Shifnal Town Centre Improvements

Shifnal Town Centre Improvements

There has been some miscommunication and confusion regarding the Town Centre Improvement Scheme for Shifnal.  I hope that the following statements help residents in gaining further understanding of the project and why it is good for Shifnal.

• The Shifnal Town Centre Improvement Scheme has been in planning stages since 2013/2014, circa 7 years (possibly even earlier).
• The scheme is led by Shifnal Town Council not Shropshire Council.  This means that the design of the scheme and its purpose are developed by the Town Council and approved by the Town council.  The original scheme was developed by a group called Shifnal Forward, working with the public.
• The scheme is not paid for by tax-payers money (i.e., it is not funded from Council Tax).  It is funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is obtained from developers and a section 106* contribution.
• The design of the project have been undertaken by WSP design services who have expertise in delivering large infrastructure projects https://www.wsp.com/en-GB/what-we-do

The improvements to the town centre and public realm will enhance the existing infrastructure, by improving and in some areas reducing traffic flow and creating a more pedestrian friendly area, that can be utilised for community events and support local businesses. The work scheduled is: –

• Realigning and improving capacity at key town centre road junctions
• Highways resurfacing
• Improving levels of footway surfaces
• Hard and soft landscaping
• Tree planting
• Improved town centre materials
• Public Realm furniture

The impact assessment for the scheme anticipates positive impacts for the elderly, maternity (parents with young children). young people and individuals with a disability.

Total cost of the scheme	£2,716,779.00 (estimate, subject to tender).
Total CIL required	£1,887,779
Section 106 contribution	£ 829,000
Total cost of scheme	£2,716,779.00 (estimate, subject to tender).

I am pleased that Shifnal will at last benefit from significant investment into its Town Centre.  I passed through Cheapside today on my way to take my son to football practice at Shifnal Town football club and was reminded of the poor state of the area. As a result of this scheme, traffic will move more smoothly through the town, with improvements of the junction at Aston Street. Overall though it will reduce speeding vehicles whilst widening pavements and pedestrian areas.

Local Plan Review Timelines

Local Plan stage	Current LDS timeframe	Proposed LDS timeframe
Cabinet to consider pre-submission version of Local Plan for six-week consultation (regulation 19 stage)	December 2020	December 2020
Consultation on pre-submission Local Plan, subject to Cabinet approval (regulation 19 stage)	December 2020 – early February 2021	December 2020 – late February 2021
Full Council to consider the submission of Local Plan to Secretary of State (regulation 22 stage)	March 2021	July 2021
Submission of Local Plan to Secretary of State, subject to Council approval (regulation 22 stage)	April 2021	July 2021
Independent examination by Planning Inspectorate (regulation 24 stage)	April 2021 – March 2022	July 2021 – May 2022*
Expected inspector’s report	March 2022	May 2022

* A section 106 agreement is an agreement between a developer and a local planning authority about measures that the developer must take to reduce their impact on the community. A section 106 agreement is designed to make a development possible that would otherwise not be possible, by obtaining concessions and contributions from the developer. It forms a section of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.