New Shrewsbury Town Centre Design Code approved by Cabinet

Shrewsbury town centre

Shropshire Council’s Cabinet has today (15 April 2026) approved the adoption of the Shrewsbury Town Centre Design Code as a material consideration in planning decision making, following extensive public consultation.

The Design Code will provide clear and detailed guidance on the design expectations for new development within Shrewsbury town centre. It will support the application of Local Plan policies and help ensure that future development reflects the town’s unique character while achieving high standards of design and place making.

By setting out clear expectations, the Design Code will give greater certainty to developers and applicants preparing planning proposals, enabling them to use their resources more efficiently and submit higher quality schemes.

It will also provide planning officers with additional, locally specific guidance to support consistent and robust decision making in the town centre.

Public consultation on the draft Design Code ran from 17 October 2025 to 14 January 2026. Responses were received from a range of stakeholders, including statutory consultees, community groups, businesses, residents and built environment professionals. Overall, respondents were broadly supportive of the ambition of the Design Code, while highlighting areas where greater clarity, strengthening or rebalancing was needed.

Additional Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) providing design guidance on new residential development and residential extensions for all of Shropshire will be considered by Cabinet in June 2026.

David Walker, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for planning, said:

“Shrewsbury town centre is a truly special place, shaped by its historic streets, landmark buildings, and close relationship with the River Severn. This Design Code is about protecting that character while giving clarity and confidence to those bringing forward new development.

“By setting clear, locally distinctive design expectations, we can raise the quality of development, support good decision making, and ensure that future changes to the town centre respect what makes Shrewsbury unique.”

The Design Code supports the strategic objectives of the Shropshire Plan, which aim to develop Shropshire as a safe, strong and vibrant place to live, work, learn and visit, while maintaining, protecting and enhancing its outstanding natural and historic environment. It forms part of a strong evidence base to support better informed planning decisions and positive outcomes for local communities.

The Code sets out a clear aspiration for high quality design throughout the town centre, establishing a new standard for future development. It also reinforces the importance of early engagement in the planning process, including pre application discussions and wider community involvement, to achieve better design and place making outcomes.

Further information

Design Codes are strongly supported by national planning policy. The National Planning Policy Framework identifies them as essential tools for delivering beautiful, well designed and environmentally sustainable places, embedding locally distinctive and community led design principles, and strengthening the role of design as a material consideration in planning decisions.

The Shrewsbury Design Code places strong emphasis on the distinctive qualities that make the town centre special. These include its unique landform and topography, close relationship with the River Severn, medieval street patterns, varied scale and form of buildings, landmark structures and network of open spaces. These characteristics are clearly set out to ensure that all new development takes proper account of the town’s historic and environmental context.

Some consultation responses raised issues outside the scope of the Design Code, which was approved by Cabinet on 10 September 2025. While these comments do not affect the Design Code itself, they have been shared with relevant project teams to inform ongoing work.