Northeast Shrewsbury Future Connectivity Plan

We're engaging with the community on a number of forward-thinking transport, public space and connectivity proposals for northeast Shrewsbury. We're inviting local residents to comment on which of the ideas they would like to see come forward.

Proposed projects at this stage include enhancements to key roundabouts, including Battlefield Roundabout, Enterprise Roundabout and Heathgates Roundabout, to improve safety and capacity. Significant walking and cycling improvements are also proposed on Sundorne Road and Featherbed Lane to enhance safe and sustainable access to the Featherbed Lane schools and Shrewsbury Sports Village.

The proposals have been prepared following extensive data analysis, site assessments and engagement with council officers, local councillors and town councils. Proposals that will improve local transport, enhance quality of place, support local health and wellbeing, and strengthen the local and wider regional economy, are being considered.

The proposals are being launched as part of a public engagement exercise, the outcomes of which will be critical for helping to develop a ‘future connectivity plan'. Whilst there's currently no budget available to take the identified schemes forward, the final future connectivity plan will assist us in trying to secure external scheme funding from The Marches LEP, government and the private sector to help make Shropshire a better place to live, work and visit.

To secure funding, any proposals first need to have public backing. We're therefore asking you for your thoughts before any further scheme development work is carried out, and before possible sources of scheme funding are explored.

From a transport, access and connectivity perspective, key challenges facing northeast Shrewsbury now and in the future, include:

• The opportunities presented by the North West Relief Road must be fully capitalised to support a step change in transport and connectivity in northeast Shrewsbury
• Existing transport provision across all modes needs to be improved to support proposed future development within the study area
• The study area is highly traffic dominated, with limited active travel infrastructure to support safe and accessible conditions for pedestrians and cyclists
• Many existing walking and cycling facilities in the study area are poor and wouldn't be deemed safe enough for use by inexperienced cyclists
• Investment is needed to improve wayfinding and legibility within northeast Shrewsbury, in particular to support active travel movements
• A step change in existing public transport infrastructure and facilities across the study area is needed to enhance passenger experience

Key challenges identified for northeast Shrewsbury were used to inform a holistic, long-term vision and series of objectives for transport in the area over the next ten years. These also reflect the strategic themes of local and regional transport and planning policy. The vision for northeast Shrewsbury is as follows: 

The North West Relief Road will provide a significant opportunity to deliver a step change for transport and connectivity in northeast Shrewsbury. The aspiration is to capitalise on these opportunities and allow local routes within the study area to become safer and more attractive for active travel, making walking and cycling the logical first choice for local journeys. Encouraging sustainable travel in the study area will also reduce traffic movements and support wider air quality and public health targets in north east Shrewsbury.

 To achieve this vision, the following objectives have been identified:

1. Improving active travel: create attractive corridors for walking and cycling which form a holistic, joined up active travel network. This will allow active travel to become the logical first choice for local journeys whilst also improving access to jobs and opportunities and supporting improved public health.
2. Redistributing traffic movements: deliver investment to ensure that strategic highway traffic is consolidated onto the A49, North West Relief Road and other strategic routes.
3. Enhancing public transport: bring forward investment for transformational new public transport schemes, including Shrewsbury Connect and a new Parkway Railway Station at Preston Boats.
4. Encouraging sustainable travel: ensure that journeys made to and from current and proposed educational facilities can be made in a safe and sustainable manner.
5. Improving permeability: improve wayfinding and signage to key current and future trip attractors including proposed new development.
6. Improving air quality: reduce vehicular traffic movements in northeast Shrewsbury to support improved air quality and public health.

Using the baseline evidence, a long list of schemes were developed to mitigate the issues facing the town. These schemes ranged across a series of scales and modes, including:

• Road network
• Permeability
• Active travel
• Public transport

Significant junction improvements are proposed at several key junctions across this area of Shrewsbury to improve junction safety and capacity, and to deliver improved ease of navigability for those travelling on foot and by bicycle. The improvements are proposed at the following locations:

• Sundorne Roundabout
• Enterprise Roundabout
• Battlefield Roundabout
• Heathgates Roundabout
• Welti Island

Whitchurch Road, Featherbed Lane and Sundorne Road are key routes in the area for all modes of travel. However, there is a need to redesign and upgrade these corridors to enhance the quality and safety of the walking and cycling facilities, reduce traffic domination and create more usable public spaces. This scheme would deliver improvements along these corridors which would support safer and more attractive active travel movements. Elements of design that would be delivered include segregated cycle lanes, widened footways and increasing numbers of safe pedestrian and cyclist crossing points.

Find out more from the plans for these areas:

• Featherbed Lane 1
• Featherbed Lane 2
• Sundorne Road 1
• Sundorne Road 2
• Sundorne Road 3

There is an opportunity to create safer, more accessible and attractive active travel routes along the River Severn. This would deliver improved active travel facilities and infrastructure along the riverside by:

• Upgrading of the existing National Cycle Network Route 81 to deliver a high-quality, safe and attractive cycle link along the riverside, which is well signed and accessible to all users
• Delivering a high-quality pedestrian path on the southern bank of the river, where there's currently insufficient active travel infrastructure

The schemes would be supported by enhanced wayfinding and signage, benches and lighting to encourage greater active travel movements along this route for all users.

Delivering a new transit system in northeast Shrewsbury would provide a convenient and reliable public transport service that would significantly improve public transport connectivity to Shrewsbury town centre and wider strategic locations. This scheme would deliver a new rail link between the Shrewsbury-Crewe line and Shrewsbury-Chester rail lines, removing heavy rail from the heart of northeast Shrewsbury and diverting services from the Shrewsbury-Crewe line onto the Shrewsbury-Chester line. Delivering this new rail link would then allow the existing railway line through northeast Shrewsbury to be redeveloped into a rapid public transport corridor, extending through the town centre and out to the west of the town towards the hospital.

Another option could be a tram system for Shrewsbury. You can have your say on this option by completing a separate very short survey. 

We'll review all the comments and suggestions submitted as part of the public consultation once it has closed.

We'll incorporate your feedback and prepare a final northeast Shrewsbury Future Connectivity Plan, which will then be released into the public domain.

To have your say, just click on the 'How to get involved' tab towards the top of this page.