Shrewsbury: Town Centre Audit Analysis

2019/20 Introduction

An audit of businesses operating in ’s main shopping streets was undertaken in November 2019 as part of a piece of research reviewing the vibrancy of ’s main market towns and key settlements. The objective of this audit was to provide a snapshot of the vitality of the town by investigating:

• The range and diversity of the retail offer • The number and types of non-retail businesses operating • The number and location of vacant properties • Distinctive characteristics within the town, for example a strong tourism offer or a high penetration of“low end” traders • The amount, location and type of domestic residences in the centre of the town

Key Findings

2 139,600 m Gross Average Store Size: 767 Commercial Units Commercial Floor Space 182m2

13% of Commercial Units Vacant 35% of Units Comparison Retail 5% Floor Space Convenience Retail

23 Charity Shops 27 Public Houses/Bars 68 Hair & Beauty Salons

50 Restaurants 75 Clothes/Shoes Shops 880 Domestic Residences Methodology Statement

Only the main retail centre of the town was surveyed, as shown on Map 4. Out-of-town retail parks and local shopping parades are not included. Both retail and non-retail businesses will be operating in other parts of the town. In the case of Shrewsbury, there are three main retail parks outside the town centre as depicted on map 7. There are also concentrations of employment outside the town centre, especially to the north, where Battlefield Enterprise Park is located. All commercial premises within the defined area were audited, and classified as:

• Comparison Retail—defined as stores selling non-food/drink/tobacco products • Convenience Retail—defined as stores selling food/drink/tobacco products • Retail Service— defined as stores selling a service rather than a product, such as hair dressers or travel agents • Financial & Business Services — for example, banks, solicitors, accountants, estate agents • Restaurants & Takeaways—including cafés and tea rooms • Tourism & Leisure—hotels and public houses/bars as well as visitor attractions and cultural assets • Education & Community Facilities—including schools, colleges, libraries, community centres • Other Non-Retail • Vacant

Gross floor space was matched to each premise using OS Master Map. It should be noted, that where two outlets shared the same premise (as shown on Master Map) an assumption was made that both occupied the same amount of floor space. For multi-storey buildings occupied by multiple businesses, it is assumed that all floors have the same gross space. Unless it is clear that a single business occupies more than one floor of a building, it has been assumed that it occupies only one floor. This means that in some cases, gross floor space may be under-estimated as some traders use upper floors for storage. No estimate relating to net floor space has been made.

Businesses occupying above ground floor level premises have only been included in this audit if their presence is clear from street level (by door signs or external hoardings for example). It is likely, therefore, that some non-consumer businesses operating in the area may have been missed.

An estimate of the number of domestic residences in the main retail centre has been made using OS Address Base (complete version) using all residential classification codes. Retail Centre Hierarchy Map 1: Shropshire’s Main Retail Centres

Town centres represent important employment, entertainment and shopping hubs for their local population and hinterland. They also represent an important component of the visitor economy. However, not all centres have comparable functions. Larger centres tend to attract workers and shoppers from much further afield than smaller centres, and consequently offer a much greater volume and variety of retail trade and consumer and business services. In order to benchmark Shropshire towns against each other in an appropriate manner, the following hierarchy has been adopted: Tier 1: Shrewsbury Tier 2: Bridgnorth Ludlow Oswestry Market Drayton Whitchurch

Tier 3: Albrighton Bishops Broseley Church Stretton Cleobury Mortimer Craven Arms Ellesmere Highley Much Wenlock Pontesbury/Minsterley Shifnal

About Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is located amidst beautiful countryside with the nearby Welsh border to the west , and the larger town of and the conurbation to the east. Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire and has a fine medieval heritage. The town centre is packed with timber framed black and white buildings, steep narrow streets and alleyways. It has over 600 listed buildings including the Castle, which is now a regimental museum, and also the famous . Charles Darwin was born and educated in Shrewsbury and there are many references to him around the town. Shrewsbury is a vibrant market town with many bars, shops, restaurants and cultural assets and is a popular tourist destination. The forms a loop around the town, giving Shrewsbury a unique geography and many riverside walks. The Quarry park is situated alongside the river. This is an important natural asset and plays host to a number of events throughout the year, including the famous Shrewsbury Flower Show. Shrewsbury is designated a Business Improvement District which commenced on 1st April 2014 as a business-led and business-funded body. Businesses in the BID area contribute via business rates to fund works to improve and promote Shrewsbury town centre as a place to live, work, visit and invest. The BID period was initially for a period of 5 years, but was renewed in 2019 for a further five years. https://shrewsburybid.co.uk/ Today, the town has a population of 75,700 (2018 Mid-year estimates) and 31,135 households (2011 Census). It is more than four times larger than the second ranked Shropshire town (Oswestry). The town’s population has grown by 4.1% since 2015, which makes it one of the fastest growing settlements in the county. The population is projected to rise to 85,700 by 2026. As the key county town, Shrewsbury is at the heart of Shropshire’s transport network which makes it easily accessible from most other parts of the county. Many of the A roads radiate from Shrewsbury. The A5 London to Holyhead road provides northerly access to Oswestry and North Wales whilst heading east takes in Telford and before continuing on to London. The A49 heads north through Whitchurch on to Cheshire and Warrington, whilst heading south through Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Ludlow and on to Hereford. The A458 heads west to Welshpool and Mid Wales, whilst heading south east to Much Wenlock, Bridgnorth and on to Stourbridge. The A53 starts at Battlefield and heads north east taking in Shawbury and Market Drayton, continuing on to Stoke-on-Trent and Buxton.

Shrewsbury is a key interchange for train travel in Shropshire. Train services provide direct links southwards to Hereford, Newport and Cardiff, westwards to Welshpool and Aberystwyth, northwards to Crewe and Manchester and to the east to Telford, Wolverhampton and . There is also a direct line between Shrewsbury and London. The total population within a 10 mile radius of Shrewsbury is 142,500. This geography is shown on Map 2. Overall, Shrewsbury town council area (depicted on Map 3) covers an area of 3,799 hectares. The main shopping area (depicted on Maps 3 and 4) is much smaller than this, at around 28 hectares. More information about Shrewsbury can be found here: https://shropshire.gov.uk/media/9692/shrewsbury.pdf

Map 2: Location of Shrewsbury showing 10 mile radius Map 3: Shrewsbury Town Council Map 4: Main Retail Shopping Area Shrewsbury Businesses and Employment Shrewsbury is the main employment hub in the county. It is one of the few Shropshire towns that has more jobs than it has resident workers, providing approximately 42,800 jobs across the town council area (ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, 2018). This is the equivalent to more than a third of all jobs in Shropshire. Key sectors include:

• Health (23.4% of jobs) • Retail (11.7% of jobs) • Professional, Scientific & Technical (9.9% of jobs) • Public Administration & Defence (7.0% of all jobs)

More than 5,000 businesses have their registered office in the town council area. Outside the town centre, businesses and jobs are concentrated in the business parks and industrial estates on the outskirts of town. These include Battlefield Enterprise Park to the north of the town, Shrewsbury Business Park in the south east, Oxon Business Park in the west and Old Potts Way, which is close to the town centre.

Shrewsbury’s Catchment Shrewsbury has a large day time population, comprising not only residents that don’t work (or work part-time) but also the substantial workplace population. As a retail centre, Shrewsbury draws footfall not just from residents of the town and immediate surrounding areas and its workday population, but also from further afield, including the rest of Shropshire and mid-Wales. For a Welsh catchment population of around 112,000, Shrewsbury is the most easily accessible retail centre (see Map 5) of a reasonable size. Furthermore, Shrewsbury offers a much more extensive range of goods and services than other towns and settlements in Shropshire, particularly in the comparison retail category. This means that Shrewsbury draws shoppers from nearby towns who want more choice and a greater range of goods and services than their own local town centre can provide. The town’s mix of recognisable national brands and unique independent stores attract not just regular shoppers but day trippers as well. Overall, a population of more than 8 million people live within a 60 mile drive of Shrewsbury town centre, as shown on Map 6. Map 5: Shrewsbury’s Welsh Catchment Area Map 6: 60 Minutes Drive-Time from Shrewsbury The Retail Offer Shrewsbury’s town centre retail offer focuses on a mix of independents and national brands, and includes a wide selection of cafes, restaurants and public houses as well as numerous retail, financial and business service providers. The town benefits from an indoor market, for which the main trading days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is late night opening on the first Saturday of the month for special food and drink events in the market hall. A farmers market is held on the first Friday of the month in the Square. Outside the town centre, there are three main retail parks as shown on map 7, plus numerous local shopping parades that serve nearby residents. The three main retail parks are Harlescott and Sundorne, both to the north of the town centre, and Meole Brace, which is to the south. Footfall Working with Springboard, Shrewsbury BID operates two footfall cameras to count pedestrian numbers in the town centre. The first camera is positioned on Pride Hill, counting people across the whole width of the street from the edge of the Pride Hill Shopping Centre doorway to the edge of Holland and Barrett. The second camera counts pedestrians on the South-East side footpath of High Street at the West Brom building society. The High Street camera has been affected by the closure of department store House of Fraser as fewer people are walking on that side of the road.

During 2019, footfall on Pride Hill increased by 0.9% compared with 2018, while footfall on the High Street fell by 0.7%. Across both footfall cameras, footfall rose by 0.3% in 2019, contrasting with a 2.4% decrease in the West Midlands and a 2.2% decrease in the UK. Footfall patterns in Shrewsbury also buck the trend for UK market towns, which recorded a 3.8% decrease on average during 2019 compared with the previous year.

Monthly footfall in Shrewsbury ranges from 760,000 to 920,000 with a spike in December of around 1 million. Like many cities including Bristol and Manchester, Shrewsbury has been classified by ‘The Institute of Place Management’ as a multi-functional, comparison centre based on its footfall signature. Map 7: Out-of-Town Retail Parks Key Results

A total of 767 businesses operate within the Shrewsbury survey area. These commercial units account for approximately 139,600m2 of gross floor space. Chart 1: Location of Businesses Operating in Shrewsbury Town More than a fifth of businesses operating in the main shopping area in % of Units % of floor space Shrewsbury are located in Mardol/Barker Street (21.8% of units and Castle Street 15.9% 16.4% 20.4% of gross floor space), with a similar proportion along Pride Hill or Frankwell 8.1% 8.8% in the town’s three shopping centres (21.3% of units and 28.5% of floor High Street & the Square 17.2% 14.4% space). A substantial number of units are located on Castle Street Mardol & Barker Street 21.9% 20.4% (15.9% of units and 16.4% of floor space). 12.8% of units (8.6% of floor Pride Hill & Centres 21.3% 28.5% space) are in the Wyle Cop/Dogpole area. Smaller numbers of Smithfield Road 2.9% 2.9% commercial units are located in Frankwell and Smithfield Road, which Wyle Cop & Dogpole 12.8% 8.6% are on the periphery of the town centre.

Commercial units in Frankwell are slightly larger than average (198m2 each on average) while those along Wyle Cop/Dogpole are smaller than average (123m2). The latter are primarily independent outlets. Outlets along Pride Hill are primarily national chains. Map 8 shows the above zones. As well as the town centre and out-of-town retail parks shown on Map 7, there are also clusters of businesses on the outskirts of the town centre which are easily accessible to those visiting the centre of town. These offer a wider range of goods and services than the local shopping parades that primarily serve residents in the immediate locality. These cluster include those located in Longden Coleham and Abbey Foregate.

Map 8: Shrewsbury Town Centre Shopping Zones Shopping Centres 112 commercial units are located within one of Shrewsbury’s three shopping centres. This is the equivalent of 15% of all units in the town centre. The shopping centres offer 29,300m2 of commercial gross floor space (21% of all floor space). The size of stores within all three centres is larger than the average for the town, especially in the Riverside Mall (328m2 each on average against 257m2 for Pride Hill Centre and 236m2 for the Darwin Centre).

Chart 2: Capacity of Shopping Centres

There are 40 units in the Pride Hill Centre with a capacity of 10,290m2. The Darwin Centre is slightly larger, accommodating 50 Floor Space Average Floor units with floor space of 11,780m2. The Riverside Mall is much Units (m2) Space smaller, with 22 units covering 7,220m2. Pride Hill Centre 40 10,290 257 Darwin Centre 50 11,780 236

Riverside Mall 22 7,220 328 Total Shopping Centres 112 29,290 262 Business Classifications The highest proportion of the town centre is allocated to comparison retail. There are 268 comparison retailers in the main shopping streets, which cover a combined gross floor space of over 54,300m2. This is the equivalent of 34.9% of units and 38.9% of space. The second highest share of units is attributable to restaurants and takeaways, with these accounting for 14.3% of units (11.5% of floor space). Retail services account for a similar share of units (14.1%), but as these tend to be relatively small in size, they account for a smaller share of floor space (6.8%).

6.5% of units and 14.5% of floor space are allocated to tourism and leisure establishments. 6.4% of units (and 5.6% of floor space) is attributable to financial institutions and business services providers. 4.8% of units are convenience retail, with this classification commanding 4.9% of floor space. A small amount of the town centre is allocated to education & community facilities and to other (mainly general offices). More than one in ten units is vacant (12.5%).

Chart 3: Breakdown of Shrewsbury Commercial Premises by Classification

39% 35%

14% 14% 14% 12% 13% 12%

7% 7% 5% 5% 6% 6% 4% 3% 1% 2% 1% 1%

Comparison Convenience Education & Financial & Health & Restaurants & Retail Services Tourism & Other Vacant Community Business Medical Takeaways Leisure Facility Services Services % of units % of floor space Comparison Retail

The largest proportion of commercial units and space is dedicated to the comparison retail category, accounting for 35% of units and 39% of gross floor space. The range of different comparison good stores is wide, there is a choice of store in most sub-classifications and there is a balance between independents and national chains. Shrewsbury is a location which attracts mid market and higher end chains due to its relatively affluent local population and its strong visitor economy but it also accommodates a range of lower end mass market and discount stores. It is a destination which attracts shoppers looking for comparison goods.

Chart 4: Breakdown of Comparison Retail by Type

16% Other 6%

7% Discount/Catalogue 2%

9% Antiques/Art/Gifts 12%

12% Hobbies & Games 18%

11% Charity 9%

12% Home Goods & Furniture 15%

4% Personal Care 4%

29% Clothing/Accessories 35%

% of floor space % of units Clothing Clothing and ancillary merchandise accounts for more than a third of all comparison stores in Shrewsbury, as well as approaching 30% of gross floor space. This is the equivalent of 12% of all Shrewsbury commercial units. Within the clothing and accessories sector, there are bespoke men’s, women’s and children’s clothes stores, unisex clothes stores, shoe shops, jewellery stores and stores selling a broader range of accessories (not just jewellery).

Almost one in four comparison stores in Shrewsbury town centre Chart 5: Breakdown of Clothing & Ancillary Product Stores is a clothes shop. 4% are shoes shops, 6% jewellers and 1% specialise in accessories. Shrewsbury is clearly a location where people come clothes shopping, and there is a range of outlets from mass market (Primark, Peacocks, H&M, New Look) to mid-market chains (including Sea Salt, White Stuff, Jigsaw, Fat Face, French Other Clothing & Clothing, Shoes, 4% Connection). Common High Street brands such as Top Man, Top Comparison, 65% Ancillary , 35% 24% Jewellery, Shop, Laura Ashley, Moss Bros, Edinburgh Woollen Mill and River 6% Island are also represented. In total, there are 63 specialist clothes stores covering combined gross floor space of around 2 Accessories, 1% 12,500m . Also selling clothes are Marks and Spencer (classified as a variety store) and Catalogue Surplus (categorised as a discounter).

There are a number of independent shoe stores as well as chain Clarks. Altogether, there are 12 shoe shops, covering a total of 1,400m2 gross floor space. There are 16 specialist jewellery stores in the town centre. These include national chains (H Samuel, TH Baker for example) as well as several independents. Hobbies and Games There are 48 commercial units in Shrewsbury town centre specialising in the sale of goods related to hobbies and games. These cover approximately 6,400m2 of gross floor space. Within the comparison goods classification, hobbies and game stores account for 18% of units and 12%of floor space. Overall, this type of store accounts for 6% of commercial outlets in the town.

Chart 6: Breakdown of Hobby & Game Stores There is a wide variety of stores classified under the hobbies and games banner. There are seven book shops (including a branch of chain store Waterstone’s) and seven mobile phone stores (including O2, EE and Mobile Phones, 3% Vodaphone). Mobile phone stores are clustered around Games & Toys, 2% Bikes, 2% Pride Hill. There are also seven stores allocated to hobbies and to arts and craft. Other Comparison, Hobbies & Games, Music/CDs/DVDs, Other , 3% There are six shops selling games and toys (traditional 82% 18% 2% and electronic) and six purveyors of music products, CDs

Hobbies/Crafts, 3% Books, 3% and DVDs. There are four shops selling bicycles and cycle accessories. Two of these are in the Frankwell area.

Other stores in this classification include sports goods, outdoor goods, DIY products and computer shops. Household Goods There are 40 stores in Shrewsbury town centre selling household furniture, goods and equipment. These cover approximately 6,700m2 of gross floor space. This is the equivalent of 15% of all commercial units in the town and 12% of floor space. Just over 5% of all units in the town are dedicated to home products. There are 12 furniture retailers in the town centre. There is a cluster of furniture stores in Wyle Cop. There are also 12 stores selling products for the home (excluding large appliances, furniture and textile related products). These sell a range of products from cookware to glass and chinaware. There are four stores selling frames or offering a framing service. There are five textile stores and four shops selling carpets. Other stores included within this category are a domestic appliance provider, two ironmongers, a light fitter and a door and window specialist. Many of Shrewsbury’s household goods stores—especially those selling furniture or large appliances—are located out of town.

Chart 7: Breakdown of Home Goods and Furniture Stores

Carpets, 1% Textiles, 2%

Other Comparison, 85% Home goods and Homeware, 4% Other, 3% furniture

Furniture, 4% Antiques/Gifts Chart 8: Breakdown of Antique/Gift Stores There are 31 commercial units selling antiques, art, gifts, greetings cards or stationery, and together these account for around 5,000m2 of floor space. Stationery, 1% This is the equivalent of 12% of all comparison stores and 9% of all floor space within the comparison category. Cards, Other Gifts, 5% 2% Antiques Comparison, There are 13 gift shops, 5 antique shops, five art shops/galleries, five card & Gifts 88% shops and three stationers. Antique stores tend to be located at the periphery of the town centre. Most stores in this classification are Art, 2% Antiques, 2% independent, although there are branches of the stationery chain Rymans and Paperchase plus card shop, Card Factory. Charity Shops There are 23 charity shops in Shrewsbury town centre, with these accounting for almost 6,000m2 of floor space. These account for 9% of all comparison goods stores and for 11% of their floor space. Overall, 3% of all commercial units in Shrewsbury town centre accommodate charity stores. The majority of these represent national charities (Age UK, British Heart Foundation, Save the Children, Oxfam, etc) but there are also some local charities in the mix (Shrewsbury Ark, Shropshire Cat Rescue, Severn Hospice). There is a cluster of charity shops on Mardol, and also several in the Riverside Mall.

Discounters There are five discount stores in Shrewsbury town centre. These are concentrated in the , but there is also one in the Pride Hill Centre and one on Claremont Street. These stores are significantly larger than average, accounting for an average of 760m2 each. Overall, discounters account for 7% of comparison floor space. The discounters are national brands—Catalogue Surplus Store, Wilko, Poundland, QVC and Home Bargains.

Personal Care There are 11 stores offering personal care products, covering 1,900m2 of floor space. These include four pharmacies (including Boots and Superdrug), five cosmetics and toiletries outlets (including The Body Shop and L’Occitane) and two hearing aid stores.

Convenience Retail

There are 37 convenience stores within the main shopping area of Shrewsbury. The number of units and level of floor space allocated to this category is low, with the focus much more on comparison rather than convenience. The majority of Shrewsbury’s convenience offer is outside the town centre.

Map 9: Location of Shrewsbury’s Main Out-of-Town Convenience Stores

At the time of the audit, the main supermarket convenience offer within the town centre was Tesco Express and Little Waitrose. Outside the central shopping area, as shown on the adjacent map, the town benefits from a Tesco Extra, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi to the north of the town centre. Asda is located just east of the town centre, while the south of the town is served by a Sainsbury’s, an Aldi and a Lidl. As well as the two bespoke supermarkets, the town centre is also home to four bakeries, six confectioners, two delicatessens, three greengrocers, three newsagents, two health food stores, three tobacconists and six off-licences. There is also an indoor market, which accommodates numerous stalls, including a wide variety of convenience products. The variety store Marks & Spencer also has a food department.

Chart 9: Number of Convenience Stores by Type

6 6 6

4

3 3 3

2 2 2

With the exception of the supermarkets, most operators in the convenience retail category are independent, although the chains Greggs, Thorntons, Hotel Chocolat, Holland & Barrett and Grape Tree are all present. Greggs incorporates a small café as well as bakery products. Restaurants & Takeaways Chart 10: Breakdown of Restaurant/Takeaway Units by Type

14% of units in Shrewsbury are attributable to restaurants and takeaways, with this category accounting for a lower proportion of gross floor space (11%). The 110 units are split between cafes (35%), restaurants (46%) and takeaways (20%). Takeaways account for a lower share of floor space (11%) while restaurants have a disproportionately high share of floor Takeaway, space (58%). 20% A very wide variety of cuisines are represented within the Shrewsbury restaurant sector, Restaurant, including British, European, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese and Thai. There are also several 45% restaurants specialising in vegan food. Although the majority are independent, there are a number of chains, including Loch Fyne, Carluccio’s, Zizzi’s, Ask, Pizza Express and Cote Brasserie. Café, 35% Within the takeaway sector, there is a large number of sandwich bars (10, or almost half of all takeaway outlets). This reflects the high lunchtime demand from the workplace population. There are also, amongst others, fish & chip shops and pizza shops.

Tourism & Leisure

Also within the hospitality sector, there are 27 public houses and bars. These take up approximately 7,100m2 gross floor space, the equivalent of 5% of all floor space in the town. In addition, Shrewsbury accommodates a number of other tourism and leisure facilities, including ten hotels/guesthouses. Some of the public houses may also offer rooms. Most of the smaller hotels/guesthouses are independent; however, there is also a Premier Inn in the town centre, as well as the Shrewsbury Hotel, which is part of the Wetherspoons’ chain. There are three health clubs, three social clubs and two night clubs, as well as a museum (Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery), a cinema, a theatre, a bingo hall and an amusement arcade. Just outside the town centre boundary are other important tourism assets for the town, including and Regimental Museum, the Quarry Park, the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shrewsbury Abbey. Chart 11: Shrewsbury Town Centre Tourism & Leisure Offer

53%

35%

22% 23% 20%

12% 9% 8% 6% 6% 4% 2%

Public House/Bar Hotel/Guesthouse Health Club Social Club Night Club Other % of units % of floor space

Chart 12: Breakdown of the Finance and Business Service Category by Type Finance & Business Services

There are 49 commercial operators in the finance and business Other 16 services area in Shrewsbury town centre, accounting for just under 2 7,800m of gross floor space. Included within this classification are ten Property Services 4 banks/building societies (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, Halifax, Financial Services 5 West Brom, TSB, Nat West plus two branches of Santander). There are

also 10 estate agents, four property service providers, five financial Solicitor 4 service providers and four solicitors. Also represented within the town is a Bureau de Change, an architect, a cash broker, insurance brokers, Estate Agent 10 printing services, surveyors and a recruitment agency. Building Society 2

Bank 8 Retail Services Chart 13: Breakdown of Retail Services by Type There are 108 retail service businesses operating in Shrewsbury 2 12% town centre, with these accounting for over 9,500m of gross floor Other 12% space. 2% Clothing Alterations Although the range of services provided is wide, a very high 5% 5% number of operators are in the barber and hair/beauty salon Tattooist classification, with these together representing 63% of units and 6% 9% 62% of floor space. There are 61 hair dressers/beauty salons and Travel Agent 6% seven barbers. The majority are independent, although there are 10% Optician branches of Toni & Guy, and Franscesco’s ( a small local chain). 8%

58% In addition, there are nine opticians (including the chains Vision Hair & Beauty Express, Boots and Specsavers), seven travel agents (including two 56% 3% branches of Tui and Thomas Cook*), six tattoo parlours and five Barbers 6% stores offering clothing alterations. % of floor space % of units Other operators include a bookmakers, funeral directors, shoe repairers and computer repairers.

* subsequently taken over by Hays Travel Vacant Units

At the time of the audit, there were 96 vacant units in Shrewsbury, accounting for around 16,200m2 of gross floor space. Vacancies therefore represent a slightly higher share of all commercial units than the national average (10.3% in July 2019 according to BRC Springboard) at 12.5%. Vacant units range in size from 10m2 to 1,260m2. The highest number of vacancies are in the Darwin Centre (12 units), Wyle Cop (12 units) and the Pride Hill Centre (10 units).

Map 10: Location of Vacant Commercial Premises Although the number of vacant units is slightly higher in Shrewsbury than the national average, in part the high volume is due to businesses relocating from one part of the town to another. Generally, units do not tend to stay vacant for long, particularly along Wyle Cop. Business churn tends to be higher in the shopping centres, particularly as they often attract seasonal stores. The largest long- standing vacant premise is the old House of Fraser store along the High Street, which has been unoccupied since January 2019. This is also the largest vacant premise in the town. Residential Premises

Although the town centre is predominantly a commercial zone, there is also a significant amount of residential property within the main shopping centre. In total, 880 residential premises are located within the scope of the audit, of which the majority are flats (751 or 85%). These are largely located above retail or other commercial outlets. There are 90 terraced houses in the area, which is the equivalent of around 10% of all housing stock in the town centre. There are clusters of terraced housing in Frankwell and also around Castle Street. Semi-detached and detached premises account for less than 1% of town centre housing stock. Not surprisingly, there is an absence of residential property in the very centre of the town along Pride Hill and in the vicinity of the shopping centres.

Map 11: Location of Residential Premises in Shrewsbury Town Centre Chart 14: Breakdown of Residential Properties by Type

Other, 5% Terraced, 10%

Flat, 85%