Get involved - Telford & Wrekin Council

Wellington Orbit, a cinema and arts hub in the heart of Wellington, Shropshire, is set to mark its 5th anniversary with a special Open Weekend on 11 and 12 May.

The event will also provide an early glimpse into the future redevelopment of the venue following recent investment secured by Telford & Wrekin through the Government’s Capital Regeneration Programme and Wellington Orbit fundraising.

The festivities for the open weekend will kick off with in-depth guided building tours, offering attendees a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the upper floors and an insight into planned changes as part of Phase 2 of the redevelopment. With tours running every 15 minutes, guests can expect an interesting and engaging experience with ample time for questions.

For more information about the Open Weekend and to book spots on a building tour, please visit the Wellington Orbit website.

Latest consultation – December 2023 – February 2024

The latest consultation for the Wellington Market project has now been completed and has helped to gather opinions on the current market and understand aspirations for the future. The consultation included engagement with market traders, the public and other local stakeholders.

The findings of this consultation have identified key priorities and will now be used to inform the next steps in the design process and future plans for the market.

Keys findings from the consultation are that people:

are supportive and positive about the market and traders as valuable community assets
would like continued incremental improvements and diversity of offer
would like upgrades to infrastructure including heating, toilet facilities, and automatic doors
would like extended trading hours and more regular evening opening
would like more events including food festivals, farmers markets, and night markets
are keen to minimise disruption during works.

View a summary of the engagement outcomes from the latest consultation for Wellington Market

The latest consultation for the Telford Theatre remodelling project which included a public event and community survey carried out in December 2023 is now complete, signifying a step forward in transforming Telford Theatre @ Oakengates.

Two successful drop-in events at Telford Theatre on 5 and 6 December 2023 drew in over 120 people, representing diverse interests from amateur dramatics club members, residents, local businesses and show producers. During the events there was opportunity to view the initial designs and for the public to share their feedback to inform future design. In addition 597 people completed the community survey where they gave their views on the latest proposals

Key findings from the consultation include:

79.0% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the initial plans for the theatre
The greatest support was for the introduction of additional toilets, with 91.8% in favour
85.7% supported the introduction of green technology.
83.2% favoured the creation of a larger main auditorium, and 80.7% supported a new bar/foyer
74.9% believed that remodelling the theatre would attract more visitors to Oakengates, supporting local businesses
67.5% thought it would improve the town centre and raise the reputation and profile of Oakengates
76.6% agreed that the proposed new entrances would improve access to the theatre.
64.5% indicated that the plans would make them much more likely or more likely to visit the theatre in the future

Many other insightful comments were received about the proposed changes and these are already helping to inform the next stages of design. In response to comments raised the ‘response to themes raised in consultation’ document provides further information about how the project is addressing key themes raised by the local people.

For a summary of the Telford Theatre Survey findings, download Telford Theatre @ Oakengates Consultation survey report.

To view a summary of further comments received, you can download Appendix - Telford Theatre @ Oakengates Remodelling Consultation Survey.