Post on 14-Apr-2018
transcript
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
1/84
DRAFT: WORK IN PROGRESS
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
2/84
BIRMINGHAM IS A GLOBAL CITY WITH ALOCAL HEART. WE MUST LOOK TO THE
WORLD STAGE TO PRESENT OURSELVES
IN THE BEST LIGHT, BUT MUST ALWAYS
RECOGNISE THAT WE ARE A CITY WITH A
MILLION LOCAL VOICES.Councillor Mike Whitby, Birmingham City Council
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
3/84
CONTENTSINTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1 THE OBJECTIVES OF THE BIG CITY PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2 TOWARDS A STRATEGY FOR THE CITY CENTRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3 CITY CENTRE ACTIVITIES THE ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4 CITY CENTRE CONNECTIVITY THE ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5 THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF THE CITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
6 ISSUES & OPTIONS FOR THE POLICY AREAS6.1 THE INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.2 THE CORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.3 SOUTHSIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
6.4 HIGHGATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.5 WESTSIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.6 LADYWOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
6.7 JEWELLERY QUARTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
6.8 GUN QUARTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
6.9 EASTSIDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
6.10 DIGBETH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
7 DELIVERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
8 NEXT STEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
4/84
BIG
CITYPLANBOUND
ARY
CORE
EXISTI
NG
CITY
Figure 0.1: The Big City Plan boundary and the existing city core
CrownCopyright
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
5/84
5
1.1.1 Birmingham is a city o a million people at
the centre o a conurbation o two and a hal
million. Figure 0.1 shows the city in its city
region. Birmingham is Britains second city and
is big on the European scale. It has a young,
diverse and growing population. In the ace
o massive economic change, the city has
achieved great regeneration success and has
attracted large amounts o inward investment,
with more to come. It has new high technology
manuacturing, a rapidly growing business and
proessional services sector, a strong university
and research sector, and world-class business
conerence and exhibition acilities. It wants to
attract more high value international investment,
and register much more strongly on the
international scale. It wants to be an exciting and
attractive place where individuals and amilies
choose to live and stay. It wants to be a place
renowed or great public spaces and as a WaterCity.
1.1.2 This Issues and Options Report is a stage in
the development o The Big City Plan, a plan
or Birminghams city centre. The city centre is
the area within the Ring Road (Middleway), and
covers some 800 hectares. The Big City Plan will
develop the new vision or the city centre and
set a new direction or the city centre over the
next 20 years. The citys aspiration is to be in the
top 20 most liveable cities in the world within
20 years. The Big City Plan will be an important
instrument in realising that ambition.
1.1.3 The city centre is not only the core area o shops,
ofces and hotels, but all the myriad activities
that take place within Birminghams quarters
its homes, start up businesses, universities and
educational establishments, cultural scenes,
specialist services, creative industries in act,
everything within the area bounded by the Ring
Road. The plan will build upon Birminghams
success and will ensure that the city raises its
perormance and its prole nationally and inter-
nationally. It will provide a coherent approach to
regeneration and development and will help tomake the city centre a much more attractive and
liveable place.
1.1.4 The Big City Plan will be an Area Action Plan:
one o a new generation o orward-looking
development plan documents. We are also
producing a new Birmingham Plan, which will
be the core strategy or the whole city. The
Birmingham Plan and the Big City Plan will be
part o the Local Development Framework
(LDF). The LDF will be made up o a portolio o
documents including other Area Action Plans
and Supplementary Planning Documents, and
will be an important means through which to
deliver our vision or Birminghams city centre.
1.1.5 The Big City Plan has to be consistent with national
policy guidance, the Regional Spatial Strategy and
with the Birmingham Plan. The Regional Spatial
Strategy sets out some important requirements
or Birmingham: 50,600 new homes by 2026
over the city; a 130 hectare city-wide reservoir o
employment land with a longer term requirement
o 390 hectares; and 225,000 square metres o
comparison retail development by 2021 (355,000
sq m by 2026) and 590,000 square metres o ofce
development in the city centre.
1.1.6 There are many other plans which have been
produced or all or parts o the city centre in
recent years, including Birmingham Vision 2026.
We have considered them all in putting together
the ideas in this Issues and Options Report. I
you would like to read more about the planning
policy context or the Big City Plan, you will nd
more detailed inormation in Appendix 1.
1.1.7 Work on the Big City Plan is being carried out in
several stages. We have been undertaking research
or some months to gather inormation to ensure
that the proposals and policies which emerge later
in the process are grounded in robust, up to date
inormation. We are now at the issues and options
consultation stage where everyone interested in
the uture o the city centre has the opportunity to
get involved. In the next stage we will produce a
preerred options report which will be subject to
ormal consultation or 6 weeks. Ater that we will
produce a drat plan which will be submitted to
the Secretary o State or examination. We hope to
ormally adopt the Big City Plan in 2009.
INTRODUCTION
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
6/84
6
1.1.8 The purpose o this report is to seek your views
on the issues that will aect development in
the city centre over the next twenty years. The
report sets out the main issues that we need to
consider in producing the Big City Plan, as well
as a number o broad options, or scenarios, or
the uture development o the city centre. These
issues and scenarios, however, are by no means
exhaustive and your views are welcome on any
other issues which you eel are relevant to the
production o the Big City Plan.
1.1.9 Please let us know your opinions on the issues
and options so that we can take them into
account as work on preparing the Area Action
Plan progresses. You can return your comments
by post in the reply-paid envelope to:
1.1.10 BIG CITY PLAN TEAM
16th Floor, Alpha Tower
Suolk Street QueenswayBirmingham
B1 1TU
1.1.11 Or by email to: inquiries@birmingham.gov.uk
1.1.12 For more details about how to get involved in
this consultation please visit our website:
www.bigcityplan.org.uk.
1.1.13 Details o other LDF documents that we are
preparing at the moment can be viewed at
www.birmingham.gov.uk
HOW DO I GETINVOLVED?You can ask or a copy o this
leaet in large print, another
ormat or another language.
We aim to supply what you need
within ten working days.Call 0121 303 3075 or email us
at inquiries@bigcityplan.org.uk
I you have hearing difculties
please contact us via RNID
Typetalk 18001 0121 303 3075
or Relay Assist 08702 409598
Disclaimer: Please note that this document is not to be used or public consultation. It is a drat version o the
Work in Progress report and has been produced or preview purposes only.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
7/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
8/84
THE BIG CITY PLAN CHARTER
1.2.10 The Council held a rst stakeholder event
(the Big Ideas Event) in November 2007.
Ideas or the uture o the city centre were
discussed and shaped by a stakeholdergroup consisting o a team o international
experts together with the newly-ormed
Big City Team, a group o young people
rom Birmingham interested in shaping its
uture. Following this event, the Council
published its Big Ideas Charter. The
Charter is a statement o intent or the city
centre, which will help to dene strategic
objectives or the Big City Plan.
1.2.11 The ten global themes within the
Charter suggest how Birmingham can
pursue its ambitions to operate andcompete successully within the global
competitive market.
1.2.12 The Charter also sets out ten local ideas
which will appeal to the everyday concerns
and the uture aspirations o the million
or so people who live, work and use
Birminghams city centre. The ideas cover
the broadest cross section o interests.
The themes and ambitions o the Charter
run through this Issues and Options Report.
They will be used in helping to evaluate the
options set out later in this report.
GLOBAL THEMES
CENTRICITY Birmingham city centre should grow in
population, economic strength and cultural diversity.
The core and wider central area should house more
major businesses and world class retail and cultural andrecreational acilities. These central area activities will
expand out o the core into neighbouring parts o the
city centre.
AUDACITY Birmingham should be an imaginative and
ambitious city and a natural choice or major events.
The city should aim to host at least one additional
major international event within the plan period, such
as an international Expo, successul Year o Culture/
Architecture bid, or world sporting championship to
galvanise action in the city.
LIVEABLE CITY Birmingham should seek to raise
the quality o lie or individuals living within the city
centre, in order to attract visitors, inward investors, new
businesses and new citizens.
DIVERSE CITY Birmingham should actively seek
to reect the diversity o its population, through its
enterprises, businesses and housing, and through the
built environment, ood, music, theatres and art.
AUTHENTICITY Birmingham needs to nd expressions
o the uture that reect its roots and history and
concentrate on achieving excellent design quality and a
sense o unique place right across the city centre.
UNIVERCITY Birmingham must value its strong
academic base and turn it into city-based enterprise
i it is going to compete better on the world stage.
Technological enterprise should be encouraged by new
orms o workspace, exible learning and living space
and business support.
FAMILY CITY Birmingham should seek to increase
radically the number o amilies living in the city centre,
to balance out the recent growth in small apartments
and to support a wider range o city centre activities.
COMPLEX CITY Birminghams agencies should work
together to deliver the essentials or city centre amilyliving new parks, schools, health centres, meeting
places, local workplaces all delivered in tandem with
new homes.
SMART CITY Birmingham must lead the eld on
achieving smart growth. This means nding new ways to
reduce transport carbon; to manage energy in buildings;
to make good use o water; and to minimise waste.
CONNECTED CITY Birmingham should actively
promote the development o the high-speed rail
network to the city centre.
8
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
9/84
LOCAL IDEAS
LIVE LOCAL Birmingham should accommodate a
great new amily neighbourhood within the city centre.
Birmingham should also provide or a range o housing
types and tenures.MOVE LOCAL Options or the running o the Metro,
bus routes and walking routes need to be considered,
so that the city centre is both accessible by public
transport and space is reed up or pedestrians.
STREET LOCAL Birmingham needs a strategy that
deals with all types o routes rom the biggest to the
smallest. This will make the most o the good access
that the outer ring road and other strategic routes
provides, whilst ensuring that at a local scale high
quality connections are provided to link new and
existing spaces.
START LOCAL Birmingham should master the art
o ostering new enterprise. The potential or working
close to home should also be explored and the widest
range o employment space should be provided.
CREATE LOCAL Birmingham should become the
ocus or creative industries to rival those in other cities.
PLAY LOCAL Birmingham needs a comprehensive
network o green spaces and canals. A range o smaller
local pocket parks or gardens squares and great parks
should be provided.
LEARN LOCAL I Birmingham is to accommodate anew urban neighbourhood then the best schools must
be located close by. These should be multi-purpose
buildings, which oer a range o activities or all sectors
o the community; adult education at nights, sports
acilities on the weekend, community meeting spaces,
and library acilities.
BUY LOCAL Birmingham should have a new Food
Quarter. Birmingham could also embrace the Slow
Food Movement and should actively market its cultural
diversity in its eating places and events.
RENEW LOCAL Birmingham could create its own
multi-utility services company (MUSCO) to supply its
new smart neighbourhoods on highly efcient basis
with water, electricity, heating and broadband.
BUILD LOCAL Birmingham could create a new way
o building smart neighbourhoods. A The Birmingham
House: something that reects the needs o modern
living but builds on the authenticity o the place.
9
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
10/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
11/84
11
2 TOWARDS A STRATEGY FORTHE CITY CENTRE
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.1.1 The Big City Plan will be ounded on a strategy
which is emerging rom work already undertaken
in connection with the Regional Spatial Strategy,
the Birmingham Plan, Visioning the Masterplan,
the Big Ideas Event, Birmingham Vision 2026
and the Birmingham Prospectus.
2.1.2 The strategy o the Big City Plan will aim to
provide the conditions or Birmingham City
Centre to:
Grow to serve the citys status as the UKst
second world city;
Raise the city much higher on global indicest
o liveability (such as the Mercer Index1);
moving into the top 20 cities rom its current
56th place;
Transorm itsel economically andt
environmentally;
Become a smart city, with strong economict
growth driven by the development and
implementation o green and digital
technologies.
IMPROVING LIVEABILITY
2.1.3 The most important actor in raising the citys
status is the citys liveability. This includes a
good physical environment to attract people
and improve the citys image, with well designed
buildings, streets and spaces; a range o attractive
homes and social acilities including schools,
local centres and open space, attractive and
sae walking routes, efcient and easy to use
public transport. The most liveable cities are
economically successul and desirable. People
want to live there; they attract highly qualied
people and hence investment. They promote
social inclusion. Figure 2.1 shows Birminghams
position on the Mercer liveability index. Liveability
is the essential ingredient in the recipe to raise
Birminghams role as a world city. The plan will
ocus on the objectives o world city and liveability:
the global city with a local heart. Working broadly
with the grain o the existing city centre structure
the urban structure o core and quarters the plan
will create the oundation or Birminghams growth
and its progress as a liveable city.
A GROWING CITY
2.1.4 Growth will be a key theme o the Big City Plan.
Birmingham will be a major ocus or growth in
England and within the West Midlands region. The
potential growth in population over this period
could be up to 10% or more, raising the population
to at least 1.1 million. Birmingham also has a young
population which is itsel an important driver o
growth, and the number o households and hence
the need or housing will also continue to grow.
2.1.5 It is clear that whichever option is ollowed within
the Core Strategy, the city centre must play its part
in accommodating the big rise in population and
households that is orecast or the city. This has
important implications in two areas. Firstly, the need
to create balanced communities with a ull range
o acilities that will encourage amilies to live in the
centre; and secondly, the need to adopt planning
policies that allow or the right kind o residential
growth within the centre. A growing population will
need more jobs, schools, more shops, places to go,
places to enjoy. This report suggests ways in which
these changes may be realised and delivered.
1 Mercers Quality o Lie Survey is released annually,
comparing 215 cities based on 39 criteria. New York is given
a score o 100 and other cities are rated in comparison.
Important criteria are saety, education, hygiene, recreation,
political-economic stability and public transportation (www.
mercer.com)
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
12/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
13/84
13
EXPANDING THE CENTRAL AREA
2.1.9 To raise the citys status, a number o actors
need to come together. The plan will need
to provide opportunities or central area uses
such as prime ofces and shops to expandand or the city to continue to stage high level
international events in modern, quality acilities.
It will need to create the right conditions or
the urther development o the cultural assets
o the city including developing the concept o
the city itsel as a gallery; the raising o the citys
academic and research prole; and or starting
and growing central area businesses and niche,
specialist activities. Less easily planned or, it
must aim to create or oster the conditions that
add human interest, excitement and diversity
to the city. The central area will thereore
expand urther out o the core, and there will
be a transition zone outside this area which will
contain a mixture o city centre and more local
activities, shown on Figure 5.2. The questions in
the later sections o this report ask what can be
done in the city centre to enable Birmingham to
realise the ollowing ambitions as a global city:
A world player in business and high valuet
commercial operations
A big international presence in arts and culturet
A leader in the development and applicationt
o digital technology
A major seed bed or spino research,t
development and new enterprise rom the
universities
A protable and growth-orientedt
environment or clusters o emerging high
technology and green industries
A amed range o entertainment andt
leisure acilities
Shopping and town centre services andt
environment commensurate with globalcity status
Supportive conditions or the strongt
development o creative and ringe uses
and activities
Outstanding open spaces and public placest
An attractive city centre living environment ort
a diverse range o residents, especially amilies
Outstanding accessibility, both physicalt
and virtual, through high quality sustainable
transport and user-riendly transport
interchanges and high speed next generation
telecommunication
PRIORITISING TRANSPORT
2.1.10 The plan will propose transport priorities which
will include the creation o an attractive and sae
network o city streets and investment in public
transport networks and services. These mightinclude extensions to the existing and currently
proposed Metro services, new bus-based rapid
transport (BRT) services, enhancements to the
conventional bus services and a dynamic trafc,
parking and street management system. This
report contains options or these transport
priorities. It also seeks ideas or the expansion o
digital and communications technologies.
MAKING BIRMINGHAM CITY CENTRE
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
2.1.11 The Big City Plan will consider how Birminghamcan best reduce greenhouse gases and the
consumption o nite resources and enhance
biodiversity. Measures will include building
perormance, more efcient means o energy, water
supply and drainage, air quality improvements and
opportunities or habitat creation.
2.1.12 The rst and most eective method will be
to ensure that buildings, spaces, land uses
and movement networks are arranged in a
complementary manner, and that opportunities or
digital media communication are urther exploited,
since these are the best ways o reducing the needto travel by less sustainable modes.
2.1.13 Moreover, Birmingham with its manuacturing
tradition is in a good position to base research
and economic growth on the development o
green technologies. The issue is how ar the Big
City Plan can encourage and plan or the growth
o this part o its economy.
2.1.14 The Issues and Options report will ask how
Birmingham can be a leading-edge environmen-
tally smart city and play a ull role in delivering
Birminghams Climate Change Strategy. The
concept o the smart city will be a strong theme
running through the whole o the Big City Plan.
2.1.15 The BCP will also explore opportunities to
create a necklace o urban waterside and green
spaces that are enjoyable, exciting and the very
highest quality. We will look at creating new
and expanded green spaces and improving the
links between them; raising the prole, saety
and diversity o the canal network; revealing the
course o the River Rea; and creating green and
blue eatures across the city centre, including
green roos and walls and owing water. We
want Birmingham to have a beautiul city centre.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
14/84
BIRMINGHAM IS A
BIG CITY WITH BIG
AMBITIONS...IT HAS
HAD A BRILLIANT FIRSTACT, BUT IT NEEDS
A STEP CHANGE
IN THINKING AND
ACTION IF IT IS TO
MOVE FORWARD WITHOTHER BIG CITIES
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
15/84
3 CITY CENTRE ACTIVITIESTHE ISSUES
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.1.1 Birmingham is a city with a huge number o
assets; its economy is steadily growing; agship
projects have helped to raise the prole o the
city; it has a vibrant, young and cosmopolitan
population; there are strong centres o research
and education, and good transport connections.
But there are a great many issues and
opportunities that need to be considered and
addressed as part o the Big City Plan. These
are considered under a number o headings
within the ollowing section. Further inormation
on these subjects is contained in the Baseline
Report, which can be ound on the website
www.bigcityplan.org.uk.
3.2 BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
INTRODUCTION
3.2.1 Birminghams city centre has undergone
considerable change over recent years, shiting
rom a heavy reliance on manuacturing towards
the higher value added service sector. This
transition has had a number o successes; health
and education, nance and business services
and creative industries are demonstrating
growth; the city centre is increasingly seen as
an attractive ofce location; and Birmingham
is the largest retail centre in England outside
London. Currently, public administration, health
and education, nance and business services,
retail, hotels and restaurants, and manuacturing
supply 86% o all city centre jobs. Creative
industries with 5.2% o Birminghams jobs also
have a modest but potentially growing role. Thenumber o jobs in the construction and retail
sectors is also growing, whereas the recent
growth in public sector jobs is slowing down. In
Birmingham 60% o new jobs are expected to be
in nance and business services, and growth is
predicted in sotware, radio and television and
live music.
3.2.2 On the other hand, Birmingham remains under-
represented in the higher value added sectors
that generate greater wealth and pay higher
wages. Its employment in the Financial and
Business sector is still lower than the UK Core
Cities average. It has ewer jobs in R&D and
knowledge-intensive business services. The
working age population in the city has lower
skills than the national average and this is seen
as inhibiting its growth potential. Universities
and education generally are seen as one o thekey tools or raising the citys perormance.
3.2.3 Economic change and the skills base have an
impact on the level o worklessness, because
the new jobs created do not necessarily match
the skill sets o those who were ormerly in
manuacturing. For Birmingham as a whole
unemployment rates are above the national
average and economic activity rates are below
the national average. The economic activity
rate or Birmingham at 66% is around 8% below
the national average, although some o this is
accounted or by students. As a result there area large number o individuals either claiming
Job Seekers Allowance or who are economically
inactive people o working age who are not
working, are not in ull-time education or training
and are not actively seeking work. To address
this on a city wide scale the city is investing in
ICT and research and development, under-rep-
resented businesses such as those run by ethnic
minorities and women, and social enterprise.
A series o high tech developments are
planned along the A38 running through central
Birmingham to Longbridge and beyond known
as the Central Technology Belt.
3.2.4 Overall the population o Birmingham is
projected to increase by 100,000 and the
working age population by 65,000. Thus jobs
need to be created just to keep pace with this
growth. But the city needs to go beyond that
to raise its employment rate. Whilst preparing
a higher skilled uture or all its residents, the
plan must seek to integrate the existing workless
through providing a range o employment and
occupational opportunities.
15
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
16/84
16
3.2.5 An analysis o present development proposals
clearly shows that the majority o city centre
growth alls within in the core. 70% o currently
proposed ofce development is located in
the core. The only other signicant areas o
proposed development are Eastside (19%)and Westside (8%). The sum total o schemes
currently in the development pipeline would
generate 670,000 sq m o ofce and 35,000
sq m o retail. There is clearly a need to ensure
that the other city centre quarters benet rom
higher levels o economic activity and growth.
OFFICES
3.2.6 The options in the emerging Birmingham Core
Strategy ocus ofce growth within the city
centre. The city centre has a well dened belt o
major ofce buildings, which stretches rom the
Fiveways area through Brindleyplace and Broad
Street, to Snow Hill and Colmore Row, The last
phase o Brindleyplace is under construction
and there are several major schemes recently
completed or under construction at Colmore
Plaza and Snow Hill. Eastside and the southern
end o the Jewellery Quarter are emerging parts
o this ofce belt, with the latter orming a ocus
or proessional ofces.
3.2.7 Birmingham prime ofce rents are high even
on an international scale and suggest a historic
constriction on supply. There may be a need
to look at ways in which a range o new ofce
accommodation can be brought on stream
perhaps as part o mixed use schemes like
Brindleyplace and Eastside to appeal to a variety
o potential occupiers.
3.2.8 The Plan needs to respond to the RSS
requirements o 590,000 square metres o new
ofce development by 2026 in the city centre. I
Birmingham is looking to create a step-change
in its economic perormance it may take time
to create the right conditions inrastructure and
image to deliver this. Thus commercial ofce
oorspace may not be delivered at an even
rate throughout the plan period. Rather than
an average o 30,000 sq m p.a., higher rates o
development might be expected in the latter
part o the period.
3.2.9 Trying to create too much space beore the
market is ready will be counter-productive.
Equally a choice may need to be made over
the phasing o development areas so that they
do not compete with each other and send out
conused messages to the development market.For example whilst the core is the obvious rst
area or development a choice may need to be
taken over when to bring orward development
in Eastside, Westside and Southside.
INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY
3.2.10 The core o the city centre, and related areas
such as Brindleyplace, are sel-evidently
successul, but this success is ar rom universal
across the whole city centre. Future employment
trends show a continued move away rom
manuacturing towards high skilled jobs
including business and proessional services,
and in certain quarters the employment trend
away rom manuacturing is very rapid indeed.
Overall the amount o occupied industrial
space in Birmingham city as a whole and in
Birmingham city centre in particular is expected
to decline. Whilst there may be dierent views
about the rate o decline the overall trend is
clear. Forecasts o employment prepared by
Cambridge Econometrics would suggest that or
the city centre the overall loss is orecast to be
around 80,000 sq m, with this loss being spreadacross the city centre quarters.
3.2.11 Whilst not seeking to drive out existing
productive rms the city must plan to make
best use o land and property. As industrial
land and premises become vacant the task o
the planning system is to recycle it back into
productive use quickly.
3.2.12 Options are to leave industrial activity scattered
around the city or to try and consolidate it in one
or two key locations. Existing industrial premises
may be in the city centre or historic reasons.
But the rms there may not be occupying
the optimal locations or premises or modern
industrial activity. An active policy o managing
this change may see rms requiring good access
relocated closer to motorway networks, those
requiring low cost premises relocated to other
employment areas o the city, whilst those rms
that need a city centre location or labour or
product market reasons may stay where they
are or move to more appropriate central area
premises, assisted by environmental, urban
design and public realm improvements.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
17/84
17
3.2.13 The Gun Quarter or example lost approximately
25% o its manuacturing jobs in the 3 years
rom 2003 to 2006 and the trend is continuing.
This trend is already very clearly demonstrated
on the ground in the city centre. There is a
very strong contrast between the ongoingmajor ofce construction projects and vibrant
shopping streets o the core, and the substantial
swathes o under-used and vacant industrial
premises within certain sectors o the city centre,
particularly the Gun Quarter, Digbeth and even
the Jewellery Quarter. Genuine manuacturing
has become the exception rather than the rule
and parts o the centre lack activity and vibrancy.
Despite the retention o employment premises
through protective policies, the evidence is
that business start-ups in the city centre are low
in relative terms given the supply o potentialpremises.
3.2.14 The economic trends within certain city centre
quarters also have a negative eect on the
appearance o the city centre and its potential
to attract inward investment: parts o the city
centre outside the core have a depressed
character in which the low level o economic
activity ails to support the maintenance o
the building stock. There may also be issues
o poor street level security through the lack
o activity and surveillance. The Big City Plan
must anticipate a new role or the city centresmanuacturing quarters and adopt the right
policies to help improve their prospects.
CREATIVE SECTOR AND MIXED USE
3.2.15 Whilst it is essential to encourage urther
development in the core, it is important to
ensure that growth is generated within the areas
around the core. The growth o the creativeindustry sector can be part o this growth. The
creative and cultural industries are a particular
sub-set o knowledge based industries. They
currently account or around 6% o Birminghams
employment and are a growth sector. They
also have some wider spin-o in that links with
social, cultural and inrastructure networks have
been shown to have a positive correlation with
productivity.
3.2.16 The creative sector covers a wide range o
activities, rom jewellery manuacture and the
creation o decorative arteacts, through creativeproessional services such as architecture, to
media-related activities. The Jewellery Quarter
already has a concentration o such activities and
Digbeth (with the Custard Factory particularly
notable) and Eastside are emerging as creative
areas (see Baseline Report or more detail). A
urther potential area or growth is spino rom
university-related research and development.
At present these links are poorly developed and
there is scope to improve on this or the uture.
Eastside is in a good position to capture growth
in this area notably with proposals or creation o
the digital and arts academy or 14-19 year olds.
3.2.17 The property requirements o the creative
industries vary by segment, but the sector is
well suited to making use o old converted
buildings that can not be viably redeveloped or
mainstream commercial use. As such a policy o
limited intervention may best suit the needs o
this sector. Creative industries location choices
are more strongly related to economic processes
than planning designations. The Big City Plan
will thereore need to accept that there will be
change over time. Indeed, it might be a sign
o success i, in thirty years time, the creative
industries were priced out o Digbeth and were
colonising a new, less auent area o the city in
search o lower rents.
Traditional industrial premises in Southside
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
18/84
18
3.2.18 New Drat PPS 4 on economic development
recognises mixed use as a way orward or
economic development. Indeed it advises
against using single designations to restrict
economic development - arguing or more
mixed use developments. Mixed use worksbetter on a larger scale than in small sites.
It needs to be possible to create a genuine
mixed use character where both employment
and residential happily co-exist and can even
generate mutual benets, giving a greater sense
o security and vitality or both parties. Small
ofce/workshop type uses are those that work
best in a mixed use environment. Units with
exibility or a multitude o uses or dierent
business types, including incubation and
move-on space, will widen demand or space
and enable businesses to grow within the samelocation. In most cases such development will
generate higher levels o employment than low
density industrial use, will increase the number
o dwellings and improve the environment.
3.2.19 The Jewellery Quarter already exhibits some o
the characteristics o a mixed use area and could
be developed urther along these lines.
QUESTIONS
B1. How can we improve the amount andrange o accommodation or ofcesand high value business activities
that will urther Birminghamsambitions as a global city?
B2. What steps are needed to makeBirmingham highly appealingto a variety o occupiers toencourage diversity in businessand employment? What deliverymechanisms are required toencourage such variety?
B3. Where should this new ofceand business development beaccommodated, to create a more
diverse range o locations ordierent types o business?
B4. What kinds o new business start-upsshould be encouraged in the citycentre? What mechanisms and stepsare required to create a supportiveenvironment or these activities?
B5. What can be done to capitalise onthe closeness o the Universities as adriver or skills raising and business?
B6. How can creative and cultural
industries be supported, what typeo space is needed and where? Howmight the Custard Factory model bedelivered in other parts o the centre?
B6. How can support best be givento the potential growth clustersin environmental technologies,medical/biosciences, advancedengineering and digital media?
B7. To what extent and how should theplan support the continuation o
manuacturing and other B2 uses inthe city centre?
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
19/84
19
3.3 RETAILING
3.3.1 Birmingham is ranked the largest retail centre
in the country outside o central London and
has about 300,000 sq m retail oorspace.
Retail provision within the city centre is ocusedaround High Street, New Street, the Bull Ring
and Corporation Street. In addition, the city
centre has a high proportion o managed
retail oorspace including the Bull Ring,
the Pallasades, Priory Square, the Mailbox,
Martineau Place and Pavillion Central. There
are a number o planning permissions or
urther retail development in the city centre
such as Phase 2 o Martineau Galleries (85,000
sq m approx), The Cube (7,800 sq m approx)
and the Jewellery Box (5,500 sq m approx). In
addition, the Birmingham New Street Station
redevelopment involves the reurbishment o
approximately 34,830 sq m o retail oorspace.
3.3.2 Despite the recent success and pipeline
development, Birmingham will need to continue
to invest in the quantity and quality o its
retail oer to maintain its leading position and
respond to threats posed by its competitors
such as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in
Dudley. The Regional Spatial Strategy requires
Birmingham city centre to plan or an additional
gross non ood retail oorspace o 225,000 sq m
between 2006-2021 and an additional 130,000
sq m between 2021-2026. This is a substantial
requirement to accommodate, reecting
Birminghams ambitions as a global city.
3.3.3 There are major issues about where such growth
should be accommodated. One approach would
be to consolidate around the opposite end o
the High Street rom the Bull Ring to create
another magnet o attraction. Another would be
to recognise the shit in gravity that has occurredas a result o the Bull Ring development and look
at expanding the shopping area southwards.
3.3.4 Birmingham has an excellent shopping oer in
terms o mainstream ashion outlets and multiple
retailers but independent and niche retailers are
not strongly represented compared with some
other cities. This results in a degree o blandness
in the city centres shopping streets. A city o
Birminghams size should have one or more
areas o interesting specialist and niche shops. In
some cities there are several o these areas each
specialising in dierent things, such as ashion,
urnishings or ood. These shopping areas can
cater or very upmarket shopping requirements
or can provide aordable and interesting
alternatives to the usual multiple shops. The Big
City Plan provides an opportunity to think about
how Birmingham can harbour and encourage
these specialist areas and where they might go.
3.3.5 The same applies to Birminghams markets.
Developing a street market or markets within
the ringe or transitional areas around the city
core will greatly help to enliven the city streets.
As with specialist retailing, dierent markets can
specialise in dierent ranges o produce, rom
ethnic oods to antiques. There is huge scope
or more edgy, ringe, ethnic, music or student
related markets or specialist retailers reecting
Birminghams youthulness and diversity.
...should Birmingham create an vibrant area o
independent and niche high street chains?
Birminghams arcades oer an alternative shopping
experience, but...
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
20/84
20
QUESTIONS
R1. What kind o additional shops andservices are needed in Birminghamin the uture to set it apart rom its
competitors and develop its globalreputation?
R2. Where can shopping activity expandwithin the city centre and nicheshopping areas or particular typeso product be developed?
R3. How can the city develop a largerspecialist retail sector?
R4. Is there a role or street-basedmarkets and can market streets bedeveloped as a tourist destination?
R5. What improvements should becarried out to the City Centresshopping streets to create a moreattractive environment and enhancethe citys global reputation?
3.4 COMMUNITY, POPULATION ANDHOUSEHOLDS
3.4.1 The residential population o Birmingham city
centre is actually quite small. In 2001 it was
about 23,000; since that date there have beenseveral residential developments which have
raised it to around 30,000. Although the centres
population is the size o a small town, it is tiny
compared with that o the city as a whole.
Population density over the 800 hectares o the
centre is relatively low and there is still great
potential or residential growth in the centre.
3.4.2 The emerging Core Strategy proposes three
options or the growth o Birmingham as a whole.
All three o these options involve a signicant
increase in population. All will require substantial
growth in the city centre. Accommodatingsignicant numbers o new dwellings throughout
the city centre will require a new and resh look at
planning proposals and policies.
3.4.3 The requirement or more housing can
bring substantial benets to the city centre.
Birminghams younger than average population
and its ethnic mix are assets or the city. But
outside the core shopping and ofce areas and
outside working hours, much o the city centre
lacks vibrancy owing partly to an absence o
city centre residents to support local activities
combined with an pattern o land use whichdoes not attract people in the evenings. In the
evenings, much o the centre, including most o
the main shopping areas, are all but deserted. I
the Big City Plan is to improve the interest and
vibrancy o the wider centre it must bring about
an increase in the city centres population and a
more diverse pattern o land use.
3.4.4 The city centre comprises several areas o
distinct character which were ormerly largely
industrial, such as the Gun Quarter, Jewellery
Quarter and Digbeth. One o the clear trends
rom the economic analysis (see above) isthe reducing level o manuacturing and
the resultant stock o vacant and underused
buildings within these quarters. Some o
the more attractive building stock has been
converted to residential use and there has also
been some residential development. However,
there is still a lot o vacant and under-used
oorspace and some vacant sites and these
could present a major opportunity or residential
growth on browneld land within a stones throw
o the city core.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
21/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
22/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
23/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
24/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
25/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
26/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
27/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
28/84
AN OPPORTUNITY
COMES AROUND
ONCE A GENERATION
TO PRODUCE A PLAN
ON THIS SCALE
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
29/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
30/84
30
4.1.5 With regards to other public transport, the
primary issue to be addressed by the Big City
Plan is whether and how the Midland Metro
system might be extended, given the need to
put together a practical unding package. This
issue is closely inter-related with initiatives toimprove both conventional bus services and to
introduce Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) operations.
Another important issue is on-street congestion
in the city core. Streets simply do not have the
physical capacity (space) to accommodate all
the movement and other demands that are and
are likely to be placed upon them (pedestrians,
buses, trams, quality public realm). Resolving
these conicts and determining priorities on
a street-by-street basis is required. Increased
demand will also need to be met through
improvements to alternative modes o transport,as well as demand management.
4.1.6 The Council has developed a new transportation
model or the city centre. Detailed land use
surveys have established a 2004 database
and scenarios have been produced or 2011,
2021 and 2031 to identiy possible changes in
transport demand. This has considered uture
levels o population, housing, employment and
other activities. The preparation o the Big City
Plan will interact with transport modelling, and in
combination will establish required inrastructure
improvements or the city centre.
4.2 PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLES/GENERAL TRAFFIC
4.2.1 Trafc congestion is currently related primarily
to key junctions on the Ring Road, while the A38
corridor also continues to experience high levels
o trafc demand. The main areas o congestion
in the centre are at the junctions o Holloway
Circus, Paradise Circus, St Chads, around the
gyratory systems at Bull Ring/Moat Lane and
at Masshouse. While access by car is and will
remain vital or the success and vitality o the city
centre, reducing trafc levels will be necessary
i carbon emissions targets are to be met, while
reduced congestion will also benet the city.
Improving the quality o alternatives to the car
will clearly be essential (see later sections). The
negative impacts o the physical trafc and
highway inrastructure on the development and
overall attractiveness o the city centre must also
be addressed.
4.2.2 The A38 corridor within the city centre could
be radically recongured to greatly enhance
the city centre environment and improve
pedestrian/cycle crossing links between the core
and the rest o the city centre. Comprehensive
restructuring would enable areas to the west othe corridor to ull their ull potential as integral
parts o the city centre. Lowering Great Charles
Street, dismantling the Suolk Street viaduct or
changing its slip road arrangements and lling
in the Holloway Circus underpass are all major
engineering projects that could be pursued.
The road would still retain an important trafc
carrying unction. However, depending on the
extent o the changes to the road inrastructure,
capacity could be reduced and this could have
an eect on congestion, so any proposals would
require modelling to establish the impact onaccessibility and design.
4.3 FREIGHT AND SERVICING
4.3.1 Increased residential population and expansion
o retail and employment uses in the city centre
will generate signicant additional goods
vehicle movements. Measures will be required
to mitigate the eects o these vehicles on the
unction and quality o sensitive streets and on
congestion generally, through improved street
management and delivery consolidation.
4.3.2 One approach would be to develop an Urban
Freight Consolidation Centre outside the
city centre. This would create a hub in a less
sensitive built environment where large goods
vehicles could trans-ship their loads to a eet o
small, low-emissions vehicles that would then
redistribute the goods to individual premises
within the city centre. The centre would need to
be close to the centre to work efciently.
4.3.3 Another possibility would be to establish
a network o suitable routes or service/
delivery vehicles in each sector o the city.This would involve investigating a network o
service routes, including certain bus lanes, that
prioritises access or service vehicles during
limited hours. As part o this network, methods
or consolidating service deliveries would be
explored to reduce the impact o servicing on
city centre streets.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
31/84
31
4.3.4 A low emission zone would signicantly reduce
trafc congestion by deterring the worst
polluting diesel-powered goods vehicles,
coaches and buses accessing the city centre or
core through initiatives such as the Urban Freight
Consolidation Centre or pricing mechanisms. Inturn this would greatly improve air quality, health
and quality o lie in the city centre
4.3.5 Time based vehicle restrictions could be
introduced. These require businesses to better
manage the delivery o goods and services to
periods that do not conict with other street
activities and the quality o the public realm. In this
way conicts between deliveries and pedestrian or
bus activity can be eectively managed.
4.4 PARKING PROVISION4.4.1 The control and management o the parking
supply is usually a vital tool in inuencing trafc
levels. In Birmingham city centre, however, there
is currently an over-supply o publicly available
parking in certain areas. This allows us to think
about the possibility o developing on some
existing car parking sites. A city parking strategy
is in preparation, or consultation in the Autumn.
This will consider parking provision in the
wider context o improvements in other modes
o transport, the control o parking and the
potential or more park and ride capacity.
4.5 RAIL
4.5.1 The number o trips made by rail to and rom
Birmingham has increased notably in recent
years. Growth could be heading or 100% by
2035. Additional services and longer trains will
handle some o this growth and the New Street
Gateway redevelopment will provide a better
arrival experience. Improved rail requencies
will be provided to the Airport through double
tracking and, in addition, improvements to the
Bordesley Chords will allow new services to access
central Birmingham. These improvements may not
be able to handle all the predicted growth.
4.5.2 The opportunity or European High Speed Trains
to serve Birmingham should be rmly grasped.
The Big City Plan should help inuence the
ultimate choice o route and station location or a
uture HST connection to the city centre, providing
the opportunity or strengthened national and
international rail connections in the uture. Further
work is required to understand what alignment
the track would take, and requisite processes or
saeguarding land requirements.
4.6 MIDLAND METRO
4.6.1 Centro, in partnership with Birmingham City
Council, has identied our metro routes that will
radiate rom the city centre:
The existing Line 1 running between Snowt
Hill and Wolverhampton.
The planned Line 1 extension heading throught
the city centre to New Street Station then
heading along Broad Street to terminate at
Edgbaston and later at Junction 3 o the M5.
A route to Birmingham International Airportt
extension running along Digbeth High Street.
A route to Great Barr, using the alignment ot
New Town Row.
4.6.2 Centro has obtained a Transport Works ActOrder, enabling them to progress with the
extension o Line 1 along Bull Street, Corporation
Street, through Victoria Square to Broad Street.
This option would require the removal o buses
rom Corporation Street in avour o the tram, but
would not permit its ull pedestrianisation. Centro
predicts that this alignment will lead to major
increases in Line 1 patronage simply through
creating a direct Metro link to the New Street
Gateway. To pick up urther routes a one-way
city centre loop is proposed to serve Southside,
Eastside and Westside. (See Figure 4.1 or
alternative metro routes)
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
32/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
33/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
34/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
35/84
35
4.10.4 The creation o a Virtual Birmingham is
another valuable concept. Starting with a 3D
representation o the City Centre, it would
enable city planners, developers, stakeholders
and the public to plan and visually re-shape
the city centre and consider its impacts. Itwould enable citizens and both national and
international visitors to view and navigate the
city centre more eectively and interactively,
providing a richer experience and engagement.
It would encourage inward investment by
acting as a showcase to attract national and
international interest and open up opportunities
to explore the art o the possible.
4.10.5 Finally, in line with the concept o the exible
and adaptable home, all new households should
be equipped with a technology inrastructure t
or 21st century living capable o delivering the
inormation, entertainment and communications
needs or amilies across all generations.
4.10 DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY
4.10.1 Digital technologies have been a key driver in
inuencing society and shaping 21st Century
living. Digital opportunities will need a 21st
Century telecommunication inrastructure tobecome the norm or city centre development,
and changes in working, learning and social
patterns need to be incorporated in the uture
spatial design. This will need a city centre that
is equipped or the growth in inormation, data
access and communication associated with the
21st century knowledge society. The city needs
a connected inrastructure that will support
the citys international competitiveness, sustain
existing growth and attract new high value
businesses and establish itsel as a leading and
iconic digital city.
4.10.2 It is essential that the city centre has interactive
and intelligent real time inormation systems
to navigate and explore the city by all modes
and through physical waynding and legibility
systems, variable message signage, mobile
devices and satellite navigation systems. These
will enable greater linkages between the various
quarters within the city centre, provide a richer
visitor experience and reduce vehicle congestion
through managed intelligent inormation and
navigation systems.
4.10.3 In addition, we should ensure that newdevelopment is uture prooed with suitable
digital inrastructure to meet both existing and
uture digital and communication needs. This
will require suitable ducting to enable a wired
and wireless digital inrastructure capable
o delivering next generation connectivity
or transport, business development and
innovation, open spaces such as public squares
and parks and to new buildings and business
premises. The concept o an underlying digital
inrastructure is inherent in each o the options
in this report.
Real time inormation systems and pleasant waiting
environments are vital to making bus travel appealing
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
36/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
37/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
38/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
39/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
40/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
41/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
42/84
WE ASPIRE TO
SATISFY PEOPLES
GENUINE NEED
FOR PUBLIC LIFE
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
43/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
44/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
45/84
45
6.2 THE CORE
6.2.1 The Core is the area that visitors will initially
identiy as being Birmingham. They will see
with a critical eye the quality o its streets, its
buildings, its shops, its leisure and cultural
acilities and its transport system. They will also
see the connections, or lack o them, within the
city centre. National and international businesses
will be sensitive to the availability o high
quality new accommodation in an attractive,
culturally rich and sound economic environment.
These things are crucial to the global status
and image o Birmingham and its ability to
attract investment. And at a local level, the
core o the city is central to civic pride and the
attractiveness o Birmingham as a place where
local people want to live.
6.2.2 This area is the traditional economic hub o
Birmingham with prime ofces and a large retail
oer. It contains the retail Golden Triangle o
New Street, Bullring and the High Street. It is
home to the primary public transport hub o
Birmingham New Street Station and is thereore
a key arrival point into Birmingham.
6.2.3 The Core is densely built up making efcient use
o land, historically established with good street
layout and street enclosure. The high quality
historic environment o the Core is interspersed
with many post war and modern developments,
a combination which accentuates the historic
environment. Much o the historic environment
is protected by conservation area designations
which aim to preserve and enhance the
character and appearance o the conservation
areas. There are several landmark buildings, the
most notable being the Bullring development,
the Rotunda, Council House and adjoining
Museum and Art Gallery and the Town Hall.
6.2.4 There are numerous buildings that are statutorilylisted, including ten Grade I listed buildings.
The centrepiece space is St. Philips Churchyard.
This successul and attractive open space has
a clear and well enclosed pedestrian link to
Victoria Square to the west which is impressively
overlooked by the Grade I listed Town Hall
building and the Grade II* Council House.
Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area
contains a ne ensemble o attractive buildings.
The series o connected open spaces and
squares continues beyond Victoria Square
through to Chamberlain Square and thenonwards via Paradise Forum and alongside the
Library o Birmingham to Centenary Square.
These interconnected open spaces and public
squares oer a great walking environment.
6.2.5 Much o the north east area o St Philips is within
Steelhouse Conservation Area. The Victorian Law
Courts within the conservation area are Grade I
listed and there are many other Grade II* and Grade
II listed buildings. The Childrens Hospital is within
the conservation area and this is locally listed.
6.2.6 In terms o movement, the walking routes
within the area do not connect well in the
vicinity o New Street Station or in the direction
o the Jewellery Quarter. There is noticeable
pedestrian congestion in some places and also
signicant bus congestion.
6.2.7 The traditional core is too small or a city the
size o Birmingham. Central area uses have
expanded with the dismantling o the worst
parts o Queensway and have the potential or
urther expansion (see Figure 5.2).
6.2.8 Some areas have development proposals at an
advanced stage in the planning process, orexample the Natwest Tower and the area around
Snow Hill Station. Other developments rom
the 1950s to the 1980s which do not contribute
positively to the built environment may become
the ocus or redevelopment during the lie o
the plan.
6.2.9 The core will remain the ocus or Grade A
ofces but opportunities should be sought
outside the established ofce belt or new ofce
development which will add to the variety o
accommodation in the city centre.
THECORE
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
46/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
47/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
48/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
49/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
50/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
51/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
52/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
53/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
54/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
55/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
56/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
57/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
58/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
59/84
59
6.5 WESTSIDE
6.5.1 Westside has seen several waves o expanding
central area uses: the ofces around Five
Ways, Baskerville House and Alpha Tower; the
cultural area including the Rep theatre, the NIA,
Brindleyplace and the Mailbox; and the leisure
area along Broad Street including the Broadway
Entertainment Complex and the Cineworld.
6.5.2 Westside also includes the Attwood Green area
and the ongoing development at Park Central,
the rst phase o a large 10 year housing
regeneration programme, which is well underway and is substantially occupied. Park Central
creates a new urban neighbourhood close to the
cultural, retail, and commercial heart o the city
with a range o housing sizes and tenures set
around Sunset Park.
6.5.3 Near Attwood Green is the Bath Row and
Holloway Head area - an area on the ringe o
the city core that has seen little change over
the last 30 years. The area is still home to a
mix o light industrial / warehouse uses, some
community activities and ofce uses, some o
which may have unctional connections with thecity centre. Two towers, the sentinels, mark a
gateway at Holloway Head with Beetham Tower
(the Radisson Hotel) beyond. The pedestrian-
level environment here is not o high quality.
6.5.4 As a result Westside has a mixed character. The
area is pulled together by Centenary Square
and the Broad Street movement axis and by the
canal network, but still tends to unction as a
series o disparate elements. The high quality
environment in Centenary Square, Brindleyplace
and Gas Street Basin does not continue into
Broad Street or Five Ways, and the NIA hasa poor rontage with multi storey car parks
ronting the sensitive canalside.
6.5.5 There are still a number o landmark projects inthe pipeline, including the Cube, the V building,
Arena Central, Baskerville Whar, Paradise Circus
and the relocation o the Library o Birmingham.
These quality developments will bring a critical
mass o people into the area which could help to
support niche and specialist shops.
6.5.6 The Bath Row / Holloway Head area represents
the most signicant remaining redevelopment
opportunity in the area and its redevelopment
is being guided by a development brie; so
ar, not much development has come orward.
There are major opportunities to provide better
pedestrian links between Park Central, Westside
and Southside through Holloway Head.
6.5.7 In addition to these development proposals
which are already in the pipeline, there may be
other opportunities in the uture. The National
Indoor Arena occupies a valuable city centre
location adjacent to areas o major change,
including Arena Central and as discussed above
does not have an attractive presence. We
need to think about how urther improvements
might be made in this area. There are also
signicant opportunities to improve the quality
o the public realm within the Westside area,
particularly in the area around Fiveways, along
Broad Street and the NIA and along some o the
canal network.
6.5.8 The Broad Street area is an important ocus
or Westside; although it developed an
entertainment unction in the 1990s, its role in
the uture may be more akin to the local high
street with shops and services or the growing
residential and business communities around it.
WESTSIDE
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
60/84
60
WESTSIDE OPTIONS
WESTSIDE OPTION W1:
Westside as a commercial quarter. This option would
encourage uture commercial redevelopment withinthe Westside area, including higher value ofce, retail
and leisure uses. This would build on the success
o Brindleyplace and capitalise on the proximity o
Westside to the legal and nancial centre o the city.
WESTSIDE OPTION W2:
Westside as a specialist shopping area. Specialist
retailing would develop urther in the area, ocused
on the canal, The Mailbox, The Cube, the area around
Bridge Street and the NIA area. This option will
encourage higher end retailing to locate in Westside,
thereore consolidating the existing retail oer at theMailbox. The Cube would act as an anchor and as a
springboard or uture specialist retailing.
WESTSIDE OPTION W3:
Westside as an entertainment quarter. Broad Street
would become a major entertainment boulevard.
Much more commercial leisure development would be
encouraged with larger scale buildings, wide pavements
and vibrant advertising along the street to create the
character o a brash and buzzy entertainment boulevard.
WESTSIDE OPTION W4:
Westside as a local centre. Broad Street and Fiveways
would be the ocus o the growing residential and
business community and would provide a range
o locally-oriented shops and services or those
communities, with good links through to Park Central,
Ladywood and Icknield Port Loop.
WESTSIDE OPTION W5:
Walking Westside. Create a tree lined avenue along
the route o Suolk Street Queensway, lined with tall
buildings, to create a pedestrian riendly boulevard.
This could require the removal o the slip road adjacent
to the Orion Building and its replacement with a wider
pavement and trees. It might even involve the removal
o some o the heavy duty highway structures such as
the yover over Navigation Street. Further attention
would be given to improving the pedestrian links
between the Core and Westside through Paradise
Circus and Holloway Head, and between Broad Street
and the neighbouring residential areas. Road crossings
would be at grade wherever possible rather than via
bridges and underpasses.
Broad Street as a brash and buzzy entertainment
strip?
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
61/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
62/84
Cro
wnCopyright
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
63/84
63
6.6 LADYWOOD
6.6.1 Ladywood is a housing area o variable quality,
with some local shopping and social acilities
and an environment that could benet rom
signicant improvement. Designed in part on
the now old ashioned principles, with separate
pedestrian and vehicle routes, the area alls
signicantly short against a number o urban
design criteria. Streets and spaces are not
overlooked, back gardens are exposed, leading
to a perception o insecurity, there is no sense o
enclosure, some o the spaces have a let-over
and poorly maintained eel, and the area is
inward-looking and not easy to navigate.
6.6.2 Yet Ladywood is very close to the city centre
and adjacent to the canal and could be a very
desirable place to live.
6.6.3 Most o the housing is Council owned and is very
low density with the two to three storey housing
appearing suburban and not reective o its
location close to the city centre. The residential area
is interspersed with a ew high-rise council towers.
6.6.4 The newest development has taken place on
the canalside, being mainly 9-10 storey, privately
owned apartments that turn their backs to the
rest o the Ladywood estate and restrict access
to the canal by residents o that estate.
6.6.5 Gradual improvement o Local Authority housing
stock in Ladywood has taken place. However,
this area presents a great opportunity or major
transormation into a successul neighbourhood
with a strong community ocus. The quality o
the housing can be signicantly improved along
with the conguration o open space. The canal
rontage can then be utilised to its ull potential
and linkages through the area and to the core
and NIA can be much improved.
6.6.6 A new high quality residential development o
our to seven storeys is already taking place
along Ryland Street. Based on perimeter blocks
with landscaped courtyards, a variety o colours,
material and heights.
6.6.7 The Icknield Port Loop area immediately tothe west o Ladywood is being developed as
a sustainable urban neighbourhood o mixed
housing types and tenures with the canal loop
as its ocus. Its present disadvantage is that it is
slightly isolated rom the city centre as the ring
road, canal and railway all orm barriers. The Big
City Plan creates the opportunity o investigating
how those barriers can be overcome and create
a number o routes through Icknield Port Loop,
Ladywood and on to the city centre, eectively
merging the two neighbourhoods.
6.6.8 Aligning housing, planning and education policy
and projects within Ladywood gives us the
opportunity to create a properly unctioning
neighbourhood.
Schools should be a integral part o an urbanneighbourhood and be o high quality in terms o
achievement and environment.
LADYWOOD
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
64/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
65/84
65
How do you want to see Ladywood transormed?
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
66/84
1
2
4
3
3St
.Pauls
Cathedral
2Th
eBig
Peg
1ClockT
ower
4BT
Towe
r
CrownCopyright
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
67/84
67
6.7 JEWELLERY QUARTER
6.7.1 The Jewellery Quarter has strong unctional
links with its past, retaining specialist jewellery
manuacturing and designing as well as retailing.
It also has a growing entertainment, commercial
and proessional business sector in the part
nearer to the city centre around St Pauls
Square. It has many high quality buildings set
in an uncompromisingly industrial streetscape,
is protected by a conservation area and is a
potential candidate as a World Heritage Site.
6.7.2 The centrepiece o the historic environment inthe Jewellery Quarter is St Pauls Square. The
quarter is also home to Key Hill Cemetery and
the Church o England Cemetery on Warstone
Lane. These are the only areas o open space in
the quarter.
6.7.3 The earliest buildings in the Jewellery Quarter
were residential. Later demand or industrial
uses led to the conversion o properties in a
number o ways. Some o them continued to be
lived in with little division between domestic
and industrial accommodation. Buildings
containing both houses and workshops arenow rare. An example being 27-32 Mary Street.
Today the area is characterised by purpose built
manuactories and workshops rom the 19th
Century. Fringe central area activities occupy
land ronting Great Charles Street / Queensway,
and more domestic scale ofce and residential
developments abut St. Pauls Square and the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.
6.7.4 The views o the city centre rom the quarter
accentuate its proximity to the core. An important
connection to the core is Church Street which
connects St Pauls and St Philips. This is howeversevered by the Queensway. The Big City Plan
should examine how the connections between
the Jewellery Quarter and the Core can be
improved and whether redevelopment o
major sites presents an opportunity to improve
pedestrian connections. Metro Line 1 runs
through the Jewellery Quarter and provides
connection rom Snow Hill to Wolverhampton.
A railway line also runs through the quarter rom
Snow Hill to Stourbridge and Solihull.
6.7.5 Although generally regarded as a success,there remain signicant levels o under-use
and vacancy in the area. The area has proved
popular with residential / mixed use developers,
with major redevelopment taking place in
the less historic industrial ringe, but in the
more traditional parts o the quarter there are
potential tensions between residential growth
and the retention o workshop accommodation.
Indeed, at the moment, the Councils existing
policy restricts non-industrial activity within the
heart o the Jewellery Quar ter, particularly within
the Golden Triangle and the Industrial Middle.In light o these actors, the Big City Plan should
examine options or dierent planning policy
approaches in the quarter.
6.7.6 The Big City Plan will need to consider the
opportunities or mixed use development
within the Jewellery Quarter. There are already
a number o development proposals in the
pipeline, including a new development around
Carver Street, Camden Street and Pope Street,
and there are discussions regarding the uture
o the sites on Great Charles Queensway.
Furthermore, the existing UDP identiesopportunities or mixed use development the
urban village proposal encourages the provision
o space or small businesses as well as new
residential development.
6.7.7 Improved transport linkages between the
Jewellery Quarter, the Core and the Convention
Centre can provide urther opportunity or a
smoother transition rom the quarter to the core.
JEWELLERYQUARTER
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
68/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
69/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
70/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
71/84
71
6.8 GUN QUARTER
6.8.1 The Gun Quarter is dominated by industrial uses
with some commercial uses around Queensway
and Lancaster Circus. The area has links with
its traditional roots and there are still gun
manuacturers and traders based in the quarter.
However, most o the area has long lost its
traditional associations. The area has seen the
growth o commercial ofces adjacent to the
city core. The majority o the urban abric o
the area, however, is characterised by industrial
and warehouse buildings, which do not relate to
Birminghams global city ambitions.
6.8.2 There are high levels o vacancies and
underuse in the industrial stock o the area and
manuacturing employment has declined rapidly.
The area now exhibits relatively low activity
levels within a stones throw o the City Core.
The building stock is generally o mediocre
quality.
6.8.3 The only exception to the industrial character
o this area is a large pocket o housing in the
north west area o the quarter. The area contains
schools and community acilities but it is veryclose to the declining industrial area and the
poor quality o the underused stock gives the
housing area a poor setting. Walking routes
through to the city centre are poor and do not
appear secure.
6.8.4 A strength o the urban abric is that it generally
ollows a traditional street pattern. The City
Centre Canal Corridor Framework recognises
this strength as presenting an opportunity to
introduce other land uses i the industrial uses
cease to operate in this area.
6.8.5 The presence o the existing residential area
with its school and open spaces provides
a basis on which to build a larger mixed
residential community, i the existing area o
industry is reduced in size, like Highgate this
could be developed as an exemplar amily
neighbourhood.
6.8.6 The proximity o the Gun Quarter to the citycentre presents an opportunity to maximise the
land values at this location. The canal rontage
along the southern boundary o the quarter
presents a urther opportunity. Buildings
currently turn their back to the canal. The canal
rontage is suitable or domestic scale mixed
residential, ofce, leisure/tourism uses. Indeed,
this mix o uses is encouraged within the Canal
Corridor SPG.
6.8.7 The connections with the city centre need to
be made more accessible, particularly across
Queensway to maximise the potential o this quarter.
Already recent improvements to St Chads Circus
have made the city centre more accessible rom the
Gun Quarter. Account should also be taken o the
need or physical connections with the potential
mixed-use proposals on the opposite side o the
Ring Road in the emerging drat Preerred Option
or the Aston, Newtown and Lozells Area Action Plan
(also a Development Plan Document).
6.8.8 While there are no signicant developments
taking place within the Gun Quarter, there are a
number o developments in the pipeline that are
in close proximity. These include proposals at
Snow Hill and Lancaster Circus.
6.8.9 Lancaster Circus is seen as an area o major
opportunity with vacant under utilised sites.
The UDP encourages commercial development
around Queensway and Lancaster Circus,
with urther opportunities existing towards
Birmingham and the Fazeley Canal. In the longer
term retail and wholesale premises ronting
Constitution Hill may be suitable or mixed use
development including housing. Further out the
junction o New John Street, Dartmouth Circus
seen as suitable or retail warehousing.
6.8.10 A recent study o Birminghams Housing
Capacity suggests that there is more potential
or residential development concentrated along
the southern boundary o the Gun Quarter.
GUNQUARTER
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
72/84
72
GUN QUARTER OPTIONS
GUN QUARTER OPTION GQ1:
Gun Quarter the workshop quarter. The building
stock would be retained as an industrial resource.The industrial use o buildings would be protected
and incremental improvements would be promoted
to the condition o the built environment. The Gun
Quarter could be a resource or accommodating
small businesses displaced rom elsewhere in
the city centre as a result o redevelopment; or
example, i major residential development were to
take place at Highgate, the displaced employment
could nd accommodation in the Gun Quarter. The
space available in the Gun Quarter may need to be
modernised and adapted to acilitate this option.
GUN QUARTER OPTION GQ2:
Gun Quarter or high end business. This option would
encourage higher value city centre uses and high tech
manuacturing within the Gun Quarter. The continual
improvement and modernisation o existing premises
within the area would be encouraged. The quarter
could take businesses related to the growing ofce area
nearly in the core. Although the Gun Quarter would
remain a predominantly employment based area, a
mixture o uses including residential and supporting
local services could be encouraged where appropriate,
or example along the Fazeley Canal. This would help
to raise values within the area, ensuring the continual
improvement and modernisation o existing premises
and uses.
GUN QUARTER OPTION GQ3:
Gun Quarter as a residential as well as business area.
This option would envisage a substantial expansion
o the existing housing area and a major reduction in
the old industrial area, which is already substantially
vacant. The option would help considerably to meet
Birminghams housing needs, could help to oster a
more mixed amily-oriented residential community and
would greatly improve the surroundings o the existing
estate and neighbouring schools. This option would
also require improved linkages to the city centre. The
option would work with Option 2 above, enabling the
upgrading o selective industrial areas and at the same
time providing coherent residential neighbourhoods.
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
73/84
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
74/84
2
1
3
2Cu
rzon
Street
Station
1Vi
aduct
3Mille
nnium
Point
CrownC
opyright
7/27/2019 Big City Plan - Work in Progress doucment 2008.pdf
75/84
75
6.9 EASTSIDE
CONTEXT AND ANALYSIS
6.9.1 Eastside is an area that is already in transition.
The removal o the barrier created by
Queensway