Expertise is likely to be lost and not replaced.  If this plan goes ahead what will the future be for Birmingham’s vulnerable heritage of important and beautiful, but often already run down, neglected, and threatened nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings.

Check out our claims here (Birmingham Mail Report) and here You can link to, and download,  the Budget report from the Google search here.

A  search on ‘Conservation’ in this report reveals the  information is  in an Appendix  Service Review ‘Disband Conservation Group’  to save £350k.

We are likely to be updating this report as more comes to light and discussion develops.  Meantime, what do you think?  You can reply on ‘comments’ below.

Bus Lane Goes!

Well that’s it for the Dudley Park Lane/Warwick Road Bus Lane.  This picture was taken Thursday 25th February: an historic moment.  This is the bus lane we have been campaigning to get rid of since 2004, and everyone else agreed … they always have!

What next for Acocks Green?  Will we now get the super new design we have been promised though?  Or will the rest stay on indefinite hold?   We will continue to watch, campaign and report.

Porch 44 Flint Green Road - double click to enlarge

Ceiling Rose, 42 Flint Green Road - double click to enlarge

Hall Floor, 44 Flint Green Road - double click to enlarge

These two lovely houses in the centre of the proposed Conservation Area in Acocks Green are up for auction on 18 March, with John Shepherd, of Solihull.  You can link through here Viewings 1 – 3 pm most Wednesdays and Saturdays until the auction, we understand.  We need someone to buy these houses and restore them to their former glory.  They would make magnificent family homes, residential flats (already partly converted as such), other residential accommodation, guest houses or offices.   There may be planning permission for a development involving HALF the gardens of these houses.   This is under consideration. Planning have made it clear that they are NOT intending to give permission for further development.

Council Conservation think these houses are worth saving.  Local councillors and six local residents groups in the immediate area strongly agree.  Buy these houses and love them and you will win the love of the local people.  Buy these houses in order to demolish and build a  new development; you are in for a very costly, frustrating and time wasting exercise.  Be warned!!

More on our Flickr file here

We have also accumulated a number of  concerned recent comments on these buildings, which, for some reason, have been attached to an older posting – you will find that posting, and those comments here

The  summary of the recent opinion surveys on the Warwick Road/A41 plans is now available on the Warwick Road website – see link on right at top of Local Links.

(Please note these plans  are for the whole of the Warwick Road and should not be confused with the Landscape Practice plans for Acocks Green only.)

Alternatively, to  slightly simplify matters for Acocks Green people we have also downloaded the sections of the plan, which are relevant to us, and made a special page for these plans with some additional access  instructions:  see link on right (first set of links, for pages)  or link here

The Focus Group’s views are also available on this page in the form of an easy to read downloadable Word document which lists all the major points on the five plans.    However, in a nutshell,  we are concerned about aspects of these plans which seem to highlight the convenience of drivers over those of pedestrians.  We do not think that the zebra crossing should be moved.   We do not think that any action needs to be taken over the supposed danger of the central island car park.  As long as car parking in Acocks  Green, as without the Landscape Practice plans it looks set to be for the foreseeable future,   this car park will remain vital.  Having people crossing and to and fro at this point, without any obstructing  street furniture,  also enforces a certain amount of ‘informal’ Shared Space, and pedestrian power,  on what would otherwise become even more of a race track, around The Green.  We will be submitting these views to Birmingham City Council and the Warwick Road Project Team, shortly.

Market Survey

If you see any of these people around when you are out shopping in Acocks Green find out what they are after.  One of our members has just been interviewed by a member of a market survey team clearly checking out people’s views on the new plans for the A41/Warwick Road.  The member was asked if he used the shopping centre, what others shopping centres he used, whether he used buses, what he thought of the service, what he thought of parking in Acocks Green, how he believes the layout could be improved etc.

Grab one of this lot with a clipboard and share your opinions!

The plan is available for downloading, viewing and/or printing here

The letter accompanying the plan is here

The opinion sheet, which can be downloaded and returned, is here

The Focus Group had some initial concerns about how the removal would fit into the overall plans and whether work would need to be, expensively, re-done later.     We reproduce the information  here, for the sake of local democracy.   Having now been able to review these documents  we cannot see that this plan is likely to cause any serious concerns although we would be interested to receive comments.

Acocks Green Prontaprint - with its fascia board now missing - closed for good, it seems - Did the guard rails play a part?

We are told that the new plans for the Warwick Road/A41 currently being drawn up in conjunction with Birmingham City Council, Solihull Council, Centro and Atkins Global, will be available for viewing on the Warwick Road website from around Friday 4 December.   These plans are the result of consultations with local groups so far.  There is a link to the Warwick Road Project Team website here These plans will be for the full length of the Warwick Road from Stratford Road to Lode Lane, Solihull.   The earlier plans, however, looked promising for Acocks Green, and, hopefully, local suggestions are now being taken on board.  There will be a second phase of consultation at the end of January when details like the precise locations  of items like  trees and traffic lights will be added in.

Meantime, we are sad to note that Acocks Green Prontaprint closed recently.  The franchise print and business admin services shop has served the local business community and local organisations, including The Focus Group, for many years.

We  hope that the new plans will continue to take  account of issues like the poorly planned layout of the Warwick Road as it enters Acocks Green village from town, with its present chaos of notorious and unloved  bus lanes which cause hold-ups for all (including buses),  three crossing stages between Wilkinson’s and Barclays,  central paved section, guard rails and generally wasted space.  Shops caught behind guard rails in the section between Barclays and Pizza Express  have long complained of difficulties of access for both deliveries and customers.  Stephen Andrews of Prontaprint was reported in the local press as far back as 2005 noting that he was tired of seeing 60 year old delivery men having to vault the railings in front of his shop.  Stephen repeatedly warned us that he was not sure how much longer he could carry on, given that getting supplies delivered on time was becoming a worry because of the guard rails.  The Vitamin Shop owners complained of similar difficulties at an Acocks Green Village Partnership meeting in June this year.  We witnessed this for ourselves, with staff having to leave the Vitamin Shop to collect deliveries passed to them over the rails; something very difficult with larger items.   The Focus Group has also had discussions with the management of Pizza Express on problems caused by the railings.

This is just one of many issues which urgently requires redress.  We eagerly await the new plans.

There is also some further information on immediate plans for this part of Acocks Green Centre, on Cll Roger Harmer’s site here.

Oxford Circus (Barry Phillips, Daily Mail Read the rest of the Daily Mail piece below)

We’d like to think so …

See Channel 4 New’s coverage of the redesigned Oxford Circus here

The Daily Mail’s take is also available here

Shared Space is taking hold in more and more places around the country.  Why?  It makes sense.  It looks better and it is safer. Check out the media links here.  If this works in Oxford Circus think how it could work in Acocks Green!