I visited 'suffering' Birmingham area amid scepticism over Commonwealth Games legacy

Birmingham's Perry Barr was the heart of the Commonwealth Games two years ago

It’s been two years since Birmingham welcomed athletes and visitors from across the world for the Commonwealth Games. The cheerful scenes during the event are now a contrast to the current political situation in Brum however, with the crisis-hit city council recently passing a wave of proposed cuts to local services.

And in Perry Barr, home to Alexander Stadium, there have been questions over whether the games have left a positive legacy or not so far. The Labour administration at the council has claimed the north Birmingham area has been transformed amid upgraded public transport links and the redevelopment of the stadium.

But the shockwaves of the financial crisis at the council are also causing anxiety within the community. During my visit to the area this week, it was clear at a consultation session that residents were deeply worried for the future of a key service as the council looks to reshape the city’s library service.

READ MORE: The Birmingham battle goes on over cuts to vital service that the city 'must protect'

Under the council's recommended proposals, Tower Hill Library in the Perry Barr ward could be part of a “co-location library offer” which would see two buildings closed and relocated. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told me outside the library: “This is a place of warmth and a safe space - where are people going to go?

“I’m really concerned about the direction of the area". Another local, 59-year-old Marlene Lewis, urged the council to look at the bigger picture, saying the library was for the “future of our children”.

As I wandered northwards away from the beloved library, I soon came across the site of the Perry Barr Residential Scheme, which was initially earmarked for the Commonwealth Games athletes' village. However, the decision was made to scrap the village back in 2020, with development restrictions during Covid being blamed.

Years later and the site resembles an eerie ghost town, with fences still up around the new apartment buildings. Proposals to sell three developed plots on the scheme to a third-party were approved in August, which is set to bring 755 new apartments onto the market.

Next to the apartments are the signs of another highly anticipated Perry Barr project taking shape - the boxpark. In 2022, plans were in place prior to the Commonwealth Games to use 14 shipping containers to screen sport.

Another 72 containers were then due to be added later after the Games had ended. However, in a blow for locals, the council confirmed in July 2022 that plans had been delayed and would not be ready in time for the Games, saying the decision to push them back was made in order to “maximise the positive impacts for tenants and visitors”.

Containers had finally been moved onto the site by the time of my visit but it’s evident that there’s more work to be done before the original vision is realised. With uncertainty around Tower Hill Library; fences still up at the residential scheme and the box park not completed, it’s perhaps no surprise that some people feel like Perry Barr has been let down since the Commonwealth Games.

“We haven’t got a legacy,” Perry Barr councillor Morriam Jan (Liberal Democrats) told me during my visit. She went on to claim that business owners in the area had also been disrupted by roadworks in recent years.

“The communities and residents are suffering and it’s not fair,” she added. Asked what Tower Hill Library means to its community, she responded: “Everything.”

“It’s accessible and it’s loving,” she said.”The librarians love working here - they love Perry Barr and they love the library.”

Fellow Perry Barr councillor Jon Hunt (Liberal Democrats) told me he also disagreed with the view that the area has been transformed. He said they had seen change but argued it was not the regeneration that had been promised.

What Birmingham City Council said about Perry Barr

Cllr Sharon Thompson, deputy leader at the council, recently said that Perry Barr had been transformed in recent years and described it as a “destination of choice for visitors or for those wishing to relocate”. “The investment in Perry Barr has brought massive benefits locally with upgraded public transport links, the stunning redevelopment of the Alexander Stadium and [the residential scheme deal] will deliver better housing choices for local people,” she continued.

In July, the council’s cabinet agreed to retain more than 200 homes within the residential scheme for social housing. “I do think this is an important step forward for Perry Barr,” council leader John Cotton said at the time.

“It has to be seen in the context of the wider regeneration of the area as well. It’s been utterly transformed as a result of the legacy from the Games, whether we’re looking at the railway station, Alexander Stadium, the new secondary school and sixth form.”

The council also insisted back in the summer that the boxpark is still planned and more containers are due to be manufactured. When it comes to the city’s libraries, Cllr Saima Suleman, the council’s cabinet member for digital, culture, heritage and tourism, previously said its recommended proposals could provide 28 building-based libraries funded by BCC including a community library hub in each constituency.

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“There is also potential for up to 34 Library based buildings with the inclusion of partner-led libraries,” she said. “Crucially, in our community library hubs we will offer people the support that they need.”

A council spokesperson added that comments and concerns about community libraries would be taken into consideration during the consultation period.

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