Better buses and safer town centre would help make most of award-winning market, says leader
Better buses, tidier streets and improved safety would help a town make the most of its award-winning market, a community leader has said.
Shrewsbury Market Hall recently won Britain's Favourite Market for 2023 thanks to its "proudly independent and gloriously innovative" traders as well as its "unique" mix of food, drink and hand-crafted goods.
However, concerns have been raised over buses, and safety on Pride Hill and Shoplatch, which sometimes become anti-social behaviour hot spots after dark.
Councillors Alex Wagner and Mary Davies recently met with traders including Teri Trickett of Goodnight Sweetheart. The discussion surrounded ways to make the most of the town centre and market hall set-up.
The discussion included points about accessibility to the wider town centre, the need for improved bus routes, safety on Pride Hill and Shoplatch, and making more of the heritage around town.
Councillor Alex Wagner said: “Shrewsbury Market Hall really deserves the award of Britain’s Favourite Market. It is a fantastic community venue with brilliant independent traders. This said, there is so much more that can be done to make the most of it and take full advantage for the town.
“It was really fascinating to meet with Teri and several other traders at the Market Hall, to talk through what they see as the issues. Better bus routes into town especially from the countryside, improvements to safety and the streetscene on Pride Hill and Shoplatch, and the need for proper accessibility all came up.
“We should be proud of our best in Britain Market Hall and treasure our independent traders - that means listening to them on these points.”
Teri Trickett, owner of Goodnight Sweetheart at the Market Hall, said: “We have such a beautiful town full of great independent businesses and major retailers within the centre. We just need to ensure that everyone is welcome, which means creating a fully accessible town centre for all. It would be great to hear a commitment to that accessibility from more councillors and local decision-makers, so the Market Hall and Town Centre can thrive for years to come.”
