Planning Applications to 12 October 2013

A couple to be playing with this week

2013/07567/PA - 20 Dudley Park Road, Acocks Green, B27 6QR
Erection of 3 storey detached block using roof space to provide 7 assisted living flats (Use Class C3).
This is a return of an application from the Christadelphian Care Homes. The Ward Committee objected to the last application, chiefly because the bulk of the building overpowered others in the street. Have a look at the plans online. The previous application was 2013/00728/PA. This new application looks to be more in keeping with neighbouring properties and does not appear so dominant, but let's hear your thoughts.

2013/07583/PA - 208 School Road, Hall Green, B28 8PD
Alterations to roof with dormer window to rear and erection of replacement detached double garage to rear.
Note - this falls within the School Road Conservation area

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

Odds and Ends

From the miscellaneous files:

Leaking pipe repaired on Dudley Park Road
This was leaking up through the carriageway and I liaised with Severn Trent and Amey to get the repair completed as rapidly as possible. Allowing for a couple of days to move the bus stop temporarily and get the necessary approvals into place, the work was completed, the leaking water main repaired and the road reinstated in just over a week.

Pedestrian crossing signal on Westley Road fixed

Lamp post repaired on Hartfield Crescent
This actually had the head hanging off the post and only held on by the cable.

Amey barriers removed from Woodcock Lane (and recovered from the canal)
Left behind after the relighting programme had been completed

Planning Applications to 2 March 2013

Bit of a rush this week (sorry for the lack of posting this earlier in the week - been rather hectic)

2013/00643/PA - 61 Kilmorie Road
Erection of two storey side extension and single storey front and rear extensions

2013/00728/PA - 20 Dudley Park Road
Erection of 3 storey detached block utilising roof space to provide 7 assisted living flats (Use Class C3)

2013/01184/PA - 58 Olton Croft
Erection of single storey rear extension and creation of patio area

2013/00474/PA - 132 Yardley Road
Installation of a footway crossing (dropped kerb)

2013/01198/PA - 93 Hazelwood Road
Erection of two storey rear and single storey side and rear extension, forward porch and new double pitch gable ended roof

You can find the details by inputting the reference number into the Council online database here

If you have any comments, you can submit them online - feel free to pass your comments on to me.

Snaglist

Here's a sample of work scheduled and completed across the ward recently thanks to the intervention of the Labour team. 

Faulty street lights

On the Shirley Road/School Lane roundabout, at the junction of Shirley Road and Dolphin Lane, Oakhill Crescent, Yardley Road (including the belisha beacon), Westley Road, Flint Green Road, Shirley Road.

Damaged bollards repaired

Warwick Road/Westley Road junction (at the Green roundabout), Station Road/Oxford Road/Sherbourne Road junction.

Potholes

A couple of impressive examples of this species appeared - one particularly deep one on the Warwick Road lozenge roundabout opposite Lincoln Road North and another on the junction of Stockfield Road and Warwick Road, both of which were genuine hazards to road users. Both have been fixed. 

Other issues

Elsewhere, Amey will also be repairing the damaged trip rails on Warwick Road opposite Stockfield Road. 

A couple of weeks back, I was walking down Dudley Park Road and noticed that a deep hole had suddenly  opened up in the footpath just by the junction with Station Road. This was quite an urgent risk, given that it was potentially a serious trip hazard for any pedestrian, so I had the Amey hit squad out that same morning to perform a fix. The drainage team will need to have a look, as a void appears to have opened up beneath the footpath, so this might not be a permanent repair. 

A defective road sign on Weston Lane is to be realigned and adjusted to protect cyclists. This isn't part of the patch, but has been raised by a constituent, so I've raised it and Amey will be out to fix it. The sign warns drivers turning into Weston Lane from Battery Way to expect cyclists crossing the junction following the cycle route down into the dead end. Sadly, it was installed too low on the pole and has been turned round so that drivers can't see it. 

We've also got a problem with blocked gullies around the Spring Road station. Amey have been to have a look and the problem is actually with a blocked public sewer, which is maintained by Severn Trent. They've flagged it and I'll chase it myself with a contact with Severn Trent. 

Elsewhere, working with the landlords of the flats on Sherbourne Road, we had the access drive extended slightly to allow our bin wagons to be sure of access to the bin stores, as there was a period of several weeks when we weren't able to clear rubbish. An untaxed vehicle was parked on the private drive and prevented our trucks getting close enough to safely manoeuvre the large wheeled bins - the crews were trying daily at one point. 

Good news for Acocks Green

It has been a busy few weeks, but there is some excellent news about projects in the pipeline for Acocks Green.

Firstly, after discussions with the Deputy Leader of the Council, we've secured funding to refresh some of the street furniture around the Green itself - replacing the range of bollards with a single type, repainting in new colours and generally sprucing the place up. There were plans to repaint the lamp posts as well, but this has been scrapped, as the posts are due for replacement over the next two years or so and we can put that money to work elsewhere. That work will be done over the next few months.

Secondly, there's £3.4 million to be spent on the Warwick Road from the junction with the Stratford Road through to Solihull and half of that will be spent reworking the stretch between Station Road and Woodcock Lane right here in Acocks Green. We'll be consulting in detail over autumn 2012 with various local groups and also at the Ward Committee in September, so do make sure you get along to that.

Essentially, the plan is to de-dual the carriageway at this point, widening pavements, decluttering, reducing road speeds and increasing parking facilities along the road here. We'll also be looking at making the slip road in front of the KFC (on the stretch between Mallard Road and Oxford Road) much more of a public space to support the farmers' market or any other events that might occur. To improve access to the car park, we're also looking at improving traffic flows along Station Road and the junction with Sherbourne Road/Oxford Road/Dudley Park Road - but this will be done in full consultation with residents in that area.

Expect more details over the coming months - we'll make sure that you are kept up to date with progress, but the intention is to consult this autumn, finalise the designs and tender the work out in 2013 with the aim of work being carried out and completed for the Christmas season in 2014.

Finally, we're also hoping to see some exciting work done to tidy up the junction of Olton Boulevard East with Summer Road, Shaftmoor Lane and Spring Road as part of the Morrisons building programme, as well as improvements along Spring Road and the addition of pedestrian crossings. Watch out for more on that over the next few weeks. That work is on the books for completion within the next twelve months.

Aside from that, we've got a number of smaller projects much further advanced - the Shirley Road/School Road island is installed, we've got raised crossings being installed along Pemberly Road over the summer and there will also be some major work done this summer on Yarnfield Road in front of the school to make that safe for children and parents. Also, we're still pressing forward with work to calm traffic along Arden Road - we'll be discussing that with Highways over the coming weeks.

So that's a number of major investments in your ward over the next couple of years - we really are working to make things better.