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Park named Riverside Gardens after public vote

Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC Deputy council leader Ian Nellins and council leader Lezley Picton stand next to the site, which is currently being cleared. They are holding a sign showing the park's new name.BBC
The park, which is under construction, was given its name after a public vote

A new public park in Shrewsbury will be named Riverside Gardens when it opens, after a public vote.

Shropshire Council said 45% of voters wanted Riverside as the first part of the name, and 74% preferred Gardens for the second part of its title.

The park's development, on Roushill, marks the first phase of the council's regeneration plans for the area between the River Severn, The Darwin Centre, Roushill and Raven Meadows.

The authority gathered 541 suggestions of name last year and put a shortlist to the vote in January, with more than 1,700 local people taking part.

A digger is being used to work on the construction site where the park will be created after buildings were demolished. Shrewsbury's buildings can be seen behind the site.
Demolition work is under way and a landscape contractor is being appointed

Demolition work is currently under way to clear a space for the park to be created and the council is in the final stages of appointing a landscape contractor to create it - with completion expected next year.

The council's deputy leader Ian Nellins said that Riverside Gardens would transform the area, improving footfall, biodiversity and flood resilience, while creating a vibrant, welcoming space.

"The new name marks another exciting milestone," he said.

The park will include a play area and be used as a space for outdoor community events, he added.

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