Transforming Movement and Public Spaces – Station Gyratory Improvements

In early 2023 Shropshire Council secured funding from the Levelling Up Fund to improve public space and provide walking and cycling improvements in Shrewsbury town centre. This includes the improvements around the Station Gyratory area which aim to ease movement through the area for visitors and users, improving accessibility and providing opportunities to redesign this space to reflect the historic character of our town.

The Station Gyratory Public Space and Active Travel Improvements are just one part of the overall shared vision for the future of Shrewsbury town centre.

Our proposals have been designed to align with the vision for Shrewsbury set out in:

• The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan (2018)
• Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Masterplan Vision (2021)
• Shrewsbury Movement and Public Space Strategy (known as Shrewsbury Moves). The consultation was launched on 26 January 2024 and ran until 29 March 2024. See more by visiting the Shrewsbury Moves website.

Developed by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, Shrewsbury Moves is a 10-year vision and plan to transform movement and grow the economy in the town centre. Accessibility of public spaces throughout Shrewsbury town centre and connectivity to the wider active travel network are key principles in the Strategy that have directly informed development of the LUF2 proposals for the Station Gyratory area. Our proposals represent an early scheme within the wider delivery of the Strategy and will continue to be informed by the Strategy as the design and delivery works progress.

£18.7M has been secured from the levelling up fund (LUF 2) for the upgrade of Smithfield and Riverside areas of Shrewsbury. This is split into two projects: -

• Project 1 – Smithfield Riverside regeneration programme
• Project 2 – Transforming movement and Place

Project 2 (Transforming Movement and Public Spaces) in Shrewsbury, which has been allocated a total of £4.29m, are active travel, highway and public realm improvements within the areas which are characterised in the ‘Shrewsbury Masterplan Vision 2021’as the ‘Station Quarter’ and ‘Frankwell and Riverside’.

The scheme extents include.

1. Smithfield Road (east of Raven Meadows junction)
2. Chester Street Gyratory – from Berwick Road junction to the south
3. Castle Foregate / St Michaels Street – from Flaxmill Maltings to the south
4. Castle Street (whole length)

The main objectives of the scheme are a series of targeted active travel and public realm interventions to:

• Improve cycle provision for direct, north-south connections through Shrewsbury, facilitating active travel to Flaxmill Maltings. Specifically, 2.3 km of enhanced walking routes and cycleways across the Station and Northern Corridor areas
• Improve bus/cycle infrastructure and reduced levels of traffic across wider town centre that have been developed to deliver the key principles of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan
• Provide sustainable access to new jobs at a re-developed Riverside, for deprived communities north of the town centre
• Improve public realm, creating attractive mixed-used corridor supporting regeneration of adjacent properties and developments

The proposal

The proposal is to remove 2 trees (field maple) at the Chester Street/Smithfield Road junction, one of them located outside the Castle Pointe building and one of them located outside the H2O building. Tree notices have been attached to the affected trees for ease of identification. The removal of these trees is required to enable a re-design of the Smithfield Road/Chester Street junction, an integral part for meeting Shropshire Council’s objectives for the LUF2 Project 2 (Station Quarter) scheme.

The new junction arrangement is influenced by a number of constraints which results in the existing trees being impacted. Efforts have been made to retain the trees and mitigate the impact on trees during the works. As a result, trees T1 and T2 within the footway outside H2O and T5 outside Castle Pointe can be retained within the new junction layout.

Critical health and safety factors within the new junction layout mean that T3 and T4 cannot be retained without undermining key objectives of the scheme and the outcomes of the original funding allocation, hence the proposed removal of these two trees.
The site plan is included below with a copy also included on the feedback survey for ease of use.

Why are we consulting?

Shropshire Council has a duty to consult on felling street trees. We are keen to ensure that local people can express their views over the proposed management of street trees in the local area. The aim is to ensure the decision-making process is transparent and considers and views and feedback local people wish to present.

This consultation is carried out in line with Section 115 of the Environment Act 2021 and Highways Act 1980. In line with national guidance Shropshire Council will also publish a response to the consultation, including the final decision made after the close of the consultation period.

Who are we consulting?

We are seeing the views of a range of people including:

• Members of the public
• Town Council
• Elected Councillors
• Local businesses
• Anyone else with an interest in this issue

How are we consulting?

The consultation will be published on the Council’s web site with letters also issued to residents in the area affected.

We are asking a number of questions in a survey about our proposal to enable the collection of feedback and suggestions.

We will provide other versions of questions on request such as large print and easy read versions. If you would like the survey in an alternative format, please use the email below to request a copy or telephone Shropshire Council’s Customer Services on 0345 678 9000 and explain any support you need to allow you to respond.

Documents

• TECHNICAL_NOTE_SUPPORTING_AIA-5444469.pdf
• SITE_PLAN-5427381.pdf
• SITE_PLAN-5418915.pdf
• ARB_IMPACT_ASSESSMENT-5441958.pdf
• OFFICER_REPORT-5446607.pdf
• APPLICATION_FORM-5427388.pdf
• APPLICATION_FORM-5418923.pdf
• 24_03777_TCA-DECISION-5457671.pdf

Email: LUF2@shropshire.gov.uk
Post: Tell Us, Feedback and Insight Team, Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6ND.

What is the timescale?

We are consulting for 28 days in line with national guidance. The consultation will close on the 18th December.

What happens at the end of the consultation?

Following the consultation, the feedback received will be analysed and used to inform a report. The feedback and report will inform a final decision by Shropshire Council.