New look of Shrewsbury town centre revealed

This is the shape of Shrewsbury town centre under a £150 million revamp which will create 700 jobs.

Developers this afternoon took the wraps off a drawing of the big town centre development which will see all three shopping centres merged into one.

They say the scheme will create vital jobs during the construction phase and for people looking to work at the new department store, 50 shops, 10 new restaurants and cafes and office space which will be created at the site if plans are approved.

Officials behind the scheme released the image after submitting an application for planning permission to Shropshire Council last week.

The artist's impression shows how the proposed New Riverside development would look from Smithfield Road.

The redevelopment will see the existing Riverside shopping centre demolished while the new centre will be linked to the Darwin and Pride Hill centres, which will be refurbished.

Guy Shearer, from the Shearer Property Group which is one of the organisations behind the plans, said: "Our plans are designed to strengthen Shrewsbury as an overall shopping destination and complement the town's existing strong independent retail offer enabling it to compete favourably with other nearby retail centres such as Telford, Chester and Birmingham.

"Furthermore, the redevelopment will not only improve shopping, but will also create approximately 700 much-needed jobs for local people in both the construction and retail."

David Rodger, of Ignis Asset Management which is also involved in the development, added: "Shrewsbury town centre has not seen any significant investment for more than 20 years and we are confident our redevelopment will help improve the town's shopping offer.

"We have liaised extensively with the council and English Heritage to ensure the design of the scheme is of the highest quality and complements the character of the town."

If the plans are given the go-ahead by Shropshire Council, work is expected to start on site next year.