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Plans 'will reinvent' former House of Fraser store

Charlie Stubbsin Shrewsbury
News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC Seb Slater is dressed in a light grey coat, with a white shirt. He has light brown hair, stubbly facial hair and is smiling. In the background, there is a mosaic painted on boards. It shoes people collecting food, including one with a green shirt, navy blue apron and a roast chicken on a plate.Charlie Stubbs / BBC
Seb Slater, from Shrewsbury BID, says there has been lots of interest on the units

Plans to redevelop a former Shrewsbury department store with nearly 40 flats and two shops have been submitted.

The former House of Fraser, on High Street, shut in early 2019, and has been left empty ever since.

If applications for the shops and 39 flats are successful, it is hoped people can start moving in at the beginning of 2027.

Seb Slater, from Shrewsbury BID, who represent local businesses, said it would "really help transform" the surrounding area, by boosting spending and footfall.

Plans were submitted by what the BID described as "a local investor" - to see whether approval was needed to convert the use of the building.

The proposed change would see the upper floors redesignated for residential use.

Slater said repurposing big buildings like this was "the solution" to the changing landscape of retail.

"It's no secret that the back of this building isn't a great look," Slater said.

He added the town's "success in recent years" had been thanks to a mix of residents and visitors.

News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC It shows a shopfront, boarded up with colourful artwork of people cooking, collecting a bouquet of flowers, rowing in the river, and listening to a man busking. Above it is big white letters, with 'House of Fraser' in all capitals. It has an empty pavement in front of it with a grey brick roadCharlie Stubbs / BBC
The shop had been trading for 150 years before it closed

Shoppers in Shrewsbury welcome the unit being repurposed into something new, and say they have "plenty of memories" of the store.

"We used to all shop at House of Fraser," said one, Kim Kimble.

"My mum shopped there for 40 years because it had really good makeup counter."

Camilla Harrison, another former customer, said: "I've got memories of it being a department store and going in there and buying all sorts of things at Christmas.

"Reopening it, I think, is a brilliant idea."

News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC There is a woman with grey long hair, with a brown and grey cardigan and a black T-shirt. She has earrings in both ears with a silver loop. She has a colourful artwork of people cooking and someone collecting a bouquet of flowers with a dogCharlie Stubbs / BBC
Camilla Harrison says it's been sad to see the shop boarded up for so long

Meanwhile, the prospect of moving into the building was also "exciting" to potential future tenants.

Holly, who lives in Shrewsbury, said she would be "well gassed" if she were to be "one of the lucky people that might be able to move into this place".

"It looks like a well cool building, [a] lovely Tudor style kind of thing," she said.

"I think it's quite an exciting opportunity for people because it's a very cool looking building," said Joe, who also lives in the town.

"It's very old style, so for it to be actually open would be really nice."

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