Acocks Green – Warwick Road/A41 Plans – Too Late for ProntaPrint?

Prontaprint - Closed for Good

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.

Coming to a Street Near you Soon?

Oxford Circus (Barry Phillips, Daily Mail

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!

Alleyways in Acocks Green

Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum have started a debate on their blog.  Should we protect our rights to use our alleyways in Acocks Green.  What do you think?  Read their posting,  and leave your comments, on their blog, which you can link to  here

42-44 Flint Green Road: News!!

The E. H. Smith plan for 42-44 Flint Green Road has been withdrawnSee below.  This may be connected with the unpopularity of the plan which was quickly condemned by Acocks Green organisations and by the Council’s own Conservation Department. We know that developers sometimes chose to withdraw an application which looks likely to be rejected at Planning Committee stage.  They then go back to the drawing board …

Watch this website for further developements.

SEARCH RESULTS

Record 1 of 1
Application Number is 2009/04327/PA
1
Application Number Site Address Development Description Status
2009/04327/PA 42 and 44 Flint Green Road Acocks Green Birmingham B27 6QA Erection of 11, 4 bedroom dwellings Withdrawn

Save 42-44 Flint Green Road, Acocks Green!

Representatives of Concerned Acocks Green Groups Stand outside 44 Flint Green Road

Representatives of Concerned Acocks Green Groups Stand outside 44 Flint Green Road

NB if you arrived here from a Google search please go to our most recent posting on this story by going to the top of our website here and scrolling down. A joint local groups meeting of key representatives from concerned Acocks Green groups met on Wednesday 7 October to work out the details of their combined campaign to save these two fine Victorian houses in the heart of Acocks Green.  A local developer has put in a proposal to demolish the houses.  (See previous Flint Green Road posting for more details.)  The campaign has already been active in Arden Road, but has now been more formally launched with six local groups agreeing to support.  They are Arden Road Residents Association, Flint Green Road Residents Association, Acocks Green Focus Group, Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum, Flint Green House and Birmingham City Mission.   There is a proposal to demolish these two well built and charming Victorian properties in the middle of an area currently proposed as a Conservation Area and to  replace by 11 modern 4  bedroomed houses.  The meeting agreed unanimously that this would be bad for the area on two main counts: it would damage the appearance and character of the area.  It would more dangerous traffic on the road, at a busy junction.    Councillor Roger Harmer, from Acocks Green Ward, also attended the meeting and has agreed to be actively involved.

The meeting was heartened by recent comments on the properties from  Birmingham City Council Conservation Department.  They note that

‘This  scheme is undoubtedly a retrograde step both in terms of the loss of these buildings and the design of the proposed [replacement] dwellings [...

[...] With regard to the design of the new dwellings [...] there is a distinct character (with very few exceptions to the existing properties in Flint Green Road and Arden Road.  The proposed scheme would be extremely incongrous in terms of scale, massing, form and detailed design and would not contribute positively to the street scene. ‘

BCC Conservation are recommending that the application be refused.  However, this is not the end of the story.  The application still has to be formally considered by planning officers and, almost certainly (because it is controversial) by the Planning Committee.  The planning process takes comments from members of the public into consideration.  If you wish to support local residents and the Conservation Department, you may send your own comments to the planning officer concerned, justin.howell@birmingham.gov.uk (Remember Mr Howell is a council officer, he processes the proposals.  He does not make them!)  Alternatively you can write to Planning Managment, 11th Floor, Alpha Tower, Suffolk Street Queensway, Birmingham, B1 1TU. Don’t forget to quote the Planning Application Number, which is 2009/0432/PA

For more details, and our Flikr file of photos, scroll down to see our previous posting on 42-44.

Comments from nearby residents,  would be particularly welcome.

However, Conservation do not make the decisions.  They can (and are) recommending refusal, but the application still has to go through the formal processes of consideration by planning officers, and the Planning Committee.  You can, however, support Acocks Green residents, and BCC Conservation, by writing to justin.howell@birmingham.gov.uk (The planning officer handling the application) or to Planning Management, 11th Floor, Alpha Tower, Suffolk Street, Queensway, Birmingham, B1 1TU.  If you decide to write, don’t forget to quote the Planning Application Number which is 2009/04327/PA.  We will continue to post on this story.

More on the Swan Song: What’s Happening/Not Happening at The Swan, Yardley

We are aware that a lot of people have been anxiously logging onto our site to see what is happening to the  old Swan centre at Yardley – nothing is the answer it seems, lately.  It’s been knocked down, and … ?  We are not really the experts on Yardley matters.  Being an Acocks Green orientated website our angle on things has, in the main, to be a bit selfish: ‘How does this affect Acocks Green’?  (A big nearby shopping centre could damage our local centre.)  However, we have been puzzled too – and of course we do realise that things have looked worrying for Yardley lately as well.  Some of the answers about what is happening seem to be in this helpful report by Birmingham Friends of the Earth: Birmingham FOE report on the Swan Site, Yardley. This also leads to a recent Birmingham Mail update.

St Mary’s, Acocks Green – Now Stat Listed Grade II

Just picked up a bit of news yesterday.  There is nothing about this on the Birmingham statutorily listed buildings list yet, but we have it on good authority, from Birmingham Victorian Society, and the Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green,  Andrew Bullock, that St Mary’s is now Statutorily Listed – Grade II.   If both the VicSoc and the Vic say that we are inclined to think it must be true!  Previously St Mary’s had no listing at all.  It seems the listing was applied for because St Mary’s needs rennovation funds, and a listing helps with grants.  St Mary’s is a fine Victorian Church, by a Birmingham architect, J. G.  Bland, 1867.  It was sadly damaged by fire during World War II, loosing it’s roof.  It retains however, a reredos (alter piece and support by a Bridgeman’s of Lichfield, a well known  church stone masons of the time.  Most important, though is the Burne Jones window, added in 1895, by local subscription.  Acocks Green is the ONLY Birmingham suburb to have such a window, designed by this world famous  painter and stained glass designer, for the Wiliam Morris Company.  Burne Jones was born in Birmingham.  (The only other example of Burne-Jones stained glass work in Birmingham is in St Philip’s Cathedral in the city centre.)  Apparently the Burne Jones window was quite a deciding factor in the listing.  Here is is.

Burne-Jones Window (William Morris & Co), 1895 St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green.  Image by Mike Byrne, reproduced from the Acocks Green History Society Website.

Burne-Jones Window (William Morris & Co), 1895 St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green. Image by Mike Byrne, reproduced from the Acocks Green History Society Website.

You can read more about St Mary the Virgin at the Acocks Green History Society web pages here.

We now have the listing details for St Mary’s which you can read, or download if you wish,  here

Warwick Road Route Enhancement Leaflet

Warwick Road Route Enhancements Leaflet

Warwick Road Route Enhancements Leaflet

Do you live in Acocks Green, Tyseley,  Olton or Solihull Warwick Road area?  Was this leaflet dropped through your door in the last few weeks?  The project team promised that 50,000 leaflets would be delivered to households around the Warwick Road/A41 area between Stratford Road, Sparkhill and Solihull town centre.  The leaflets mentioned exhibitions taking place in local libraries on 12 and 19 September 09, where residents of Birmingham and Solihull living around the Warwick Road could study the ideas and give their point of view.

We would very much like to know whether you got a leaflet or NOT?  So far we have heard that Douglas Road, Alexander Road, Oxford Road and Francis Road Acocks  Green did not NOT receive leaflets.

If you received a leaflet could you say which road you live in, in any of the areas mentioned.  Likewise, if you did NOT receive a leaflet, could you indicate which road you live in? For more details on this story scroll down to see more postings.

42-44 Flint Green Road

Front 44 Flint Green Road

Front 44 Flint Green Road

With thanks to Helen Roberts for raising this, and to David Treadwell Chair of Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum  for locating the pdf of the plans, we are publishing this new plan for 42-44 Flint Green Road, Acocks Green.   I already know that David and I and the Chair of Arden Road residents are in full agreement that this is everything Acocks Green does NOT want.  More details later.  Please look at the pdf of the plan statement at:  documentstream.aspx

The other plan documents can be accessed from this link to Birmingham City Council website: Link to view 42-44 Flint Green Road Plan Application docs

Let the council know what you think.  Let us know what you think.

There is now a batch of pictures of these two fine Victorian houses on Flikr here .   Incidentally, an international Flickr based group collecting examples of attractive and unusual doorways has requested that the photograph of the door way of 44 Flint green Road also be added to their collection.  Request granted.

The application number is: 2009/04327/PA.  This  post will be added to further.

Warwick Road/A41 Plans – ‘Smart Route’

There is another version of the Warwick Road/A41 plans, here called a ‘Smart Route’ from Network West Midlands (‘A partnership between Centro and bus and rail and tram operating companies’) here.  See postings below for more detailed info.  The main posting on this is the report on the meeting on August 6 in Acocks Green.