Huge changes to 'aged' Birmingham city centre agreed and it will be 'fantastic'

A £20 million project to make busy Birmingham city centre streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists has been agreed. The plans include increasing pedestrianisation areas and replacing 'dated' paving.

Called the City Centre Active Travel Connections to Interchanges plan, it aims to improve connections between public transport exchanges such as New Street and Snow Hill stations and Colmore Row Bus Interchange.

Work will include nine new cycle stands, two bike maintenance hubs, almost 7,000 square metres of shared-use paving, new signage, benches, street lighting, and drainage.

It will also see Bennetts Hill, Temple Street and part of New Street pedestrianised between 11am and 11pm seven days a week, apart from emergency vehicles.

The areas covered within the project are New Street, Temple Street, Bennetts Hill, Lower Temple Street, Ethel Street, Chamberlain Square, Eden Place and Victoria Square steps.

Earlier this week, members of the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Investment Board approved City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement funding of £12.926m to go towards the project. A further £7.833 million for the scheme will come from Clean Air Zone net surplus money.

READ MORE: Major project to transform Wolverhampton city centre agreed and it will be 'impactful'

Officers said this is the 'sister project' to the recently completed City Centre Public Realm scheme which has seen a revamp of Victoria Square, Colmore Row and Waterloo Street. Councillor Majid Mahmood, Birmingham City Council cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "The scheme improves safety and connectivity for active travel users by relocating road space away from vehicles and traffic and reassign priorities to active travel modes including walking and cycling and wheeling.

"The scheme provides improvements that create a safe, welcoming and attractive environment that in turn aims to support investment and economic growth.

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

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Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.

"It replaces degrading surfaces in New Street that have been in place for over 30 years. The new surfaces will be long lasting and allow for greater accessibility and reduce our maintenance costs therein.

"New Street is one of the most pedestrian dense areas in Birmingham, if not the country, and therefore this work is key."

WMCA Investment Board member Chris Burden said: "I'm sure the style of brick paving was very fashionable in the 1980s and 90s but it hasn't aged in the way it should have. If you've seen some of the work done in the first phase of this, around the council house, it really is fantastic. Having that down New Street will be a bit more timeless, that won't go in and out of fashion."