 Planning permission for the Lidl development and a new community pitch was approved in April 2017, with building work due to begin the following month.In June 2017, Shrewsbury Town applied to the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to convert an existing section of the all-seater New Meadow stadium to a safe standing area, making them the first club in the English Football League to do so.Permission was granted the following month, with £75,000 to be raised via a crowdfunding initiative to install rail seating to the back of the South Stand, with a planned capacity of 550.