New Shrewsbury business park approved

A number of companies will relocate to Shrewsbury following approval for a large new business park near Shrewsbury Town FC, developers say.

The new 27-acre “Stadium Point” commercial development, on former coal-mining land between the football ground and the A5, will be built near the A5 after the scheme was approved.

A total of 34 commercial units will be built as part of the mixed-use business park scheme, including two large warehouse units along with smaller trade units, offices and a food retail outlet.

Applicants Morris and Company Ltd say a “large number” of companies from outside the area have identified Shrewsbury as a potential site for national hubs, due to a lack of supply in Telford and the Black Country.

“Over recent years the rise in e-commerce has meant an increasing need for larger scale commercial units with higher eaves height, to suit advanced racking systems for distribution warehousing,” they said in a planning statement.

“The business park will complement other land uses to enhance the wider sustainability of the SUE and Southern Shrewsbury, including Meole Brace Retail Park, Aldi and Lidl as well as benefiting from the public transport links along Oteley Road and well-established footpath and cycleway links.”

The new development will be accessed off Oteley Road and will provide parking for 714 cars, including 62 charging points for electric vehicles.

Shrewsbury Town Council, who had withheld their opinion on the scheme until a travel plan for the site had been submitted, registered no objections following a response from the developer. Bayston Hill Parish Council offered a neutral response, asking that the development maximised renewable energies wherever possible.

A response from the Coal Authority indicated that mining works had taken place on the site, and requested that a mining gas report be produced prior to works commencing on site.

Permission for the scheme was granted subject to a strict noise mitigation scheme to protect nearby residents in the Meole Brace area of town.

Chris Morris, Director at Morris Property said: “Despite keen demand for business units on this side of the town, we are aware that economic times remain tough, so we have designed our units to be cost and energy-efficient.

“We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach and are pleased to already be working with a number of regional companies developing plans to build their businesses with us at Stadium Point.”