On a walk to the RSH yesterday I discovered No. 2 Beehive Lane, a wrecked shell of a bungalow which sits on the edge of some untouched wilderness barely half a mile outside the river loop. Out of curiosity I went and had a nose, discovering various quantities of needles, broken glass and other such items (sigh). Yet we're apparently short of space here for building new homes...it was an interesting find, though, seeing as it's right in the heart of town (well, almost) and yet hardly anyone seems to know it exists.

There's also the "unsafe building" shell on King's Head Passage, right on Smithfield Road just along from the Shrewsbury Hotel. That one's a bit more obvious, but it's been abandoned ever since I moved back to Shrewsbury in 2002 at the very least. Oh, and the ex-cybercafe ex-squat by the Abbey.

Does anyone know of any other abandoned buildings in town? I'm wondering idly if they could be taken over and transformed into something useful, or interesting...

PS: if you want to see the shell that was once No. 2 Beehive Lane, directions are here

The ex-Lloyds TSB, although not "abandoned" as such, on Market Street. For such a large premises in the heart of town to not be occupied for so long...

I guess so, but that's widening the criteria a bit (otherwise there's the Exchange, a chunk of the old theatre, PetsFirst, a place at the top of Roushill I've forgotten, the Post Office building opposite St. Mary's) to include shops that just happen to be empty. I was thinking of ones where nobody even seems to realise they exist...how long has the Lloyds on Market Street been empty then? Since the TSB merger?

Maybe I'll start a shrewsburyruins.co.uk site (and include Princess House & the Market Hall on aesthetic grounds)...

Actually Rhassaris, ironically a certain Estate Agent in Shrewsbury has just obtained permission, against much local opposition to build a very large 'blingy pastiche' type house on the site of that bungalow.
The locals wanted an eco house that would have suited the site but are now faced with a mini mansion with knobs on to look at. :angry:

Of course a modern house with a turf roof would have probably not got past the SABC planning committee who were brought up on Wimpy & Chips!

The planning application, if you are interested is 07/0803/F.

Tell me what you think.

Coo. :)

I personally wouldn't have had any objections even if I lived at No.1, given the needle-littered and wreckage-strewn nature of No.2 as it it at the moment. Not to mention that the "open land" around it was wildly neglected. If the local residents were so keen to protect the area, they should have paid a bit more attention to it before the developer(s) swooped in. In a similar vein, I'd have had objections if someone wanted to redevelop the Quarry, because that's actually used and maintained for people's enjoyment on a regular basis; the space in Beehive Lane was just wasteland, and not even nice-rural-and-back-to-our-roots wasteland.

In any case, there's only No.1 and the house opposite (No.3?) who would have to look at said mansion; Beehive Lane's practically invisible, else. So I'd also prefer a five-bedroomed mansion to be off the main roads & hidden compared to, say, demolishing part of St. John's Hill (too late to complain about that, though, as Shropshire Homes are almost - finally - finished therein).

Actually that area is due for some investment as part of the Sustrans cycling path.

It is a terrible shame when an unusually attractive development site gets permission for a frankly OTT house of mediocre design.
Unfortunately that is exactly the sort of design that gets the thumbs up with SABC.

When the trees lose their leaves the 'blingy' residence will be visible for miles around. Even the conservation officer described it as looking like a commercial building. :(