Living Streets in Birmingham
Birmingham
Contact
John Davison
Email
livingstreetsbirmingham@btopenworld.com
54 Allison Street,
Birmingham,
B5 5TH
Birmingham is England's second city. It used to be thought of as car city, but loss of volume car manufacture and growth of service industry has required major adjustments. The City Centre has been imaginatively redesigned, with some fine Victorian buildings now in a better setting with selective pedestrianisation
Outside the centre, much could be improved. Living Streets Birmingham meets regularly and is always looking for new members. Get in touch with the branch if you'd like to get involved.
Imagine your walk 'Walk It' is a walking route planner that helps you get around town on foot. Generate a customised map, get written directions, find out how long it will take - and how many calories it will burn! Although the site is limited to just a few English cities at the moment, there are plans to expand - visit http://www.walkit.com
Latest News from Birmingham
Birmingham is a changing city. The Branch responded in February 2009 to a consultation on the Big City Plan. The Big City Plan covers the existing city centre expanded to include areas such as Hockley, Digbeth, Highgate and Ladywood. Many hours went into the response and it will be exciting to see what is carried forward from our ideas.
Other giant projects underway include Birmingham's new QE hospital that releases a large area (much of it green space) at Selly Oak hospital. We seek volunteers to be our eyes and ears on this.
The Branch continues to seek a reduction in the amount of guard railing (the kerb edge fencing) in Birmingham. Birmingham seems to include it in every junction scheme the City Council undertakes. We ask Birmingham residents to raise this matter with their Councillors. www.birmingham.gov.uk is the Council website.
It was encouraging to see that Birmingham people support the retention and development of local rail services. A proposal for new stations at Balsall Heath, Moseley, King's Heath and Hazelwell would give many more businesses and residents access to the rail network. Erroneously it is assumed that all jobs are in Birmingham City Centre and that train services have only to run to there. We urge people to write in support of local rail to their MP or to the Department for Transport www.dft.gov.uk.
It was on the theme of Rail that the branch responded to a 2009 consultation on rail strategy for the whole Region. The draft document was a shopping list of station car parks and did little for people travelling out from Birmingham for whom a car park full of other peoples’ cars is not much help.
January 2010 gave us the opportunity to respond to the Core Strategy for the Black Country. That area has undergone great changes and now has a great reservoir of greenery. Included in the Black Country is Sandwell. The Branch has for years been active in Sandwell (right next to Birmingham) and will be at its next walking strategy meeting.
The Branch meetings for 2010 - at 54 Allison Street, B5 5TH are to be announced soon.
Contact us for further details at livingstreetsbirmingham@btopenworld.com