One of the promises I made at the last election, was to campaign for hundreds of new family homes in the constituency.
Here’s a quick update on where we’ve got to.
New homes are proposed along key corridors and at Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods including Bordesley Park, Stechford, Meadway and Shard End.
An outline planning application for residential development has been submitted for the B&Q site at Stechford, and other residential development opportunities are now being explored (there is the potential for Supplementary Planning Document to bring further sites forward, if we fall short).
The planning application approved for redevelopment of Shard End Crescent and adjoining maisonettes is of course already in hand. This development is going to provide a new local centre, a library and 191 new houses and flats. Barrratts are the developers, and they are being supported by funds we won from the Homes & Community Agency (HCA).
On the Meadway, there are still on-going discussions with HCA about a new residential/ district centre, and this has been identified as a ‘New Town Centre’ within the city’s Core Strategy.
Second, the Bordesley Park Area Action Plan is developing ideas for an Area Action Plan with options identified that will go to a public consultation in Autumn.
Finally, potential housing sites across City are being identified through a review of Strategic Housing land Availablity Assessment (as part of the Evidence Base for Core Strategy) This includes the former Yardley Sewage Works site.
One of the most important parts of our Hodge Hill 2020 plan is a the idea of a new retail quarter centred on Alum Rock, to really give a lift to a shopping hub which already attracts shoppers from as far as Oxford, Edinburgh, and Cardiff. This would be excellent for jobs.
Last year, I persuaded the Council and AWM to prepare the Washwood Heath Regeneration Framework Study which is complete. The study identified a number of opportunities including employment land to north (LDV etc) and Fox & Goose.
The report really focuses on the potential of Alum Rock Road Local Centre and provides market evidence for the growth of centre and the demand for small independent retail units.
Now, new growth could be accommodated on sites within centre and upper floors but also by extension of centre to east (potentially as far as Naseby Road initially). Changing local planning policy would need to be picked up through the Bordesley Park Area Action Plan.
The study also identified other opportunities at Alum Rock (ie. Crown Buildings) and proposed environmental enhancements within Local Centre. Discussions are also on-going with the owners of Leyland Club site.
Finally work is progressing on an Outline ERDF proposal – to include Washwood Heath – and aimed at encouraging new and improved business space. More on this in the Autumn.
One of the biggest opportunities we have to bring new jobs to the area is to redevelop the Alstom-LDV site in the north of Washwood Heath. Together, this site is now the second biggest development site in Birmingham.
It is ‘zoned’ as planner say, for industrial use within the City’ Unitary Development Plan and will be retained for core employment use in the City’s emerging ‘Core Strategy’ for the future, but progress is much too slow.
The Alstom site itself is owned by developer, St Modwen, which has planning permission for industrial redevelopment and the site is affected by current High Speed 2 rail proposals – part of both sites shown as maintenance service depot. Public consultation on HS 2 proposals has been put back by Government until after Christmas – and frankly we have to ask how many jobs could we really get on the site if it is all tied up for marshalling yards.
Let me know what you think. The Officer working Group established to consider implication of HS 2 is chaired by David Bull. More on this in the Autumn.
Last week, I had the huge privilige of getting a glimpse inside St Margaret’s church, where a very exciting new vision is taking shape. Rev Simon Cartwright and Sarah Cooper and team have pulled together an incredible plan to convert the old church, creating some community space, new areas for prayer and worship and space for young people.
The view inside the church
The Heritage Lottery Fund have just handed the team a cheque for £87,000 to fund the development for plans that will create a hugely exciting new centre for Ward End.
One of the things that made me happiest was the way, the team want to use the centre to create a little expertise about our history, focused on the William Hutton memorials in the church. Watch this space for updates – and for those interested in William Hutton, read on!
The hidden William Hutton memorials
William Hutton….
Amongst Saltley’s residents was the first great historian of Birmingham, William Hutton, bookseller, historian, and magistrate, who built a house on Bennetts Hill in about half-acre of land next to the turnpike (at Bennetts Road) (Warren House was put up nearby). Amongst Hutton’s great works was the ‘Narrative of the Riots’, the story of the city disturbances of 1791…Hutton describes the experience vividly;
‘About five this evening, Friday, I had retreated to my house at Bennett’s Hill, where, about three hours before, I had left my afflicted wife and daughter, and had seen a mob at Mr. Jukes’s house in my road. I found that my people had applied to a neighbour to secure some of our furniture, who refused: to a second, who consented; but another shrewdly remarking that he would run a hazard of having his own house burnt, a denial was the consequence. A third request was made, but cut short with a no. The fourth man consented, and we emptied the house into his house and barn. Before night, however, he caught the terror of the neighbourhood, and ordered the principal part of the furniture back, and we were obliged to obey.
‘At midnight I could see from my house the flames of Bordesley Hall rise with dreadful aspect. I learned that after I quitted Birmingham the mob had attacked my house there three times. My son bought them off repeatedly; but in the fourth, which began about nine at night, they laboured till eight the next morning, when they had so completely ravaged my dwelling, that I write this Narrative in a house without furniture, without roof, door, chimney-piece, window, or window-frame. During this interval of eleven hours, a lighted candle was brought four times, with intent to fire the house, but, by some humane foot, it was kicked out. At my return I found a large heap of shavings, chips, and faggots, covered with about three hundred weight of coal, in an under kitchen, ready for lighting”
The mob was incited to burn both his town house and his country mansion by enemies who sought revenge for his judgments against them in the Debtors’ Court. Today, Hutton Road and Avenue pay small respect to the memory of the man who well served his adopted town.
With fears about jobs in the news I thought I would set out where things are with the fight to get more people back in work in Hodge Hill.
The principal programme set up by the Labour government was the Working Neighbourhood Fund, a multi-million fund for Hodge Hill – as well as other parts of the country – to get people back to work.
Last week, I met with Stephen Hughes, the Council’s chief executive to review the plans in place to get people back to work across the £7.4 million of funding in place for the Hodge Hill constituency.
After lots of pressure, there are now five contracts in place to develop help for a range of people, including lone parents, and young people, and those with disabilities (amongst others).
Initially, the city was targeting a 3% fall in worklessness in priority wards – that should be our target in Hodge Hill. The target is to get over 1,000 people into work, and to connect nearly 4,000 people (3,870 to be exact) with services they need to help them get towards work. This is across the programme’s life which runs for another year or two.
To date, I am told, 1,477 residents have now been engaged – but only 60 have actually been helped into work.
This tells me that the agencies running the services need to radically step up the pace. I’ll be keeping the pressure on – and publishing regular updates.
Liam Byrne today convened West Midlands regeneration chiefs to step up the pace on redeveloping Shard End.
The MP’s Hodge Hill 2020 plan, drawn up with the local community, sets out ambitious goals for new homes for local families.
The Member of Parliament for Hodge Hill bought together Advantage West Midlands and Regeneration Zone heads, the Headteacher of International School Colin Bateman, Charlotte Linforth, Pump programme manager and representatives from City College, Learning and Skills Council, Homes and Communities Agency and Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust to draw up a blueprint for the future.
Discussions centred around the future of the International School as a community hub with a multi million pound healthcare facility and the building of hundreds of new homes for local families.
Liam said:
‘I want Shard End to get the investment it deserves and local families demand. We need a new health centre in Kitts Green, and the International school has a huge site. Let’s think about how they can share a site for the benefit of the whole community.’
He added:
‘I’m working with the Homes and Communities agency to make sure hundreds of new and affordable homes are built right here for local families, and that young people have activities they want to do when they want to do them at The Pump.
‘If we want a strong community we need world-class schools with world-class facilities for young people, at its heart’.
Liam is the MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, and Labour's Shadow Chief Secretary. 
