5,000 visit pop-up shop to have say on Shrewsbury's future

After three weeks, the bespoke Big Town Plan pop-up space on Wyle Cop closed its doors having provided an opportunity for the public to share their opinions and suggest ideas on the outline proposals.

The Big Town Plan is the brainchild of Shrewsbury Business Improvement District, which is working on the project with Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council.

The town centre's roads would be made "shared use" under the proposed plans, encouraging car drivers to slow and pedestrians to use more of the roads.

Seb Slater, executive director at Shrewsbury BID, said: "We have been delighted that so many people, from those who live and work here to those visiting, have taken part.

“There has been a good range of comments and some brilliant ideas received which will now help shape and improve the plan.

“The artist impressions displayed in the pop up generated some really good debate too.

"It’s important to note that they are conceptual - and that the plan does not propose broad brush pedestrianisation, but does suggest a set of actions that would improve access to the town and make it an even better place to spend time and move around in.

“In terms of next steps, together with our partners in the project, we will be reviewing all of the comments gleaned from the public engagement so far and using them to help shape and guide the next phase in the development of the Big Town Plan.”

More than 2,000 comments have been shared by the public through the pop up space and all have been recorded by the Big Town Plan team.

Shropshire councillor Nic Laurens added: “Shropshire Council is proud to have been involved in allowing the residents and businesses of Shrewsbury to have their say on the future of Shrewsbury.

"The insight and feedback so readily given will not only be useful for the Big Town Plan, it will also support the Shropshire Economic Growth Strategy.

“The level of interest has been remarkable, and ensuring we incorporate the feedback and investigate the many projects suggested is a key part of the next phase of this project.”

Helen Ball, town clerk at Shrewsbury Town Council, said: “We are delighted by the interest shown from people locally about the Big Town Plan.

"It has been a consultation process which has engaged all, from those who like to access information online to those who like to call in for a chat.

"We look forward to working with other partners in collating these comments so that we can factor these into our future plans.”

Whilst the informal consultation HQ will close, the dedicated website set up for the project at shrewsburybigtownplan.org will remain active so the public can continue to view the outline plan and make comments and suggest ideas.