Digbeth Consultation Questionnaire

THE DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTIONNAIRE HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED TO 31ST JANUARY. QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED AFTER 31ST JAN 2010 CANNOT BE SUBMITTED.

Atkins are conducting a Digbeth Consultation Questionnaire for Birmingham City Council and Advantage West Midlands, which they would like as many people as possible to respond to.  Unfortunately it is not available online, so I’ve created a Google Form so you can complete it online if you like.  I’ll forward the summary spreadsheet to Atkins, who are aware of what I’m doing (I spoke to representatives at the Digbeth Corridor Study Stakeholder Consultation Meeting).

You can comment on this page, so you can discuss your feelings about the questionnaire if you want to.  Questionnaires must be submitted by 31st January (I’ll be sure to close the form on that date). By the way, I’m aware the START UPS question is a repetition of that for DEVELOPMENT – that’s how it is in the printed version.

Here’s the front-page blurb on the printed questionnaire:

IMPROVING DIGBETH IS ONE OF THE COUNCIL’S KEY PRIORITIES AS PART OF THE BIG CITY PLAN.  FOR MANY OF US, THE STREETS ARE PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES.  THEY ARE WHERE WE GO TO WORK, SHOP, LEARN, DO BUSINESS AND BE CREATIVE.

Digbeth High Street is an historic route leading to the city centre.  It is an arrival point for many who travel into Birmingham by coach, car and bus.  First impressions are gained by what is seen in the Digbeth area.  This area is also a living and working environment that has a strong sense of community and identity.

The city council wants to improve Digbeth by:

• Improving the pedestrian environment on the street;
• Joining up both sides of Digbeth – making it easier to cross the area;
• Improving links to existing facilities and public spaces within the area/across the city centre; and
• Creating a series of new public spaces along the road.

This is a long term project that will feed into other Big City Plan work in the area.  It will only succeed if we engage with local people, our partners, and stakeholders every step of the way.  We have already carried out extensive consultation that shows many people are supportive of our aims.

We are now consulting at an early stage in our study and would like to hear you ideas.

Then it thanks people for taking part in the questionnaire and asks they return it to Gary Oakes, Transport Planner at Atkins (Birmingham office).  But you don’t need to do that, obviously.  Then there’s a picture of an aerial view of Digbeth, with the Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, Big City Plan and Atkins logos underneath it.  And then there’s this questionnaire to complete: