wall of bricks (under the word aviation in the photo) and start counting them :) I'm not sure if there's a climbing plant that could grow big enough to hide it though? Kelp would work if the wall was underwater :happy:.

it's probably Shrewsbury's biggest eyesore. I think they should build some taller buildings along Smithfield Road just so that the Darwin Centre is hidden from view!!

From Pride Hill, the Darwin Centre's perfect! It's only really an eyesore from the air and the footbridge between the two shopping centres where it's easy to glance across at it. The roof of the Darwin centre is porbably the world's worst eyesore :(

I wonder how long it's going to be until the council does something about this:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/floodlol.jpg

Never?

The river's usually about 2 metres below the base of that orangey yellow tree on the left:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/herciles.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/hercule.jpg

Poor fellah. :(

It's probably not worth the expense of protecting The Quarry as there are no buildings there but something should be done on Smithfield Road.

To be fair to the council, there is now a very effective flood defence system at Frankwell and Coleham Head by the English bridge is getting protection too.

Oh I don't care about the Quarry flooding! Chavs will have to find some other place to fight! It's Smithfiled Road that needs the most money spent on it, as it's quite a large area that gets hit by the floods each year.

Nothing is happening there as far as we're concerned. I would guess its because not enough people live in the area affected.
On a related note it seems I was wrong about the hotel on Smithfield Road and we are objecting to it, oh well.

Are you in the Environment Agency Telfordboy?

I am yes. We save the world, or I like to think we try to.

Dream on! ;)

Shatter my dreams why don't ya :(

I got a phone snap of the new theatre...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/DSC00294.jpg

I seem to remember there not being an awful lot on the plot they built the Darwin centre on, just a bit of muddy parking space iirc. There was a car showroom on the site of the Pride hill centre though. I could be wrong about the darwin centre though, my memory is not as good as it was.

Theatre is coming along well.

Thanks T-boy :) It's hard to tell if this building will work or not.

I'll try and get some phone snaps next time I'm in town.

^^ I think it will look pretty good from the river but the other side will just be a big expanse of brickwork, not a nice view for anybody living in Mountfields.

^^My phone snaps make it already look pretty good from the river/Welsh Bridge (Telfordboy's shot...sorry!)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSC00196.jpg

but the back looks pretty shit at the moment:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSC00192.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/DSC00193.jpg

Eew the back looks :puke: I haven't seen it for a while but I guess it fits in with that god-awful council hq.

There is something a bit sad about the way it appears to be absorbing that old wharehouse. Thanks for the snaps Gherkin.

What should be built opposite Theatre Severn as the Darwin memorial geo-garden?

Here's more info.

http://www.darwinshrewsbury.org/assets/userfiles/000227.pdf

Also what about the proposal to have a replica of The Beagle floating on the Severn as a Darwin-based educational facility?

In other news, Pride Hill is due for a revamp later this year.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/04/25/proposal-for-street-revamp-revealed/

and is anybody else confused by the new one way system?

It makes it easier to stroll around now, feel like when I cross a street I actually know where the cars are coming from.

and is anybody else confused by the new one way system?

Damn right I'm confused by it! Going in to town over the English bridge, my friend lives literally the first right down the old one way system. Now I have to drive all the way through town to then turn left into Town Walls. It's ridiculous. Plus the traffic coming out of that road clashes with everything coming over the English bridge. They'll build traffic lights there if it gets too bad.

And what the hell's wrong with the street surface of Pride Hill? Can't the money spent on, I don't know, changing the one way system back to how it always used to be???

Pizza hut's been burnt! http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/05/27/blaze-wrecks-pizza-restaurant/

(Okay, it's old news, but it looked pretty bad when I drove past it today for the first time).

The article's quite funny too - a classic restaurant manager quote:

said the restaurant had just opened when the fire started. She said: “We had one table in. Normally we are very busy

:lol:

Here's a film of the Theatre Severn being built upto March 2008: http://www.musichall.co.uk/nv_webcam.htm

The new Darwin Geo-garden, I'm not sure about it yet. The sculpture will be called Quantam Leap...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Geogarden.jpg

Sorry about the poor pic, its scanned. But it has gone in for planning recently

Oops - haven't checked this thread for a month or two.


^^

I kinda like that sculpture in a bizarre sort of a way. It looks like an armadillo or something - and it's massive! :happy:

When and where in the town is this being built exactly?

I think its supposed to look like a whale skeleton or something. Its going to be in this little riverside garden next to the Welsh Bridge opposite the new theatre off Smithfield Road. It's the arse end of Shrewsbury town centre tbh.

Thanks for the info. :tongue2:

I'm guessing you'll be able to see it from the road though? :dunno: I just noticed on that picture the mock mock tudor building in the background and looking at it on a map I know where it is now - I've parked on the big car park on the other side of the river from there and walked across.

I think this sculpture should be built where cars can drive underneath it. :happy:

It's a lot better than the Darwin Gate scultpure built near the market, but it's not exactly garden-like is it? I can see people climbing on it already... It's also a very prominent location. Everyone driving through town would see it on the way out.

I like that Darwin gate thing.

The planning app talks about people climbing on it they were gonna put that soft tarmac that they have in playgrounds underneath but decided that would just encourage the climbing. Instead they aim to make the pieces too big to get a good grip on.

Everyone scratches their names on the rocks underneath the Darwin Gate. I'd never thought about climbing on it too! I'll give it a go next time I'm in town :)

Anyone got any newer pics of the theatre, not been back to Shrews for a little while.

Small interior pics here: http://www.musichall.co.uk/ab_nev.htm

but the webcam's obviously more upto date: http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk/public/News/Webcam/WelshBridge.htm


Some pics from flickr:

"more like fortress severn" http://www.flickr.com/photos/jscrobinson/3008313545/sizes/l/

ugly ugly ugly from this angle: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qman69/3020023995/

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/theatre.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/theatre2.jpg


I'm not sure if I like it. :( I'll have to go and take some photos when I'm back in Shrewsbury.

Doesnt fit at all in the last pic!! ^^

Seem to have taken their sweet time about it!!

long time poster on the Newcastle thread here... Mrs BL and i visited Shrewsbury for the first time, what a beautiful town, why dont more people know about it?!? had a genuinely memorable w/end there, ended up in a pub at the far end of an incredibly unstable wobbling footbridge, fantastic views over the river, i think it was called 'the boathouse inn'? (i might be mistaken)

well whatever it comes highly recommended, great Balti as well to round the night off in the town centre. For such a small town there did seem to be a lot going on...reminded me of Durham, but with a slight edge (thats a good thing!), ive recommended it to all.

^^ That's good to hear :) The Boathouse is the best place for a drink in town... I always end up there too!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gherkin007/Shrewsbury/boathouse-1.jpg

long time poster on the Newcastle thread here... Mrs BL and i visited Shrewsbury for the first time, what a beautiful town, why dont more people know about it?!? had a genuinely memorable w/end there, ended up in a pub at the far end of an incredibly unstable wobbling footbridge, fantastic views over the river, i think it was called 'the boathouse inn'? (i might be mistaken)

well whatever it comes highly recommended, great Balti as well to round the night off in the town centre. For such a small town there did seem to be a lot going on...reminded me of Durham, but with a slight edge (thats a good thing!), ive recommended it to all.

Glad to hear you had a nice time, where did you stay?

Doesn't look like Shrewsbury tallest proposed building is going up any time soon :|

Crucial talks over hotel plan

Crucial talks are to be held over the future of a planned multi-million pound hotel in Shrewsbury after the application was called in by regional government planners.

A meeting between council officials, English Heritage and developers is to be held to address EH concerns about the scale and design of the nine-storey 111-bedroom hotel on the site of the former Telephone House in Smithfield Road.

It follows a Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council development control meeting last night when the hotel bid was deferred.

Councillors were told that the Government Office of the West Midlands had sent a letter to planners instructing SABC not to grant permission without specific authorisation.

Ian Kilby, borough planning services manager, today said there had been “strong objections” from English Heritage but claimed applicant Dunedin wanted to sort out the issues.

Mr Kilby said: “They want to arrange to meet with us and English Heritage to hear the concerns and have an opportunity to see if there is scope for an agreement to be reached between the parties or whether the concerns are so fundamental that there would not be a mutually acceptable agreement.

“Initially English Heritage’s concerns are about the scale of the development and its design.”

Mr Kilby said it was possible that an alternative scheme may be drawn up by Dunedin.

Speaking at last night’s council meeting Mr Kilby said the Government Office of the West Midlands did not necessarily agree with the views of English Heritage but considered the issues to be “fairly substantive”.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/01/07/crucial-talks-over-hotel-plan/

How can they let that hideous (from 3 sides) theatre go up while having such a fit about this when its in a far uglier location that was also previously the site of a tall building?

Poor thing :( No supertalls in Shrewsbury for a while then. Would it have been taller than Telford's skyscraper? How many stories is that?

Even before its height reduction it would still have been shorter than ours. If I remember rightly the Plaza has 11 floors plus double height ground floor and plant. I don't know exactly how tall it is though.
Whatever 14 x is would be my guess.

Anyone know about the Ditherington Flax Mill? In order to save these buildings, a redevelopment scheme must be proposed for it.

Good news, the new Telephone House application has been submitted. Its now a five storey red brick box on three sides splashed with render and a few balconies on the other. Should fit in nicely with all the other crap around there :puke:

^^ Where's the site? Have you got any more info? Links? etc

The documents weren't availiable on the website yetso I took the liberty of taking a few phone snaps. I'm not sure how good hey are hang on...

Not that good at all it seems

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/006-1.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/007-1.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/008-1.jpg

i suppose the glass side isn't too bad.

The brick facade is the most interesting, but the brickwork at the base looks worryingly post-modern :ohno:

It's nice that Shrewsbury's jumping on the bandwagon for new highrise proposals though :D

Oh and some Church Stretton verbal construction updates (why the hell not!):


1) The new £2.5m Leisure Centre is officially under construction. Sports hall, dance hall, tennis courts, rock climbing wall... But what most excites me about the project is that the sports centre will join onto the existing swimming pool where I work and the new sports centre will have a CAFE!!! and VENDING MACHINES!!! :happy:




2) Stretton Hall Hotel's transformation into a massive old folks home is well underway. A beautiful 12 bedroom hotel with award winning restaurant (I worked there) is having a massive extension to make it into an 80-bed old folks home. 'Nuff said.




3) The council still won't apologise for burning down the old skate park because some chav wrote "slag" on the half-pipe. I was surprised at how angry the mayor got when I called him and his council communists - but without any warning, and no legitimate reason to burn it down, they are. If I wrote "slag" on the 100 year old bowling pavillion I doubt they'd burn that down. You get me?


...But it's nice that they have now allowed the Church Stretton Skate Park Group (I was once the youth representative - went to council meetings and everything) to build a newer, bigger, better skate park on the current slab of concrete in the park. Funds are in place (somehow?) and my friend's older brother (a product designer) has designed the skate park on sketchup (:happy:) and plans are in place to start construction next week, with completion for the Easter holidays :D



Photo updates coming shortly. Or never. Worth noting how I am slightly involved in each project. Small town. Big ideas.

Lovely old image showing the now demolished Gay Meadow ground:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/gaymeadow1.jpg



More here: http://www.aeropic.co.uk/photo_database/shrewsbury.htm

...and a view of the new "Prostar Stadium" :

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/newmeadow.jpg

Smart stadium, if a bit bland. The corners are due to be filled in next summer, taking the capacity up from 10,000 to about 12,500

Some more pics of the new theatre, it still looks funny from some angles to me but as a venue it's a big step up on the Music Hall and inside it's pretty nice, I went to see a play there on wednesday night but forgot to take my camera so no interior pics I'm afraid.

http://i40.tinypic.com/m3ioo.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/286zq84.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2qi4gsj.jpg

PS, i've uploaded lots more pictures onto my Shrewsbury photo tour thread, feel free to click my signature link and bump it ;)

and just for good measure, a pic of the housing development off Ellesmere Road

http://i42.tinypic.com/29foyhk.jpg

Thanks Jonesy. I must find an excuse to go to the new theatre when I'm back in town.

Those dolls houses look shite but I guess they're needed.

Lovely old image showing the now demolished Gay Meadow ground:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/gaymeadow1.jpg



More here: http://www.aeropic.co.uk/photo_database/shrewsbury.htm


Looking at that it's no wonder Gay Meadow used to flood! :eek: Either that or it's a conspiracy and they just wanted to move due the awful name. :|

Not that I know anything about football. :sly:

Those dolls houses look shite but I guess they're needed.

The flat buildings look better than the houses imo.

That's a great aerial shot, the site looks clear now but I haven't seen any buliding activity at the old Gay meadow yet.

I had a look in new theatre last night, Jonesy is right it is pretty smart. The chapel bar is nice and there were some pretty attractive bar maids in there as well :happy:

Yeah, the chapel bar is a good use of the old building, I think that no matter what we think of the exterior of the new theatre, it does push shrewsbury into a new league when it comes to attracting top quality arts into the town. That's got to be a good thing.

PS, and the barmaids are another +1!

The documents weren't availiable on the website yetso I took the liberty of taking a few phone snaps. I'm not sure how good hey are hang on...

Not that good at all it seems

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/007-1.jpg

i suppose the glass side isn't too bad.

Thanks for the scans, Telfordboy!

I actually quite like the look of it, particularly the 'brick' bit, tho the side view of the glass building looks good too. Compared with the appalling quality of the new theatre's exterior, this hotel far exceeds expectations. And let's face it, a new hotel and purpose-built offices can only be good for the town.

Do we know what the hotel tenant may be?

Yeah, it'll be a Premier Inn.

New hotel given approval


A multi-million pound five-storey hotel can finally be built in Shrewsbury after plans were approved – despite concerns it could lead to a loss of earnings for town guest houses.

The 127-bedroom hotel, which will be run by Premier Inn, can now be built on the former Telephone House site in Smithfield Road.

The latest plans for the scheme, which also include office space and conference facilities, were approved at a planning meeting of Shropshire Council’s interim regulatory committee yesterday.

Councillors backed the scheme despite hearing objections from Shrewsbury Town Centre Residents’ Association.

At the meeting, Sheila Sager, from the residents’ association, said: “We have concerns about the traffic increase on Smithfield Road which is already a problem and the size of the hotel. We already have many old hotels and inns and we don’t want them to go the way of our greengrocers and butchers and close.”

But Mike Best, speaking on behalf of developers Dunedin Property, said: “This application reflects 18 months of hard work to arrive at a radically different scheme. The architects had gone back to the drawing board to come up with a building which has been considerably reduced.”

The original plans had been for a nine storey building which has since been reduced. Councillor Liz Parsons said: “I welcome this development.”

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/05/13/new-hotel-given-approval/

When I was at sixth form there was a mature student in my Politics class called Sheila Sager. I wonder if this the same person...

Shrewsbury's a small place - I'm sure there's only one Sheila Shager!

I remember seeing BT Telecom house getting demolished. That was years ago...

Who are the architects for the hotel? And how do I post comments on the shropshirestar webpage? So many people are confusing "modern architecture" with "new buildings". :ohno:

Turley Associates are the planning consultants but I can't remember the architects sorry. You could look on the Slopshire council website.

It looks like the Sloppy Star don't want anyone to comment on that article, usually there would be a comments box at the bottom of the page.

Had an explore inside the new theatre the other day... Looks decent - much better inside. I'm impressed by the number of shows on too: http://www.theatresevern.co.uk/default.asp?id=322&sC=page46

Church Stretton verbal construction update no.2:

New Skate Park completed and in daily use.

Groundworks underway for the new sports centre behind the school/swimming pool.

I've painted my bedroom.

:lol: Are you back in Shropshire for the summer then?

I'm moving into my new house in Leeds in mid July but have just got my job back at the Wenlock Edge Inn so will be working in Shropshire over summer :)

An Ice Rink for Shrewbury?

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/07/27/ice-rink-plan-for-town-revealed/

Yup, better prepare for a Shropshire Ice Hockey League, with the main rivals being the Shrewsbury Lions and the Telford Tigers! :D

Only 10 pages in 4 years? :ohno:

Not much goes on this sleepy backwater meanwhile the rival Telford thread has 1000 posts in 2 and half years and even less getting built in the town centre.

The Telford thread is in the Birmingham forum so is visited by far more forumers than the few who visit "Projects & Construction".

I'd really like this part of the forum removed and threads be put into the main "UK & Ireland Architecture Forums" section in a sub forum called something like "Other Urban Developments".

There is much more going on in Shrewsbury than Telford (at the moment) but no one really knows about it other than me and Telfordboy - and Telfordboy usually lets me know about it!

liven up the thread a bit: my friend's Shropshire hip-hop music/video:

OJ3h8r53i84

took this panorama of church stretton the other day. it's huge but i can't host it huge for some reason:

http://i31.tinypic.com/4tvngm.jpg


close up:

SCROLL>>>
http://i26.tinypic.com/vdjpeb.jpg



and another panorama:

http://i32.tinypic.com/5xocc2.jpg

Nice pics Gherkin. I'd love to see the full size versions.


There is much more going on in Shrewsbury than Telford (at the moment)

Town centre wise definately but we do have three urban villages under construction at the moment. One day I'll get off my ass and try to take some pics of them.

no one really knows about it other than me and Telfordboy - and Telfordboy usually lets me know about it!

:happy: Thanks for the acknowledgement but I usually just get my info from the Shropshire Star.

here's a try:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/panorama25ppi.jpg

the quality's disappeared when i resized it to under photobucket's 1mb allowance though. Hell where did those smudges come from!?

Still looks good though. There is something about houses built on a hill side and nestling in a valley that just looks cool.

Excellent pics, I heard they were doing some 'Hill Towers' in Japan - I didn't know that Shrewsbury had beaten them to it! :)

Thanks, they were taken in Church Stretton - about 15 minutes south of Shrewsbury. When I'm not at uni I live a minute's walk from where I took those photos :)

Looks like a wonderful place to live. I've driven past there a few times on my way to fell walking in mid Wales.
I had a really good night out in Shrewsbury once! Any new projects in the town?

^^ Well there's Shrewsbury's new theatre and new football stadium. There's only 11 pages on this thread so they won't take you hard to find :)

Where did you go out in Shrewsbury? I find the nightlife there a bit depressing - it's only a town afterall. I tend to just to go for evening pub drinks at the Boathouse and (sometimes play at) open mic nights at the Old Post Office pub next to that excellent ice cream shop, Bellini's!

That night out must have been 11 years ago! I can only remember a couple of things, as I said it was a really good night...

The Theatre looks a little messy/busy in composition, but I'm sure its a necessary and valuable addition to the cultural life of Shrewsbury. I see Willmott Dixon built it, they built a new Lecture Theatre two years ago at the University I work at.

Not much goes on this sleepy backwater meanwhile the rival Telford thread has 1000 posts in 2 and half years and even less getting built in the town centre.

The Telford thread is in the Birmingham forum so is visited by far more forumers than the few who visit "Projects & Construction".


It's actually only because Telfordbot (oops, that was a genuine spelling mistake! :lol:) spams his own thread so much that it's had so many posts.

I'm beginning to spam this one too though, but here is some actual news straight from that incredibly informative local newspaper the Sloppy Star...

Plan to dam River Severn

Plans for a dam on the River Severn in Shropshire were today unveiled as part of a £30 million scheme to protect nearly 2,200 homes at serious risk of flooding downstream of Shrewsbury.

But more than 50 properties - including farms - in parts of rural west Shropshire would be in the enlarged flood plain and face more severe flooding if the scheme goes ahead.

Environment Agency chiefs hope to install a floodgate across the river beneath a bridge on Shrewsbury’s long-awaited £100 million North West Relief Road.

The dam could be ready by 2017, together with the controversial road, and would operate in a similar way to the Thames Barrier.

It could be closed in the event of a sudden rise in water levels and store excess water upstream, while lessening the severity of floods downstream.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/08/07/plan-to-dam-river-severn/

There hasn't been any new Telford news on the website for about two weeks now.

and the new theatre is in the top 20 worst new buildings of the year, according to BD :(

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=430&storycode=3146320&channel=783&c=2

I completely agree with them, although there are far worse buildings up for the award.

Town revamp plan ‘needs revision’

Plans which will guide development in Shrewsbury until 2026 need urgent revision amid fears the town could be at risk of losing its cultural heritage, a campaign group has claimed.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England says it is concerned at Shropshire Council’s plans for the future of the town. The authority has just launched a consultation as part of its next stage of the emerging Local Development Framework for Shropshire.

But although some aspects of the plans have been welcomed by CPRE Shropshire, campaigners warn that Shrewsbury is being placed at serious risk of losing its unique identity.

Andy Boddington, vice-chairman of CPRE Shropshire’s executive committee, said: “Why can’t they see Shrewsbury is a county town and a fabulous heritage asset?

“The danger with these plans is Shrewsbury will become a town like any other, dominated by retail parks on a ring road, and swamped by new housing and employment sites.

“These plans threaten the historic and natural environment of the town and could quickly lead to a town focused on its peripheral shopping and employment areas at the expense of its historic core.”

He did, however, point out the plans did have some positive elements, especially for rural villages. He said: “The new council has listened very carefully to concerns, expressed by ourselves and many others, that we must breathe life into the villages and hamlets where people who work locally can no longer afford to buy a home.

“That means affordable houses available near to where people work and new small workplaces tucked into existing settlements.”

The council is preparing a new core strategy, which when adopted will set a clear long term vision, objectives and policies to guide future development in Shropshire.

Consultation began yesterday and will run until October 2. For details visit www.shropshire.gov.uk

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/08/11/town-revamp-plan-needs-revision/

Get your comments in now, the Core Strategy will shape the future development of Shrewsbury and the other towns in Shropshire. I might suggest that they fill in the gap between Telford and Shifnal. I wonder if there are any proposals for the Power Station in it?

And more news

Meadow plans abandoned

The £60 million redevelopment of Shrewsbury Town’s former Gay Meadow home has been put on hold indefinitely due to the credit crunch with the once proud site now lying deserted.

Officials at Barratt Homes have said they have no immediate plans to build on the site, where planning consent has been granted for up to 173 homes and apartments. They have also said they will ‘re-explore’ the project with a view to potentially submitting new plans at some point in the future, claiming the current planning consent is ‘not viable’. The news comes in a week when Shrewsbury Town supporters unveiled plans for a new flag at the club’s new home the Prostar stadium proclaiming that Gay Meadow is ‘gone but not forgotten’.

Former land owners Barratt Chester opened a shop in the town last spring to show off the plans, but the sales centre has been removed from the site in recent weeks.


Gay Meadow, Shrewsbury’ s former football statium.

The site was home to Shrewsbury Town Football Club from 1910 to 2007 before the club moved to the Prostar stadium on Oteley Road. It has long been earmarked for housing, but since the ground was demolished minimal work has taken place.

John Rowson, planning manager for Barratt Homes, said: “The project is on hold. The main problem is the land was bought at the height of the market, and with the recession and depreciation in market values it’s not viable for us to construct what we have consent for.

“We have to re-explore the consent we have and we are looking at all kinds of options at the moment.”

Sonia Sohal, the company’s construction secretary, said there was no timescale on when any work would start, and said nothing would take place this year.

Ade Plimmer, spokesperson for supporter-run shrewsTRUST, said: “We hope at some point in the future that the site is developed.”

Mike Robinson, club programme contributor and Town fan for more than 50 years, said: “It’s very sad to see such a special site in such a state. Hopefully it will be rectified soon and something worthy of the history of the Gay Meadow will be built.”

http://www.shrewsburychronicle.com/2009/08/07/meadow-plans-abandoned/

I might suggest that they fill in the gap between Telford and Shifnal.

No chance - the countryside between Telford and Shifnal is green belt. And in any case, why would you want that gap to be filled?!

Because it already belongs to us, it would give us a more traditional shape and development between Telford and Shifnal would be more sustainable than some of the other locations being considered for future Telfordian urban extensions namely west of Lawley towards the Wrekin and in north around Wappenshall and its canal basin. Both of those locations are far from the town centre and train stations and would rely totally on road based transport.

Between Telford and Shfnal they would have a choice of two train stations and any road based journeys into the town centre would be shorter than the other two options.

Incidentally from the what I could make out about the Power Station they are considering a big mixed use development whilst retaining some elements of power generation. Its not a bad location really, there is a railway line and decent road links so it wouldn't offend me too much except for the loss of the Cooling Towers.

Because it already belongs to us, it would give us a more traditional shape...

I suggest you don't use this as an argument when writing to the planners... ;) :|

I've been looking for a thread specifically for developments in Shrewsbury for a while - found it at last! Some interesting developments in planning, though its a shame about the Gay Meadow plans being abandoned.

Not sure why the new theatre has been entrered for the 'carbuncle cup' - i saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and i quite like it. I grew up in Frankwell and its certainly an improvement on what was there before (a ruined building and tyre depot).

Great pictures of the Church stretton hills by the way - making me feel homesick!! The only view i have these days is of a load of high rise council
flats :(

^^ I know the feeling - My new house at uni has a bedroom view of "Charlie Chan's Chinese Take Away" across the road. It's a dump!

I went on a bit of a photo wander the other day, my first ever of Shrewsbury, here are some of the results :)

I grabbed a few of Shrewsbury on Thursday...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/009.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/015.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/020.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/021.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/036.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/039.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/042.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/046.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/057.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/058.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/059.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/062.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t129/gradymclean/Shrewsbury/067.jpg

^^ Great stuff!! It's only now that i've left that i appreciate what a beautiful town it is.

What's happening with the north west relief road? Is it going ahead or has it been put on hold?

Nice photos! I haven't been in Shrewsbury with a camera yet so those are really tempting me.

Just looking back through the posts here, i have to say the design for the hotel on Smithfield Road is absolutely hideous - for the bus station side it looks like the facade of a prison - how is that rubbish supposed to fit in with its surroundings? The earlier design was much better, OK it was glass, but it had more of a modern feel to it. I think that it would have complemented the surrounding buildings far more so than this trash.

^ and that's why it's up for the Carbuncle Cup. Once you get inside it's lovely though!

^^ No no i mean the design for the planned hotel on Smithfield Road is rubbish not the theatre - i quite like that.

I agree, the new design just furthers the red brick curse that Shrewsbury is afflicted with when it comes to new developments. The theatre suffers in part but its the council offices that really make me shudder with disgust.

We have the Quantum Leap as well now opposite the new theatre and council offices. Shrewsbury will be a laughing stock for its ill designed buildings.
The Council off ices were designed as apartment and the designs were altered to council offices on the inside.
It was a design and build by the builders, who were also the land owners.
There first plans were for apartments.

Hi Oakman, welcome to the forums, etc

The Quantum Leap looks like kind of thing I was building out of bits of straw and lollypop sticks in the first week of architecture school. The concept's strong - the organic, skeletal form does hint at Darwin, and I guess the twisting nature relates to the struggle Darwin went through for people to take his work seriously. It's riverside location and orientation may also relate to the idea of a creature evolving out of the water and onto land. I could probably go on forever, but basically I like it, and next time I'm drinking at the Shrewsbury hotel behind it I'll wander over - I can't wait to climb on it :D



http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/quantumleap.jpg

Thank God the planning office haven't made it look mock Tudor!

If it was the white colour in the render I would like it more. However its a turgid brown colour and the bases and each end are not very well done. There is a big slab of cement from the ground to the first vertebrae, not attractive.

According to the planning application it is unclimbable, its designed to be too think for a human hand to be able to grasp on to because of Health and Safety and all that.

£21m land deal to create homes bid

A £21 million deal to build more than 100 homes on eight acres of redundant hospital land in Shrewsbury has been struck

Plans are due to be expected imminently for the former Royal Shrewsbury Hospital South site in Mytton Oak Road after The Homes and Communities Agency and CALA Homes (Midlands) exchanged contracts for the development.

CALA will apply for detailed planning permission this month to build 112 one, two, three, four and five-bedroom homes on the site.

The deal, subject to planning approval, sees the national housing and regeneration agency and the housebuilder working together on the 7.89 acre brownfield site.

Wrekin Housing Trust will also be involved with the project which will feature 32 affordable homes as well as public open space and a children’s play area.

CALA Homes plans to start building on site in the middle of next year, with the first new homes ready for occupation in early 2011.

Paul Spooner, regional director for the HCA West Midlands, said: “Through close partnership work with our development partner CALA Homes and the local authority we are delighted to support this high quality development that will help to address the local need for more affordable homes.”

CALA Homes (Midlands) decision to purchase the land follows a strong performance, with sales running at more than one new home per week on each of its developments.

“Thanks to our brand and reputation for building quality new homes, we continue to sell strongly on our developments across the Midlands and we feel that the time is now right to start acquiring land again for future developments,” said Darren Humphreys, managing director.

“We will build architect-designed, spacious and attractive family homes, which we know will appeal to people already living in the Copthorne area, and those looking to relocate there.”

Matt Gallagher, land director for CALA, said the purchase was part of the company’s strategy to replenish its land bank in the region.

By Russell Roberts

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/09/21/21m-land-deal-to-create-homes-bid/

^^That patch of land has been earmarked for development for over 20 years - i remember going into the local studdies library when i was a teenager in the late 80's and seeing it in the local development plan for Shrewsbury and Atcham borough.

I really like 'Quantom Leap' myself, it's certainly better than the heap of nonsense at the top of Mardol - what the hell is that all about? Quantom Leap reminds me of the skeleton of a Stegosaurus a bit.

These people should learn how proud of Shrewsbury Uncle Percy was, how he helped put the town on the map and created employment nearby with his garden centre(s). :ohno:

Vandals smash TV gardener statue

Park vandals in Shropshire have broken the head off a bronze bust of the late television gardener Percy Thrower.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46505000/jpg/_46505368_40684768.jpg

They caused thousands of pounds of damage to Shrewsbury Quarry park, pulling up bedding plants and also breaking the head off a mermaid statue.

It happened in Dingle Garden sometime between 1600 BST on Saturday and 0730 BST on Sunday.

The bust was a tribute to the town's famous son. It was also vandalised in 2005 when it first went on display.

Thrower, a former parks superintendent in Shrewsbury, died in 1988 aged 75.

He was the Blue Peter gardener from 1974 to 1987 and a presenter on Gardener's World from 1969 to 1976.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/8293217.stm

^^ So have they found out who did it yet?

Property Trust front runners to buy Shrewsbury malls
13:09 | 18.11.09

By Laura Chesters

Shearer Property Group and UK Commercial Property Trust (UKCPT) are front runners to buy three shopping centres in Shrewsbury for between £55m and £60m.

It is thought the pair, who are also working together on a scheme in Swindon, have beaten Protego Real Estate Investors and CIT with Europa.

Protego’s UK Actively Managed Shopping Centre Fund lost control of the Darwin Centre, Pride Hill and Riverside shopping centres when Hatfield Philips was appointed special servicer to the £82m loan secured against the Shrewsbury malls.

Savills was appointed by Hatfield Philips to seek bids for the centre at the beginning of September. Following discussions with bond holders the sale is thought to be going ahead.

Shearer Property Group, founded by Guy Shearer, has worked with UK Commercial Property Trust on a number of occasions. The pair teamed up in Clapham for the redevelopment of the Arding & Hobbs department store.

In Swindon the pair have this week started on site for the redevelopment of an 80,000 sq ft BHS block. BHS is taking 45,000 sq ft, Topshop will take 10,000 sq ft and terms have been agreed with River Island, making the scheme 75% prelet. The demolition of the existing block will start in the new year.

The sale of the centres and the sale of Silverburn are signs of the large interest from investors in assets that are either sold by banks or special servicers following difficult times for the original borrowers on the schemes.

The appetite for shopping centres has improved over the last six months. At the beginning of the year the demand for these types of schemes was negligible. Last month the sale of a part-built Trinity Walk scheme in Wakefield also marked the start of a change in investor sentiment for ‘not straight forward’ schemes.

UKCPT is managed by Ignis Asset Management, previously Resolution Asset Management. Savills advised Hatfield Philips. Neither party would comment.

http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?storycode=3153486&origin=PWbreakingnews

£30m plans for flax mill to go on display


Plans for a new £30 million scheme to redevelop Shrewsbury’s historic flax mill are set to go on show to the public next week.

The artist’s impressions of the plans were unveiled for the first time earlier this month by owners English Heritage. The plans will be presented at the North East Shrewsbury Local Joint Committee on January 7 by Tim Greensmith, architect at Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios.

The designs include offices, a museum and up to 200 homes.

It is part of a masterplan for the 18th century flax mill which proposes a “historic core” at the site, operated by a non-profit making trust, with a new public garden and a canal marina.

The artist’s impressions show how the building may look on the outside and inside, including training rooms and offices and a new green corridor following the line of the former Shrewsbury and Newport canal.

Councillor Alan Mosley, Shropshire Councillor for Castlefields and Ditherington, said he was encouraging as many people as possible to attend the meeting.

He said: “We hope as many people as possible will come along to what promises to be an important and interesting meeting.

“Everyone in the area recognises the importance of the redevelopment of the Flax Mill for the economic, social and environmental regeneration of the area.

“The architects, who are currently working up plans, will give a presentation on the latest position and answer questions on this vital scheme.”

The latest plans for the site show how existing buildings would be upgraded and brought back into use and how homes and other buildings would be built on the land where the Arriva bus depot, Midland Red social club and former Salop Glass building currently stand.

Councillor Moseley added that last year the LJC was able to award £20,000 to schemes benefiting local residents and members will receive a report on the outcomes.

The committee meeting will be held at the Martin Wilson School, New Park Road, Castlefields, at 7.30pm.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/12/31/30m-plans-for-flax-mill-to-go-on-display/

Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios

:banana: they've got some excellent projects - just the kind of practice that Shrewsbury needs for this project. They don't mess around.


I went past this on the train the other day and it's in a very sorry state! :ohno:

Here's the picture from that article:

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/shrews.jpg

A building has exploded and collapsed in Shrewsbury - 11 people injured, 2 seriously.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/8438396.stm

It's the top story now on the BBC News channel.

Is it wrong that when I read on BBC Shropshire that there had been an explosion in a town centre that I thought "please be Telford, please be Telford"? We could do with getting rid of some shite.

Is it wrong that when I read on BBC Shropshire that there had been an explosion in a town centre that I thought "please be Telford, please be Telford"? We could do with getting rid of some shite.

VERY wrong. You're probably jealous that Shewsbury is currently in the national headlines and getting all the attention. :baeh3:

Do you Shrewsburyshire guys know the shop/road where it is?

I just thought big explosion = a bit of regeneration. It worked for Manchester after all

Its on Bridge Street, real close to the Welsh Bridge which has been closed. Its apparently causing severe problems some utility and phone lines have been damaged my mates at my old workplace are completley cut off from the outside world which is annoying as I rely on their emails to keep me entertained during the day.

Edit: Here you go

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47025000/jpg/_47025331_shrewsbury_explosion_damage_aerial_766.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/shropshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8438000/8438591.stm

ground floor vacant retail unit, flats on the first floor.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/shropshire/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8439000/8439930.stm

Great picture - i'm really surprised more people weren't hurt - it's such a busy place. The picture also shows the new slinky 'Darwin' scultpure looking pretty good! (bottom right)


The new sculpture looks excellent! A cross between a slinky, a snake skeleton, a rollercoaster... really impressed with the scale also - this could so easily have been a small, nothing sculpture but it's size seems to make it extremely successful. It's simplicity is it's elegance... Has anyone seen it since it's 'unveiling'? Or photographed it/climbed it? There aren't any anti-climb signs nearby; are there?

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/slinky3.jpg
(from flickr)

^ I was in Shrewsbury last week and saw the new sculpture for the first time - i really like it, i think it fits in quite nicely. Unfortunately i didn't have my camera with me so no photos.

Found this lovely old image looking towards Shrewsbury castle with the station entrance on the left. I wonder what happened to this obelisk in the centre of the (now) car park? WW2 casualty perhaps?

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/p093.jpg

WW2 casualty?? A single bomb (1) fell on the town! (Coton Hill area I think..) Or did you mean something else..?

(I think that monument may have been moved when the forecourt became a car park - isn't there a similar one lurking behind the bushes near the St Julian's Friars car park?)

^ I'm sure that obelisk is now near GreyFriars bridge - the town side. It's a bit back off the path and if i remember rightly overgrown. Haven't been that way for years but i'm sure it's still there.

The bomb in WW2 fell on Moveage cottages on Ellesmere road. I'm sure i was told there was another but never found any further information about it.

^ I'm sure that obelisk is now near GreyFriars bridge - the town side. It's a bit back off the path and if i remember rightly overgrown. Haven't been that way for years but i'm sure it's still there.

Yeah that's the one I'm thinking of. It's at the beginning of Victoria Avenue (on the St Julian's Friars/Greyfriars end). Bit of an odd move really!

As for the bomb - I believe just the one fell on Shrewsbury itself. It was a left-over bomb, dropped by the Luftwaffe on the return from a raid on Liverpool.

Okay how about this one. What the hell happened to the old Welsh Bridge!

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/The-Old-Welsh-Bridge-Shrewsbury.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/wb4.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/wb3.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/wb2.jpg

http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt118/awaren8/wb1.jpg



The current Welsh Bridge: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/330866478_c2b6b12e18.jpg :(

^ Absolutely beautiful! My ancestors worked as Watermen on the river in Frankwell back in the days of the old bridge :o)

Part of the old Welsh Bridge still exists - the statue above the main arch of the old market hall in the square - transferred in 1771 according to Wikipedia!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Old_Shrewsbruy_Market_Hall_-England.jpg

One arch remains - I visited it shortly before they buried it in the foundations of the Theatre Severn building-thing. The bridge (called St George's Bridge as well as Welshman's Bridge) was located about 80 yards upstream of the Welsh Bridge of today. Mardol runs down to where it was - hence why Mardol (which was a major thoroughfare until the 1930s when Barker Street/Bridge Street was widened) leads down to the river where it does... i.e. not at the Welsh Bridge but where the old Welsh Bridge headed across the river to Frankwell.

^ It's a shame that arch couldn't have been made a feature in the Theatre rather than being buried in concrete, but i do like the way the old mathodist chaple has been preserved.

It was only a very small arch, the first of the bridge from the Frankwell end and a "dry arch" (i.e. the river didn't flow under it, save for when in flood). At least it's being well preserved! ;)

Here's a good one - old Welsh bridge / St Georges bridge and Frankwell as it may have looked in the early 1600's.




http://i39.tinypic.com/2narwow.jpg

I noticed some activity on the gay meadow site this morning, a digger was shifting soil on those big mounds they've made and there were a couple of guys in high-vis vests poking around by the river.

There has been some new activity at the st Julian friars development too in the past couple of weeks, hopefully it can get finished soon, it seems like years since they first started building there.

I'm new at uploading photo's, how do you get them up??? HELP!!! - photobucket I LOVE YOU :)

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy165/scalatrava/CIMG3504.jpg