We got to watch a bit of telly during the meeting – Inside Out West Midlands discussed the Noise Abatement issues faced by The Rainbow and The Spotted Dog. The BBC reporters managed to get their hands on the elusive pre-development noise survey – which only looked at potential traffic noise issues and did not consider noise from local commercial businesses. This prompted Councillor Yvonne Mosquito’s response that there was clearly a mistake on behalf of the planners and a mistake was made by the council, in that checks that should have been done weren’t.
The planning application for a Backpacker’s Hostel on Cheapside has been approved (despite 54 objections) with conditions – but residents remain in the dark about what those conditions are. More worryingly, John Tighe raised concerns about the Birmingham City Council planning meeting where the proposal was discussed – each complainant present should have had 3 minutes each to speak but in the meeting all individual complainants there were lumped together into one 3 minute slot.
The next meeting will be on Monday 7th December at the Paragon Hotel.
The Digbeth Residents’ Association meeting was held on Monday, minutes to the meeting are below. I wasn’t able to go, but going by the minutes the biggest issue discussed was that planning permission has been granted to convert the apartment block on the corner of Alcester St/Cheapside into a backpacker-style hostel, despite 54 objections and concerns expressed by residents about how this will affect parking, noise and crime in the area.
In other news, Neighbourhood Manager Andy Sheppard has proposed a ‘walkabout’ on 12th October. Contact him on 0121 675 6942 or andy.sheppard@birmingham.gov.uk if you’re interested.
The first week of the month is a busy one for the active Digbeth citizen. All the community meetings seem to happen during the evenings of that week. Here’s the week for the community-minded:
Monday – the first Monday of the month is always the Digbeth and Highgate Residents’ Association meeting at 7pm, invariably at the Paragon Hotel. Go along to discuss local issues with fellow residents, police and housing officers.
Tuesday – on the first Tuesday of each month the local landlords get together to talk about things concerning them, what’s coming up, plan-out future big events and the like. However, this Tuesday they’re meeting a little later than planned so as not to miss out on the Digbeth: Past, Present & Future discussion at Ikon Eastside from 6.30pm.
Wednesday – at 8pm on the first Wednesday of each month the Birmingham Irish Heritage Group meet for events about Irish heritage and culture in the Connaught Bar. I’ve been to a few and always found them to be incredibly interesting and informative. I always go away having learnt something completely new and unexpected, these nights are a real hidden gem. Everyone is welcome. This Wednesday is their Annual General Meeting, where you can get a taste of the year to come and take part in a raffle prize draw.
There’s also a Digbeth Business Association who meet monthly to talk about common issues, but I’m not sure when. I don’t think it’s in the first week of the month, which kind of scuppers my theory really. Ah well.
The September Digbeth Residents Association meeting was on Monday. The minutes are below. Andy Sheppard, the Neighbourhood Manager for Highgate, Digbeth and St Andrews, was there to say hello. I’ll let him introduce himself:
I have recently been employed by Birmingham City Council as the Neighbourhood Manager for Highgate, Digbeth and St Andrews. Put at its simplest my role is to enable residents to engage with service providers to improve the quality of life in the area and to improve the provision of services. I also want to encourage community cohesion and good neighbourliness.
I am currently visiting as many resident groups and service providers in the area as I can to listen to people’s priorities so that I can draw up an Action Plan to show how we can all help make Highgate, Digbeth and St Andrews better places to live and work in. I would be interested to hear from anyone with ideas on how we can all help do this. I have heard many complaints about a lack of information about what is happening in the area and I do all that I can to remedy this.
If you would like to speak to Andy Sheppard you can email him at andy.sheppard@birmingham.gov.uk, call him on 0121 675 6942 or write to him at Birmingham City Council, 2nd Flr New Aston House, Alma Street Newtown B19 2RL.
Here’s the minutes from Monday’s Resident’s Association meeting, which discussed the Big City Plan. Residents seemed most excited about possible plans for the neglected Highgate Park, which they are eager to see become a safer, greener, more pleasant space for everyone to enjoy. Here’s a larger version of the document. Digbeth Residents Association Jan 2009
Whilst unlocking my bike the other day I noticed that someone had had a bloody good go at the lock with a saw, thankfully unsuccesful, which annoyed me. When I noticed another lock completely sawed through I got really angry. Bike thefts are rife round here, so many people I know have had theirs nicked. I don’t know whether the bike attached to the above lock was stolen or not.
I got het up enough to call the police but I must admit I wasn’t expecting them to take a slightly damaged bike lock all that seriously. How wrong I was, they were great. They had a pair of officers round within the hour who took a good look at the locks and took a statement and crime report.
At a previous Residents’ Association meeting the Neighbourhood Police Officer suggested the housing association managing our flats had created a crime ‘hot spot’ with an insecure bike holding area. I can only hope my reporting of this will contribute to the statistics that back that up, which will hopefully lead to some sort of solution.
Last night I went to the Digbeth Residents’ Association meeting. Along with the usual resident grumbles was Chris Holder, a local tenant and architect student who’s keen to see his neighbourhood engage and improve, presenting his preliminary ideas for a much-needed community arts project. He’s very kindly emailed the first draft of his project brief which I’ve copied and pasted here:
Project Brief: Digbeth Residents Association
Improve community relationships between new and existing businesses, residents, other community groups such as and the local primary school.
Improve the quality of our environment, reduce the impact of anti social behaviour and raise awareness of strong existing community with the city council.
Act as a community to help the city council to provide the type of services and industry housing and infrastructure that is much need in the locality for the area to become a vibrant hub.
Raise the aspirations of local children and show them how communities can effect change in their environment.
Project: Community Art Project
We aim to engage a number of public artists to work with the local school children and community groups to help design the new Bradford Street. This street is a vital link between the city centre and the new development along Alcester Street, Cheapside and Mosley Road. This area currently lacks identity and is in danger of becoming a placeless neighbourhood which is causing great concern for business and residents alike.
Bradford Street has currently undergone a huge change with over 50% of the buildings that once formed the street having been cleared to make way for new development. Due to a number of factors not least the economic downturn we believe there are currently no plans to build on this land for the next few years.
It is our intention to take ownership of the street and using the existing hoardings produce an alternative vision for the area.
A vision that may include the River Rea as its centre-piece, with waterfront shops and restaurants along its banks. Views of the Custard Factory, workspace for the new creative industries, family housing, leisure facilities, local shops, and much need public services such as doctors and dentists.
We are hoping to gain the support of the Made, Birmingham City Council Development Department, Local Police, local business and residents alike.
We feel this project could act as a design guide for how this area is redeveloped and in the interim provide a positive message to visitors to the area, that this is a community and not just another faceless development.
We feel that the culmination of this project should involve a street party where Bradford Street is closed and all participants and locals are invited to enjoy the atmosphere and share in the diversity culture of the area, enjoy the artwork and discus what they would like to see in the area. It is also are aim to provide temporary trees with the help of BTCV to finish our vision for the area.
UPDATE OF 2ND FEB 2010: I SPOKE TO THE MANAGER OF CHERISH HOUSE YESTERDAY WHO ASSURES ME TRIDENT HOUSING ASSOCIATION HAVE NOT PREVENTED THE RESIDENTS OF CHERISH HOUSE FROM GARDENING. IT SEEMS THERE WAS A DISPUTE BETWEEN A COUPLE OF RESIDENTS OVER THE PATCH OF LAND, AND THE RESIDENTS’ COMMITTEE DECREED THAT THEY DOWN TOOLS UNTIL THEY CAME TO A MUTUAL AGREEMENT. AS YET, THEY HAVE NOT COME TO A MUTUAL AGREEMENT.
At the last Digbeth Residents’ Association meeting on 1st September the issue of the gardens in Cherish House, owned by Trident Housing Association, was raised. It seems that the green-fingured residents have been told to down tools, cease gardening and have had to watch as their well-tended patches of green have become overgrown with weeds.
No one’s really sure why they’ve been prevented from gardening, something they obviously got a great deal of satisfaction from doing. Residents’ Association Chair and rebel heart Adam Crossley suggested donning balaclavas and doing a spot of late-night guerilla gardening, which sounds like fun.
The next Residents’ Association meeting is at 7pm on Monday 6th October in the Paragon Hotel.
