Over the past two years, PJA have been working closely with the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership to develop a strategy to make Shrewsbury one of the most inclusive, accessible, and economically vibrant towns in the UK.

The Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership, consisting of Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID) commissioned PJA to prepare a movement and public space strategy. The strategy “Shrewsbury Moves: A 10-year vision and plan for Shrewsbury” aims to achieve the vision of the Big Town Plan, including: 

“Traffic in the town centre is very light and slow moving. Pedestrians and cyclists can walk and move wherever they want, making the streets their own.  

The whole town is much better connected by cycle or on foot, in a safe way, avoiding conflict with vehicular traffic. It is possible now to make your way across town by cycle or on foot.” 

To develop the strategy, PJA undertook comprehensive stakeholder engagement and data analysis to identify four key themes and 14 key principles. This included creation of a bespoke Core Advisory Group, working with stakeholder management experts, VINU.  

The themes and principles provided a coherent strategic direction for the strategy and informed development of 20 interventions. These focussed on addressing the interdependencies between multi-modal transport movements, land use and development opportunities. Key interventions include:  

• Creation of traffic loops to restrict through traffic from routing through the town centre;  
• Provide a two-way bus corridor across the town centre;  
• Integrate Park and Ride with general bus services, and enhanced offer through new and relocated facilities and increased service levels;  
• Provide improved and additional active travel infrastructure, in line with the LCWIP and latest national design guidance, including to the north of Shrewsbury, and over the railway line and River Severn;  
• Implement Local Access Priority Areas where local consent is secured; and 
• Further development of the existing graduated parking system, maintaining the provision of designated parking spaces for Blue Badge holders.  

To support the strategy, PJA also prepared a comprehensive Phasing and Delivery Plan, to identify “quick win” interventions that can be brought forward in the short term, and opportunities for future funding.  

Throughout the consultation period, PJA provided support to Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership including attendance at consultation events, radio interviews and preparation of consultation material. PJA’s in-house graphic design team also helped bring the project to life. From crafting compelling visualisations to preparing consultation material, a summary document and video, the team leveraged their expertise and creativity to communicate the aims of Shrewsbury Moves to stakeholders successfully. 

Over the last two years, the development of Shrewsbury Moves has also enabled numerous successful funding bids to be submitted by partners of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan. This includes £18.7m of Levelling Up Funding to support regeneration of the town centre, over £340,000 of UK Government Shared Prosperity Funding (UK SPF) to deliver a package of sustainable transport measures in the town centre and £80,000 to complete a detailed feasibility study for Mini-Holland funding. PJA have provided ongoing technical support and advice in relation to each of these bid submissions and undertaken a series of feasibility studies, working with wider design teams to ensure alignment with the movement and public space strategy.  

Tim Pritchard, Shrewsbury Programme Manager for Shropshire Council said: 

‘PJA have provided us with excellent advice and technical knowledge in the delivery of the Shrewsbury Movement and Public Space strategy and associated Levelling Up Fund, Design Code and Mini Holland projects. Given the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership is a politically diverse, multi-headed client, PJA have expertly negotiated the client and stakeholder environment, gaining widespread support for an ambitious and potentially controversial strategy and delivery plan. We look forward to continuing to work with PJA to deliver projects across Shrewsbury.’ 

 John Myatt, Associate Director at PJA and Project Director said: 

“As a company whose vision is to ‘create better places through great design’, working with the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan Partnership has given us the opportunity to combine all our skillsets across Transport Planning, Placemaking and Engineering disciplines into preparation of one cohesive strategy to deliver the movement and public space aspirations of the Shrewsbury Big Town Plan. It is not often that you find a Town where the key organisations work so closely together to drive forward the delivery of an agreed vision. We look forward to continuing to work with the BTP and wider stakeholders to support the further development of Shrewsbury town centre offer.” 

For more information about the movement and public space strategy, and associated projects, visit: www.shrewsburymoves.com 

For more information on what PJA did on the project, contact [email protected] 

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