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Shrewsbury is the County Town of Shropshire and is also a sub-regional centre serving a wide geographic area. The town centre covers just a quarter square mile and although this occupies a very small percentage of the landmass of Shrewsbury and Atcham, this urban area is the nerve centre for the whole area as well as the focus for locals and visitors.

 

Shrewsbury is one of England's finest towns, its history as a trading and merchant centre continues today and the town represents the financial, administrative and cultural capital of the County. Shrewsbury is currently witnessing a resurgent growth in entrepreneurial activity, a desire to elevate the town's tourism appeal and a will to establish Shrewsbury as an international visitor destination.

 

A town of immense architectural significance, 1000 years of history adorns Shrewsbury's streets, providing a beautiful home and base to residents, shoppers and workers alike. The town centre sits in a loop of the River Severn with acres of glorious parkland but in spite of its perfect setting, like many other towns and cities in the UK, Shrewsbury faces a number of significant challenges in an increasingly competitive market place.

 

The health and vitality of a town centre is an important contributory element to the success of the region and a dynamic town centre can create economic and social growth for the wider area that it serves. The importance of this strategy for the future of Shrewsbury Town Centre cannot be overstated either in its application in growing the town centre's economic and social base or in its wider impact upon the towns and villages that have a very real interdependence with the county town.

 

Recent research undertaken on behalf of the Borough Council has demonstrated that Shrewsbury is a lively and bustling town centre and is a key focal point for the local community and beyond. However, the research has also shown that that there is so much more that Shrewsbury's could be achieving and that the key assets which, make Shrewsbury unique, have yet to be fully exploited. Shrewsbury already offers so much, but the key message is that is could offer so much more.