Ambitious plans to build a luxury four-star hotel and redevelop Shrewsbury’s riverside have been unveiled as part of a major 15-year vision to boost tourism in the town.
The ideas have been put forward as part of a plan to develop Shrewsbury further as the capital of Shropshire and will work alongside existing initiatives including the proposed North West Relief Road, the regeneration of the town’s northern corridor, and plans to introduce a cafe culture in the town centre.
The proposals have been revealed by Kim Ryley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, who said the fortunes of Shrewsbury had a huge impact on the county as a whole.
Mr Ryley told the Chronicle the council was in the early stages of trying to market Shrewsbury better as a tourist destination and said that included improving what the town had to offer. He said officials were looking at a number of potential sites and ideas, although it was too soon to talk about specific projects.
It’s all part of a wider market towns strategy being put together for the whole county. Shirehall officials are also investigating ways to fund the work.
Mr Ryley said: “We are now in a position to put together a coherent single plan for the future development of Shrewsbury, and that includes the lobbying we are doing on the North West Relief Road and improvements in Ditherington.
“What we would like to see in the town is a quality four-star hotel to anchor developments for the long term. We think the town has potential for further development and we are looking at sites we could develop in the next 10-15 years along the river front.”
By Peter Kitchen