Plans have been submitted for a new food store to be built in Telford.
Morris & Company already has permission to build a commercial warehouse and offices on the western part of the site in Ketley after planners gave it the green light two months.
Now, the Shrewsbury-based firm wants to have a food store on the eastern side of the site which once housed the Shropshire Star.
The Shropshire Star was produced for more than half a century at the offices and associated print works in Waterloo Road. The newspaper’s former owners sold the site in 2022, with staff moving into Grosvenor House.
Last year Telford & Wrekin Council gave permission for the former Shropshire Star buildings at the site to be demolished.
If approved, the food store will have 126 parking bays and six dedicated electric vehicle charging spaces.
“The aim is to provide a high quality attractive modern food retail store which will provide additional, conveniently located shopping provision, thereby improving consumer choice for the residents of Ketley,” reads a design and access statement produced by STOAS Architects, on behalf of Morris & Company.
“The Food Retail Store is of a size that will allow a smaller range of products and will therefore work with and support local services and shops by not providing a one stop shop allowing speciality items and foods etc to be bought from local shops. It has been shown to increase footfall within local shopping areas and markets where items not sold in smaller Food Retail Stores can be picked up.”
The company added that the proposed store has been designed to have minimal impact on the residential properties in Waterloo Road and Station Road.
“The store entrance is to have a large glazed shopfront and a canopy that will draw the customer’s attention to the main elevation and store entrance,” reads the report.
“By orientating the store in such a way, it improves the presence and visibility of the store from Waterloo Road, as well as having minimal impact on the neighbouring properties. The design uses a mixture of cladding and glazing giving the development a high-quality contemporary feel.”
Source: Shropshire Star
