Plain English Version
The new Park Central housing area with its town size, nice park (Sunset Park) and it’s range of housing is a much more successful housing area, although its design is not very individual. We might need more flexible approaches to design, size, the balance between public and private space and a range of ways that people can buy and rent their homes in the city centre to make mixed city centre communities that can attract a wide range of people.
Original Document
The new Park Central residential quarter with its urban scale, attractive park (Sunset Park) and its range of accommodation is a much more successful residential environment although its design displays a functionality of appearance that does not speak of diversity or individuality. More flexible approaches to design, scale, public/private space and tenure may need to be developed in the city centre to create mixed city centre communities that are capable of attracting a broad range of people.
Plain English Version
Public open space within the city centre is limited. The largest area of open space is Highgate Park — we’ve bid for some money to improve it (along with CSV) from the Parks for People lottery fund.
We could extend Highgate Park so it was big enough for all the people that might be living in the city centre to use.
Other parks in the city centre include St. George’s Park and Sunset Park which forms the centrepiece of the new Park Central development.
There are plans for a new park for Eastside, which will occupy an area of 0.032 square kilometres (0.0124 square miles, about 4 and a half football pitches) and will stretch from Park Street, past Millennium Point and through the Digbeth Branch Canal.
The cemeteries in the Jewellery Quarter provide green space and could be improved.
If we build more houses, we will need more parks and other open space.
Original Document
Public open space within the city centre is limited. The largest area of open space is Highgate Park, which has been subject of a Parks for People lottery bid following extensive consultation. There is potential, however, for the extension of Highgate Park to serve a growing residential population within the city centre. Other notable parks in the city centre include St. George’s Park and Sunset Park which forms the centrepiece of the new Park Central development. In addition, there are plans for a new park for Eastside, which will occupy an area of 3.2 hectares and will stretch from Park Street, past Millennium Point and through the Digbeth Branch Canal. Otherwise, many of the quarters outside the core have very little open space. The cemeteries in the Jewellery Quarter provide green space and have considerable potential for improvement. The potential of the city centre to accommodate more housing will require the creation of more open space and the improvement of existing open spaces.
Plain English Version
Westside been redeveloped a number of times, with:
- the offices around Five Ways
- Baskerville House and Alpha Tower
- the cultural area including the Rep theatre, the NIA, Brindleyplace and the Mailbox
- the leisure area along Broad Street (including the Broadway Entertainment Complex and Cineworld)
all being added.
The area we’re calling Westside also includes the Attwood Green area. Attwood Green is the new name given to the Central Area Estates. It includes the areas of Lee Bank (Five Ways Estate and Cleveland and Clydesdale Towers), Benmore, and Woodview.
It also includes the development at Park Central, which the first phase of a large 10 year housing regeneration programme. It is well under way and is already occupied. Park Central has of housing sizes and tenures set around “Sunset Park”.
Near Attwood Green is the Bath Row and Holloway Head area – an area on the fringe of the ciy Core that has seen little change over the last 30 years. The area is home to a mix of light industrial / warehouse uses, some community activities and offices, some of which may have functional connections with the city centre.
Two towers block of flats mark a gateway at Holloway Head with Beetham Tower (the Radisson Hotel) beyond. At ground level it’s not easy to walk around this area.
Westside has a mixed character. The area is pulled together by Centenary Square and Broad Street and by the canal network, but it isn’t seen as a complete “area”
Centenary Square, Brindley Place and Gas Street Basin look nice, but Broad Street and Five Ways don’t look as good. The NIA is nto attractive fron outside, and has car parks spoiling the view canalside.
Some development is already planned including:
It’s hoped that these developments will bring enough people to live and work in the area to help to support niche and specialist shops.
The Bath Row / Holloway Head area is the last place avalable to redevelop and is being guided by a development brief; so far there are not many plans. There is a good chance that we could provide better pedestrian links between Park Central, Westside and Southside through Holloway Head.
As well as the existing plans, there may be other opportunities in the future. We need to think about how to make the National Indoor Arena more attractive.
We could also improve the public spaces in the area around Fiveways, along Broad Street and the NIA and along some of the canal network.
Broad Street as a brash and buzzy entertainment strip? (See image)
The Broad Street area is an important thing to think about. Although it’s now mainly for entertainment, it could turn into something like a local “high street” with shops and services for the growing number of people that would like and work around it.
Westside (See image)
Original Document
Westside has seen several waves of expanding central area uses: the offices 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.
Westside also includes the Attwood Green area and the ongoing development at Park Central, the first phase of a large 10 year housing regeneration programme, which is well under way and is substantially occupied. Park Central creates a new urban neighbourhood close to the cultural, retail, and commercial heart of the city with a range of housing sizes and tenures set around Sunset Park.
Near Attwood Green is the Bath Row and Holloway Head area - an area on the fringe of the city core that has seen little change over the last 30 years. The area is still home to a mix of light industrial / warehouse uses, some community activities and office uses, some of which may have functional connections with the city 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 of high quality.
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 function as a series of 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 has a poor frontage with multi storey car parks fronting the sensitive canalside.
There are still a number of landmark projects in the pipeline, including the Cube, the V building, Arena Central, Baskerville Wharf, Paradise Circus and the relocation of the Library of Birmingham. These quality developments will bring a critical mass of people into the area which could help to support niche and specialist shops.
The Bath Row / Holloway Head area represents the most significant remaining redevelopment opportunity in the area and its redevelopment is being guided by a development brief; so far, not much development has come forward. There are major opportunities to provide better pedestrian links between Park Central, Westside and Southside through Holloway Head.
In addition to these development proposals which are already in the pipeline, there may be other opportunities in the future. The National Indoor Arena occupies a valuable city centre location adjacent to areas of major change, including Arena Central and as discussed above does not have an attractive presence. We need to think about how further improvements might be made in this area. There are also significant opportunities to improve the quality of the public realm within the Westside area, particularly in the area around Fiveways, along Broad Street and the NIA and along some of the canal network.
The Broad Street area is an important focus for Westside; although it developed an entertainment function in the 1990s, its role in the future may be more akin to the local “high street” with shops and services for the growing residential and business communities around it.
Plain English Version
Westside as a local centre.
Broad Street and Fiveways would be the focus of a growing residential and business community. They would provide a range of local shops with good links through to Park Central, Ladywood and Icknield Port Loop.
Original Document
Westside as a local centre. Broad Street and Fiveways would be the focus of the growing residential and business community and would provide a range of locally-oriented shops and services for those communities, with good links through to Park Central, Ladywood and Icknield Port Loop.