A four-week public consultation gets underway on the Smithfield Riverside regeneration project in Shrewsbury town centre.

Led by the council and its development manager, RivingtonHark, Smithfield Riverside is the ambitious regeneration project set to transform the area between the River Severn, Darwin Centre, Roushill and Raven Meadows in Shrewsbury town centre.

Earlier this year, Shropshire Council, supported by the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, secured almost £19 million of Levelling Up funding from Government to further support the regeneration of Shrewsbury town centre – kickstarting design work on the Smithfield Riverside masterplan.

Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the overarching masterplan will be split into four key zones, aiming to improve connectivity between the town centre and the northern section of the town’s river loop. Crucially, the masterplan’s phased, flexible design will ensure key amenities like the Darwin Centre and Premier Inn can continue business as usual throughout any future construction.

This first public consultation will focus on zone one, located to the west and northwest of the Darwin Centre. Delivered through four separate planning applications, proposals would see the demolition of the Riverside shopping centre and former Riverside medical practice to create space for modern offices and homes, as well as an exciting new leisure offer including restaurants and a cinema.

These new developments, with west-facing terraces, would be interlinked by a series of accessible and vibrant new lanes and public spaces that help shape the area’s new identity.

Plans also include a landmark new public park adjacent to Roushill – designed by landscape architects Spacehub. The proposed park will breathe new life into area through the provision of open green space, trees and planting, while helping to improve biodiversity in the town centre.