As Shrewsbury is an Air Quality Management Area, Shrewsbury FoE have been campaigning to reduce vehicle use in the town centre. Earlier this year, our campaign to have the High Street closed for 5 hours during the day was met with both applause and hostility in the local press. We surveyed the shop owners and managers along the route and found (to our surprise) that a small majority backed our plan. More would back us if the issue of deliveries could be sorted out.
We then took part) in the consultation concerning the future of the town, and were asked, along with others, to produce a transport blueprint. This has led to the umbrella group ‘Sustainable Transport Shropshire’ being set up.
We have also been campaigning on waste, specifically on a stretch of the Rea Brook which has businesses backing onto it. Working alongside a local resident, we negotiated with the businesses and gradually the waste began to be cleared. It is nearly complete and we have commitments made to keeping it clear in the future. We’ll be watching as, we hope, will the otters, kingfishers, damselflies and freshwater fish as they return.
