Shrewsbury developments thread!

[Jonesy55]

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/

[Telfordboy]

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.

[Manchester Planner]

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

[Jonesy55]

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

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.

[Gherkin]

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:

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

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...

[Telfordboy]

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.

[Gherkin]

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.

[Jonesy55]

Originally Posted by Telfordboy

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.

[Butterfield]

Originally Posted by Gherkin007

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

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.

[Gherkin]

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 .

Originally Posted by Jonesy55

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

[Gherkin]

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



Never?

The river's usually about 2 metres below the base of that orangey yellow tree on the left:



Poor fellah.

[Jonesy55]

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.

[Gherkin]

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.

[Telfordboy]

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.

[Manchester Planner]

Are you in the Environment Agency Telfordboy?

[Telfordboy]

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

[Manchester Planner]

Dream on!

[Telfordboy]

Shatter my dreams why don't ya

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

[lyonsdown]

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.

[Gherkin]

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.