birmingham central bus garage engagement summary · on the street, in shops and local businesses,...

birminghamcentral bus garageengagement summary

October 2019

engagement principles, approach and methods 01engagement methods 03who has done the engagement 05about the statistics 05who we spoke with 07what people have been telling us 09views about the local area 11views about the proposed development 15future engagement 23

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Birmingham Central Bus Garage Engagement Summary - October 2019 Birmingham Central Bus Garage Engagement Summary - October 2019

Community engagement is a requirement for the pre-application process for any significant development, but all too often it is a tick box exercise where there is little opportunity for community to find out about the proposed scheme, or to input their ideas and influence it. We believe this represents a huge missed opportunity and while meeting the letter of the law, fails to meet the spirit of the law which seeks to ensure that development happens with communities rather than to them. The key challenge for this engagement was to ensure that the voice of the local community was accessed and listened to such that the plan benefits from the insight and views of the community and the community have the experience of shaping the design. This sets the foundation for successful placemaking.

Our starting point is to recognise that there is no such single entity of “the community”. The local community is made up of individuals and organisations with lots of small micro communities (around faith, culture, hobby, work etc) rather than one single community. There are also many people who for one reason or another (ranging from mental health to being recent migrants) are not part of established micro communities and who are lone individuals in the local area. We therefore define “the community” as anyone who lives, works or has a significant interest in the local area. On this site with such a small community of actual residents around the site, and a relatively low number of people living in Digbeth generally, it meant we were engaging with a higher % of people who work and visit in the area than in other projects.

In many, if not most cases, only a very small number of people typically get or take up the opportunity to give their views on proposed developments such as this. There are many reasons for this: for some they never find out about the opportunity, or feel it is not worthwhile as the decision has already been made (consultation in name only); for others the formal approaches used, with dense written materials and static exhibition events, serve to exclude them. What this means is that in most cases the voice of the wider community is not heard and this means that loud voices from a small number of people who do get involved (often the same people) can dominate and be seen to be the views of the wider community which in fact they may not accurately represent.

For this reason, we believe it is essential that direct outreach methods are used to engage with people who would like to give their views but who do not take part in traditional processes and approaches. This is fundamental to our approach. There is a digital engagement channel and a telephone hotline but as there is a very low resident population in the area immediately surrounding the site this was always anticipated to have a low response rate. By speaking to local communities on their terms, in their places we can ensure we are genuinely hearing from the wider local population.

The approach aimed to integrate best practice approaches on community engagement around planning, while also bringing a particular focus on using outreach as the key method to ensure we engage with less heard from individuals and groups.

engagement principles, approach and methods

Key elements of the principles underpinning the approach are as follows:

• Meaningful engagement, which is not just about numbers involved or consulted but about giving the community a voice in influencing the designs

• 2-way engagement – a dialogue not a PR campaign

• Timely – comprehensive engagement from the outset and throughout the process

• Proportional – the scale of engagement matching the size of the scheme

• Inclusive – proactively reaching out to less heard voices and providing additional support for people to engage who are not experts in planning policy and process

• Multi-stranded engagement using different methods and across multiple channels

• Clear communications in different formats to make it easy for people to understand what is happening

• Evidence and research based• Genuine – being honest about what is and what is not open for co-production and co-

design including being transparent and open about limitations

• Aspirational and innovative• Long-term engagement – work at this stage will seamlessly link to engagement during

construction and empowerment during operation

• Community engagement and empowerment as a golden thread – not a bolt on but integral at all points throughout the process

• Organic and developmental mindset – responsive to emerging needs and opportunities and a commitment to an iterative learning journey

• Focus on creating and leveraging opportunities for social impact, positive development and community building, delivering cascading impact and social value for local community and for the wider area

• Data driven and people centred

01 02


Engagement began in June 2019 and is ongoing

Engagement methods included:

• Face to face outreach – individual interviews

• Pop-Up Focus Groups

• Traditional Focus Groups

• Online engagement and survey and telephone hotline

We engaged with community members in a wide variety of spaces and places including, on the street, in shops and local businesses, community spaces, cafes, art galleries, mosque, boxing gyms, cinema, bus stops, halal food festival, digbeth dining club, bars and clubs, on the canalside, parks, restaurants, markets, and light industrial units.

We have spoken to members of the community in Digbeth, Small Heath, Sparkbrook, Boardsley and around Garrison Park. The area where we have been conducting outreach can be seen on the map on the adjacent page. We recognise that the site sits at the junction of many communities and have worked to engage a wide and representative selection of the community in these first conversations about the site.

engagement methods

kingston road

high

street

deritend

bordesleystation

farm park

small heathstation

highgate park

garrison lane park

eastside city park

birmingham wheels park

kingston hill local park

sara park activity centre

03 04


who has done the engagementThe engagement process was designed and delivered by Kaizen. Kaizen are an award winning social business who run projects across the community sector. They are leading experts on engagement thinking and practice, and their models have been cited as developing best practice by organisations including DCLG and the Young Foundation. They were “official suppliers of community engagement and youth leadership training and consultancy to London 2012”. They have worked with organisations ranging from Local Authorities to schools, small charities to Universities, international companies to the London 2012 Olympics. They lead on community engagement across all HUB projects bringing new methods and skills that we believe are essential.

1009Total people engaged across all methods

440Total individual interviews

groups169with514people Total street focus groups

interviews 36with 55people

Total recorded “free-flow” discussions

51Number of days of outreach

about the statistics The statistics on the following page come from the individual interviews. The street focus group discussions were recorded and transcribed and were then analysed, hand coding for themes using the approach of Grounded Theory. Reflections and themes from the street focus groups are included in general descriptions of findings, views and quotes

05 06

of people were under age 35

51%

had a connection of +10 years to the area

of people were over age 55 of people had never been consulted before or not

much before

46%15% 89%

62%38%menwomen

black

mixed

14%

10%asian

39%

white38%


We have engaged and interviewed people from a wide range of backgrounds and of different ages.

• People interviewed included local residents, people who work in the area and those who came there to visit/take part in events etc

• Many young people were interviewed and 51% of people interviewed were under age 35. 15% of those interviewed were over age 55

• More men than women were interviewed

• Reflecting the diversity of the area, 38% of people interviewed were white, 39% were Asian, 14% were black and 10% of other ethnic groups

• While some people had only a short connection to the area (14% said less than one year), most had a long-standing connection and 46% said their length of connection was more than 10 years

The overwhelming majority had not been consulted with much before.

• 89% said they had either never been consulted before (67%) or not much (22%) before. Only 1% said they had previously been consulted with a lot.

who we spoke with

07 08

of people were under age 35

51%

had a connection of +10 years to the area

of people were over age 55

of people had never been consulted before or not

much before

46%

15%

89%

62%38%menwomen

black

mixed

14%

10%asian

39%

white38%

Birmingham Central Bus Garage Engagement Summary - October 2019Birmingham Central Bus Garage Engagement Summary - October 2019

what people have been telling usIn this first phase of the community engagement we have been exploring broad questions to help develop a rounded understanding of the local area – what people like, the challenges the community faces, its’ needs, and their aspirations for the future development of the area.

We have also explored broad questions about the proposed development of the site to help inform the project team in developing the emerging designs. Questions around:

• Is the mix of site uses something that local communities feel will bring benefit to this part of Birmingham?

• What sort of community and workspace should be included?

• What elements should be prioritized in the public realm?

• Is there local support for community custom built homes?

• What should the “feel” of the place be?

In the second phase of the engagement we will go out into the community to show, share and get feedback on the emerging designs – we do this through a process we have nicknamed “roving exhibition”.

Inevitably across a diverse population there are many views on all these topics, however there were also clear areas of more general agreement and some strong emerging themes. There were also some noticeable differences between the responses to some questions when asked in various parts of the area as well as amongst different demographic groups.

1009


It has everything we need! My extended family!

Diversity of cultures, food and the sense of belonging!

The Sikh Community! I’m born’n bred! It’s home!

Some people find it tense, but I like it here!

There is clearly a lot of love for the area, with a majority of people rating it positively as a place to live/work/visit.

• On a rating of 1: 10 where 1=terrible and 10=great, 83% rated the area 6 or above

> 45% rated the area 8-10 compared to only 5% rating it 1-3.

We asked what 3 words people would use to describe Digbeth and this area and the results are in the word cloud below:

views about the local area

Things people said they like about the area included the vibrancy, diversity, creativity, community, fantastic events and nightlife, independent shops, inspiring and creative people, strong local identity, cultural offer, central location.

At the same time there were clear themes about things that people did not like – the challenges and concerns – the things people wanted to see improved. These primarily concerned:

• Safety, especially after dark

• Litter and general unkemptness of the area

• Impact of drugs and crime

• The pace of development and action by landlords to drive up rents making it unaffordable for artists and community groups - gentrification

• Lack of green space

• Concerns from businesses about the congestion charge clean air zone

• People expressed concerns that development of Digbeth may continue to raise the cost of living in the area and price out artists and residents already established in the area

• The lack of cross community cohesion, especially the strong divide (geographic, cultural and connectivity) between communities of different parts of the area.

There were particularly strong themes around community and cultural identity:

11 12


The aspirations for the area focus on impacting on the challenges and concerns with a particular theme of a strong desire for Digbeth to develop while at the same time to keep the core elements of its style, character and the people that have made it the place it is.

Digbeth needs a facelift & mix of people living and working & public area.

An honest collaboration between the independent business here in Digbeth

and the developers!

Capitalise on its “bohemian” & “quirky” nature. Retain its old qualities.

Develop? There’s no developing going on around here. Promise and stall, promise

and stall, we’ve had 10 years of that!

My aspirations for Digbeth are contradictory. I want to see change, as in it needs a face lift, but I don’t want to lose the charm that been built up by the independent businesses around here!

Want it to keep developing - like Shoreditch

Don’t want to see gentrification

Want it to be up & coming, more businesses, more socialising, keep graffiti.

More independent businesses. More green space. Rooftop bar.

The key community aspirations that came out in conversations were particular hopes around achieving positive development and improvement of the area, with many mentions of cleaning up the environment.

I hope we get the funding we desperately need so we can improve the community needs!

Just sort out the refuse and litter and it would improve this area drastically! and boost the wellbeing of the community!

13 14


views about the proposed developmentTo what extent do you feel that this new development plan (with homes, workspaces, community facilities, and public space) would bring benefit to this part of Birmingham?

The general response about the broad approach to the development of the site (mixture of homes, workspaces, community facilities and public space) was positive.

• 80% said they thought it would bring benefit to this part of Birmingham (51% said very much so)

• 10% thought there would be either no benefit (3%) or not much (7%)

Very much so with community facilities

Providing there’s affordable housing / social housing!

It’s about time it changed!

If it’s developed taking the needs of the community in hand.

The housing won’t benefit as it’ll be too expensive.

Any regeneration is good.

Is it going to be affordable housing? Gentrification a worry.

Will boost economy.

Yeah it’s bound to improve the area.

I walk down the canal + it would help clean up that part.

It would bring more people and enhance security & tidy up run down parts

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Don't knowNot at allNot muchTo some extentVery much so

15 16


What sorts of elements would be good to include in the development plans for the site? [rank high/medium/low for potential benefit it could bring to the local area]

Out of the mix of potential elements, community facilities unsurprisingly were rated as having the biggest likely benefit to the local area with 71% saying this would have high benefit. Small businesses (61%), affordable workspace (55%), play space for children (59%) and creative/artist studios (46%) were all also rated very highly. 56% thought that family homes would bring high benefit also. Many other potential elements also had broad approval, when looking at perceived high and medium ratings, and a wide mix of uses/elements on the site would predictably ensure that there were things that especially appealed to different groups.

What sorts of elements would be good to include in the development plans for the site? Elements ranked high or medium for potential benefit it could bring to the local area]

When we combine the figures for high and medium community benefit we can see that there is a strong belief in the community that the types of elements included in the emerging plan for the site will bring significant benefit to the area.

Low

Medium

High

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Gallery

Gallery

Nightclub

Nightclub

Pub/Bar

Pub/Bar

Play space for children

Play space for children

Market (eg food/crafts)

Market (eg food/crafts)

Event Space

Event Space

Canal side mooring

Canal side mooring

Comm

unity Facilities

Comm

unity Facilities

Small businesses

Small businesses

Maker/industrial space

Maker/industrial space

Affordable w

orkspace

Affordable w

orkspace

Cafés/restaurants

Cafés/restaurants

Family hom

es

Family hom

es

Student housing

Student housing

Live-work spaces

Live-work spaces

Creative/Artist Studios

Creative/Artist Studios

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

17 18


Do you think there would be interest in Birmingham in community custom build homes – a model that provides homes at a large discount to the market by allowing purchasers to adapt and finish their homes in a way they want? All homes would remain affordable

The concept of community custom build homes was warmly welcomed by a very high majority. Overall 91% thought there would be interest in Birmingham in this type of supported self- build where the homes would be retained as ongoing affordable assets for local people.

This might work!

I think this is a good thing!

If it helps with the housing crisis! It’s a good thing!

I’m a builder and I still think this would be a positive thing - go for it!0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Not sureNoNot reallyPossiblyProbably

19 20


What words would best sum up how you think the place should ‘feel’/be like? [select up to 5]

In terms of the “feel” of the place, top responses were welcoming (58%), inclusive (39%), creative (39%), inspiring (36%) and vibrant (36%).

The area around and in between the buildings will be new public space. Which landscaping elements do you think would be best to include?

With the public space around and in between the buildings there were again some interesting themes, with a particular priority around green elements. Top elements by far were trees (64%) and grass area to relax/play games (68%), benches and seating, and community planting space was also said for both by 49%. Water feature (38%), canal side seating (38%), public art (29%) and event space (28%) were also said by many people.

The site has very significant opportunities for meanwhile use. This will be important to not only bring community benefit from the phased development but to also start to develop a sense of place and identity. Given the clear geographical and cultural divide between various parts of the area and communities the meanwhile space also could be important in establishing the site as a place that actively engages in both directions – with meanwhile use activity of the site could help foster both bridging and bonding social capital which would benefit the development and both communities.

• Ideas for meanwhile use include childcare facility, markets, large festivals and events, parties and night life, boxpark type development, small business startup

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Other:

Accessible

Inclusive

Quiet

Inspiring

Fun

Arty

Attractive

Comm

unal

Lively

Calm

Creative

Green

Open

Gritty/Industrial

Practical

Vibrant

Welcom

ing

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Playable Space

Benches and seating

Water feature

Event Space

Biodiversity planting

Public Art

Climbing W

all

BBQ spots w

ith picnic tables

Canal side seating

Grass area to relax/

play gam

es

Trees

Comm

unity planting

21 22


future engagementThe engagement conducted to date is the first phase. We will now go out into the community and show the emerging masterplan designs to get feedback on them. The designs will also all be available on the HUB website here: https://www.hubgroup.co.uk/projects/digbeth-bus-garage/

The feedback from the community on the emerging masterplan will enable the project team to continue refine the scheme. In the early part of 2020 HUB will share the refined designs with the community to gather final feedback before submitting them to planning.

If you would like to hear more about the plans or discuss your ideas for the site please do reach out and get in touch. You can:

Email [email protected]

Or call 0121 295 9910

23 24

call0121 295 9910

email [email protected]

for more info visithubgroup.co.uk/projects/digbeth-bus-garage/

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