Shropshire Council has been awarded £5m as part of the Government’s £900m Getting Building Fund which will be used for the repurposing of the Pride Hill Centre in Shrewsbury.
Following the announcement in June of the fund to build homes, infrastructure and create jobs as part of the country’s economic recovery from coronavirus, Shropshire Council swiftly applied for a grant, through the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), to help enable the repurposing of the Pride Hill Centre, one of the shopping centres purchased by the council in 2018. The funding forms part of the £14m secured by the Marches LEP for shovel-ready projects to help the recovery of the regional economy.
The primary purpose of purchasing the Pride Hill Centre and others was to support the economic growth and regeneration of Shrewsbury town centre. By having control of Pride Hill Centre, Shropshire Council can evolve the offer to meet changing consumer behaviour and offer a development solution which reflects a more sustainable town centre offer.
Shropshire Council says as part of its place shaping and long-term investment strategy, repurposing the centre will secure a vibrant and sustainable future, which contributes positively to Shrewsbury as a quality destination for its residents and visitors, and delivery of the Big Town Plan. The funding is an important milestone that will help secure the next chapter in the repurposing of the Pride Hill Centre, which could include cultural, civic and commercial use.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this funding by the Government. Recent events have put immense pressure on our town centres, so this grant is a much-welcomed boost to our economic recovery for Shrewsbury and will support the wider Shropshire economy too.
“When we purchased the Pride Hill, Darwin and Riverside Centres, the goal was to deliver a vibrant, sustainable, and commercially successful town centre. This funding will truly help deliver our vision of creating a thriving destination in Shropshire, where people want to live, shop, work and relax. The team will now be working up the next stages of the project and I look forward to being able to announce further updates in due course.”
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