Update - Library Repairs

Floors, shelves and books protected and scaffolding up inside

This morning, I attended the first of the regular meetings about the progress of repair work to the library. The roof covering is being replaced, along with all the skylights. Fortunately, we've managed to get the price down so that we're able to do the whole roof (the previous plans only envisaged two thirds of it being done, with a chunk over the staff areas being left to rot, even though water damage is apparent).

You won't see a lot from the front - the parapet at the top is far higher than you think at about 3m. Work is underway scaffolding the building and the internals have all been protected and wrapped properly. There are a few asbestos tests planned in for the start of next week - ones that couldn't be done until work is ready to start, owing to the destructive nature. The outcome isn't expected to cause any major delays, as they are most likely to only require a shift in working practice rather than outright removal.

Final designs of the roof lights are still to be agreed with the conservation officer, but the lead time on the replacement units is such that this isn't going to cause a delay. Similarly, we're just finalising the type of glass to go into the roof elements of the rooflights - it will probably be a self-cleaning, heat reflecting glass - while the side panels will be clear glass.

Up on the roof - four different types of roof lights in this space

The contractors are aware of the war memorial to the front of the building and there will be no need to restrict access. They have also been reminded of the need to show particular respect around any services held on Monday 11 November.

Currently, we're still on budget and on course to complete site works by the 13 December. After that, there will be some delay while the library staff get themselves back into their home, but hopefully no more than a week.

As always, keep an eye on the blog for the next update - probably in about a fortnight.

Birmingham to cut speed limits on 9 out of 10 roads

Friday's marathon session of the Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Committee saw the launch of the strategy that will help to make Birmingham's roads that bit safer. Over the next seven years, we'll be changing speed limits on 90% of the city's roads to 20mph. I'm delighted to see this - I've supported this for years and spoke in favour of the change last year.

During the three years from 2010 to 2012, the city saw 7349 road traffic collisions, which caused slight injuries to 9377 people, serious injuries to 1204 and claimed 79 lives. While that is better than 2000-02, the drop from 12497 collisions is perhaps more closely related to a drop in traffic volumes. Any economic recovery may actually see an increase in injuries. Bear in mind that the number of non-injury collisions - and probably many causing minor injuries - is not known with any degree of reliability.

A quarter of all casualties are pedestrians or cyclists - and over 40% of child casualties are on two wheels or two legs.

Almost half of all collisions occur in just ten wards in Birmingham - Nechells, Ladywood, Sparkbrook, Edgbaston, Aston, South Yardley, Washwood Heath, Tyburn, Bordesley Green and Moseley and Kings Heath. Similarly, almost half of all pedestrian collisions occur in only a quarter of the wards: Ladywood, Nechells, Sparkbrook, Washwood Heath, Aston, Bordesley Green, Soho, Lozells & East Handsworth, Moseley and Kings Heath and Tyburn - in order.

There is clear evidence that accidents are concentrated in areas of deprivation and in local centres and that we are need to focus on collisions involving child pedestrians, particularly those in the 10-14 age group who are transitioning to secondary school. It is also worth noting that young men aged between 20 and 29 are disproportionately represented in the numbers of dead or seriously injured.

Travelling at 20mph rather than 30mph almost halves total stopping distance and massively reduces the risk of pedestrian fatality. A 1mph reduction in speed at 30mph produces a 3% reduction in collisions, while a 1mph reduction in speed at 20mph will cut collisions by 7%. 20mph zones, which include traffic calming measures, typically see a 44-60% drop in collisions, for which there is a good body of evidence. The evidence is still developing for the sign-only limits, but Portsmouth saw crashes drop by 8%, Warrington by 25% and the Trescott Estate in Birmingham saw a fall of 80%. Following objections from the emergency services, traffic calming has generally fallen out of fashion unless there are specific local reasons.

Quite apart from the human cost of these injuries and losses, everything has a value, calculated by the DfT. A fatal accident has a cost of something of the order of £1.8m and others are similarly accounted. That would suggest that collisions in Birmingham over those three years 2010-12 cost around £625m. If we can reduce accidents only by Warrington's 8%, that would produce savings in excess of £50m - quite aside from the cost in terms of injury or human life. That's not a bad return for about £7m of spending.

The proposal is that about 90% of the city's road network would be limited to 20mph. Obviously, this will cover residential streets, but it will also include major roads with primary shopping frontages - like the Warwick Road through Acocks Green or the A435 High Street in Kings Heath, entrances to schools, leisure facilities, parks, health centres, hospitals and public transport hubs. Roll out will take about seven years and £7 million to complete - cost limitations prevent it being any faster and we are likely to prioritise those areas where the risk is greatest. There will also be areas where putting in limits makes sense if other work is being carried out - an example here is around the centre of Acocks Green. As the 20mph limit is put into effect on the Warwick Road as part of the LSTF proposals, as it makes sense to put limits into effect on the side roads so that drivers don't leave the main road 20mph limit and return to 30mph on the side streets. It wouldn't be difficult to create a contiguous area out of those roads. New developments are also likely to have the limits imposed from the start and there may also be opportunities with Amey on the highways capital improvement programme.

This is supposed to be self-enforcing - it is suitable for roads where typical speeds are around 24mph - but the limits will be legally enforceable and the police will carry out their usual work as they do currently.

Overall, this will help to make our city a better place to live and will encourage people to use the appropriate form of transport - particularly walking or cycling for local journeys. That has tremendous implications for carbon reduction and the general health of the city.

There will be a consultation exercise starting over the next month or so and - as always - I'd encourage you to have your say.

Planning Applications to the 21st September 2013

Only a single application this week.

2013/06910/PA - 1 Laurel Gardens, Acocks Green, B27 6TS
Erection of single storey side extension

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.

The Prince's Trust Team 136

I spent part of Wednesday evening with Team 136, who are part of the Prince's Trust scheme that operates out of Acocks Green Police station, supported by PC Stuart Toogood and PCSO Fae Palmer. They search out young people who have lost their way a little - some have records of trouble with the police, some have had problems finding work and have had their confidence knocked by repeated rejection. Many had problems at school and left with few qualifications and some have a history of substance abuse. The easy answer is to mark them down as failures or scroungers and abandon them to the system, but that's not part of the plan for the Prince's Trust, Solihull College and the police.

Last night, we heard their stories as they stood in front of an audience of friends, family, previous scheme graduates and assorted invited guests. They talked through the scheme - their recruitment, the residential team building week rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and gorge walking on the Welsh border (a free holiday if you believe the Daily Mail), their work with groups of disabled youngsters and the elderly, fund raising for their project and building a playground on Cheddar Road. After that, they prepared their CVs and had a period of work experience with a range of local employers, including Jaguar Land Rover, DHL and other companies and social enterprises.

Their stories were inspiring - the young woman who has had a string of short term jobs. She said that this scheme had "made her realise that she wasn't as useless as she thought she was." She's starting an apprenticeship next week at a social enterprise dealing with those recovering from substance abuse. Others are going through the recruitment process at JLR - which includes a drug test - and another is a groundbreaker. He had a placement at DHL and they have asked him to return as an employee - the first time that the scheme has had someone placed there, so his success will influence their decision to take on others. I had a chat with one proud dad who was delighted that his son had a job so that he could help support his own son.

This is a really effective programme that clearly has results - it gives these young people a real chance to restart their lives in employment. The fact that it works is a tribute to the Trust, West Midlands Police and the officers that run it. It was an absolute pleasure and an honour to be invited.

Planning Applications to the 14th September 2013

Nothing to report for the first week in September, but a couple for last week. Nothing controversial here.

Or is there? 

2013/06866/PA - 2 Gospel Lane, Acocks Green, B27 7AA
Erection of first floor side extension and single storey rear extension

2013/06516/PA - Acocks Green Baptist Church, Yardley Road, B27 6HG
Demolition of Glynn Edwards Hall and construction of a new two storey building to accommodate
community uses and restoration and redevelopment of Grade II Listed Church and Arthur Moore Hall
OK, maybe there is something controversial. There's one view of the proposals here - other thoughts are available. I should note that I have been formally advised of the application as a local resident close enough to be affected. 

2013/06696/PA - 1285 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6PX
Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed use for the installation of a dormer window to the rear

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.

Free cholesterol testing still on at Sainsburys!

Sainsbury's Acocks Green is offering free cholesterol testing - there should be another week left of the offer. I was asked to be the guinea pig.

Despite my pathological fear of needles, I took one for the team and had one of the pharmacy team gently used a captive needle to get a blood sample which is popped into an electronic reader. The pharmacist then looks at the results and gives you some relevant advice. If they need to, they will refer you to your GP if the results show something that needs further attention.


For the record, my cholesterol was - surprisingly - within recommended limits. Thanks to Sainsburys for asking.

We have a winner!

Particularly delighted to hear from Fran that Acocks Green went up a level in the Heart of England in Bloom competition. Last year, the hard work delivered bronze. This year, the team went one better and brought home a silver award, along with art awards for pupils at Acocks Green School and a special award for Fran for her hard work in energising the volunteers and local services to green up the village.

The judges were especially pleased with the mural, created by a local young artist.

Next year - can we do better?

Fox Hollies Forum Environmental Centre reopens

Matt Redmond welcomes the Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress

I was delighted to be invited, along with Cllr Stacey, to the reopening of the Fox Hollies Environmental Centre, which has been refurbished thanks to a generous grant from Veolia. We also welcomed the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to a gathering of local people and service users. The Fox Hollies Forum is a very special community facility in the ward, acting as a centre for a wide range of services and groups and offering opportunities for employment - they've even taken on an apprentice to help look after the animals in the centre.

Camp fire singing with pupils from The Oaklands school

There's always a tree to plant....

Policing Update

We've had a bit of a spike in crime across the ward over the summer. Total recorded crime is up year on year across Acocks Green by 25%. Within that, burglary is up by 92%, which translates to 35 offences; vehicle crime is up 13%; and robbery is up by 20%, which equates to five offences. As I wrote earlier, I'm always conscious about the level of fear of crime that exists in Yardley, so there needs to be some perspective. This is still a safe place to live. We've got a very good and dedicated policing team here and they are committed to cutting crime and dealing with offenders.

The Gospel Estate has borne the brunt of this - hence the meeting at Lakey Lane School for the start of Operation Seabreeze - this is divided into patrol strategy, offender management and community development, with short, medium and long term goals for each area. The officers in Acocks Green have been clearly very stretched - the Gospel Estate started out with one PC and two PCSOs. One PCSO was removed and after the local PC was redeployed elsewhere, his replacement unfortunately went on long term sick. We now have a replacement - PC Nick Hale, who started last week. An additional PCSO, Dan Coxhead, has also been sent to the Gospel to support PCSO Chelsie Beardsmore. Sadly, PC Ian Davis, who has been a key member of the team, has been sent to a new posting as an Acting Sergeant in Stechford. We'll certainly miss him here in Acocks Green, but we already have a replacement, PC Dan Poore.

In terms of the Gospel Estate, officers from Acocks Green will liaise with their colleagues across the borders in Solihull and Hall Green. Other departments, such as traffic, are putting their people into the area to carry out patrols as urgent commitments allow. There is also work going on to put some additional youth activities onto the Gospel. The initial response, even from some of the young people involved, has been positive and residents have welcomed the additional, visible patrols. Surveys have been carried out by the local teams across hundreds of properties to assess local concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour. On a long term basis, they will look to take out a dispersal order - a civil measure that allows the police to order groups that are causing disruption to leave the area and not to return without facing the possibility of arrest. A number of youths have been identified as getting involved with a number of problems on the estate and the initial response is to explore civil anti-social behaviour action, which may lead to ASBOs. However, this isn't a short term option - evidence has to be gathered and a civil case built.

Elsewhere, anti-speeding operations have recently been carried out on Olton Boulevard East, where nine drivers were spoken to about exceeding the speed limit; four were warned on Tyndale Road, eleven on Fox Hollies Road and none on Mayfield Road. Other speeding operations are planned for coming weeks on other roads.

Wheelie bin survey results

Next Monday, the cabinet of Birmingham City Council will meet and agree the roll out programme for wheelie bins across Birmingham. The current plans envisage that the deployment will reach our local depot in the autumn of 2014, so we've got about a year to wait for them to reach Acocks Green.

What is interesting is the survey work done in the two trial wards - Brandwood and Harborne. 417 people across both wards were interviewed face to face prior to the roll out and there was then a follow-up telephone interview with the same people after the bins had been put into use. These were the individuals with primary responsibility for recycling in a household. The data is weighted to ensure that their backgrounds are a balance that matches the ward, so we can have some decent confidence in the data. 

Prior to the launch, 35% strongly supported the introduction of wheeled bins, 28% tended to support them, 22% were undecided, 7% tended to oppose and 8% strongly opposed them. When they were re-interviewed, the shift was quite marked. Now 53% strongly supported them and 23% tended to support, with 11% being neutral and just 4% tending to oppose, although 9% strongly oppose. That shows 63% initially in favour, rising to 76% in favour once they actually had a chance to use the service. The neutrals seemed to have shifted in favour and the total of those opposed has slipped back by a couple of points, although it is interesting that there has been a very slight hardening of those strongly opposed. Interestingly, this is pretty close to the figures produced by a YouGov survey in 2011, which showed 77% with a positive view of wheeled bins, 14% with a negative view and 9% undecided. (Oddly, LibDem voters are most in favour). 

Although this is still early days and only relating to two of our forty wards, the sample shows that 31% feel that wheelie bins have encouraged them to recycle more, compared to 20% who thought it would when surveyed prior to implementation. Curiously, 6% think that they recycle less than before, double the 3% who thought that they would reduce their recycling. The actual results speak for themselves - residual waste (black bag) collection amounts have dropped by 24% across the wards, while the mixed (glass/plastic) recyling has increased by 40% and paper has increased by 20%. That would be a pretty impressive achievement if it could be sustained, but I would expect variable increases in recycling once the system is fully rolled out, although all the evidence suggests that this change will encourage far greater recycling.

Despite this positive news, however, there's always one who has to find the downside. This week, it is Cllr Jon Hunt, who is leading the charge and has managed to get a story into the Mail claiming that the budget costs have doubled since last year.

Unfortunately for the thrust of the story, they haven't.

Borrowing was always part of the picture and the Liberal Democrats know this. It has been covered at previous cabinet meetings and in scrutiny committee too. A larger part of the modernisation project is funded through council spending and borrowing than is funded by the DCLG money.

But Jon doesn't stop there.

The council has already maxed out its credit card. Now it proposes to conjure another £8 million out of nowhere this year. It is staggering that senior councillors on the council have the brass neck to think they can spend even more money on this. 

Apart from the minor point that prudential borrowing isn't the same as a credit card (the Labour government gave councils the power to borrow to invest, something of which the Tory/Lib Dem administration took full advantage. If the card is maxed out, they are the ones who splashed the cash. 

The facts haven't changed - we need to modernise our waste collection operation. It was left with outdated facilities, worn-out vehicles and is entirely unfit to deal with the volumes that we expect to receive in the future and to deliver on the targets for recycling. 

The initial results from the trial wards look remarkably promising - the public are buying in and are making the effort to recycle more. The scheme is working and the opposition is getting increasingly desperate as they see their imagined political capital draining away. 

Road resurfacing - Victoria Road

Yet another stretch of road in Acocks Green is to be resurfaced - Victoria Road (from the Shirley Road roundabout to Botteville Road).

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 23-27 September 2013. It is expected to take up to five days and the crews will be working on site on weekdays between 8am and 6pm. Amey will put signs on the road to confirm the precise start date.

As vehicles can't drive over hot tarmac, the section of the road affected will be closed to all traffic while surfacing is being carried out.

If you require access for medical/personal reasons, you can contact Amey on 0121 303 6644 (option 2), to discuss how access can be arranged. Pedestrian access will be maintained as well as access for emergency vehicles. That number can also be used for any other questions that you might have. 

During working hours, it will not be possible to park on the road. Cars left will have to be removed and this may incur a cost to the registered keeper. There are also likely to be speed and width restrictions while the work is carried out. 

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this work needs to be done and is usually completed well within the time allocated. 

Acocks Green Ward Committee - 6 Sept 2013

A quick report back on Wednesday's meeting.

We started with a report and a request for views on the discussion of future council services, in particular with regard to three specific service areas:

• Adults and Communities
• Education Services - this relates to the central administrative services for all schools, not to the schools themselves.
• Support Services Part I - Back office administrative functions of the council

While David Cameron and John Hemming tell us that we're only facing small reductions, in the real world, Birmingham City Council will have to slash our controllable spending by MORE than 50%. This will have devastating effects on the services that this council is able to provide - we've already got rid of 27% of our employees over the past few years. I think the message is getting through to people about the challenges that we are going to face over the coming years. 

If you would like to read the discussion papers and comment, you can find the details here. 

Unfortunately, our environmental health officer was on leave this week, so her report was held over. 

We then moved on to the controversial issue of the redevelopment plan for the Acocks Green Baptist Church on Yardley Road. The Stockfield Community Association and the Baptist Church want to demolish and replace the Glynn Edwards Hall with a new building. That is intended to have a range of meeting rooms, a training kitchen and community facilities and they will also repair the Arthur Moore Hall and bring that back into full use, as well as complete repair work on the church itself. The Arthur Moore and the church building are statutorily listed, but that Glynn Edwards Hall isn't. It is fair to say that there was a full exchange of views, but little meeting of minds. This will continue to be controversial - the planning application is about to be submitted and it will be interesting to see the final designs. It is a genuine strength of Acocks Green that we have so many people who care deeply about the area. 

On that note, we then ran through some other planning applications that are currently live - nothing was flagged as particularly controversial, although the proposals for the former Johnsons dry cleaning site came up for some discussion. 

We then considered some community chest projects, agreeing funding for 

• £1000 Laptops for the Friends Centre on Yardley Road 
• £1000 towards Acocks Green Christmas Lights, replacing the money previously provided from central City Council funding
• £3000 for the TUC Centre, which provides advice on social security applications and support to people in need. The service is provided by qualified advisors and in a range of languages. The centre receives funding from a number of wards, in relation to the number of clients from each ward. Most of the clients from Acocks Green are from the Yarnfield Estate.
• £6300 for the Tyseley & Greet Employment Resource Centre. This also offers advice and will support those who are struggling with the government's changes to the benefit system, as well as those in dire need or dealing with pay day lenders.  
• £1000 for Acocks Green Carers, to provide two events to give this local group a break over the festive season
• £1000 for Gospel Lane Allotments. The members are improving paths through the site and we're helping them with funding for equipment and materials.

After years where I don't remember seeing any petitions presented, we had not one, but two offered to us this week. One contains about 300 signatures asking for more litter collection along the Yardley Road and we had another of around 50 signatures asking for an end to cuts. 

Our next meeting will be 7pm, Wednesday 23 October 2013 at Fox Hollies Forum. 

Pavement resurfacing - Pollard Road

The existing pavement is due to be resurfaced with asphalt along the whole length of Pollard Road from Pool Farm Road to Gospel Lane.

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 14-18 October 2013. It is expected to take up to four weeks and the crews will be working weekdays between 7:30am and 5pm. Amey will put signs on the road to confirm the precise start date. They may also work on Saturdays during the same hours.

You should be able to get to and from your property, but access may be restricted at times. When the crews are working on the footway outside your home, please ensure that you do not park on the road outside your home. If this is going to cause a problem, please contact Amey on 0121 303 6644.

As this work is being done, there is a special offer on footway crossings (dropped kerbs). These are required if you want to park in your front garden. They can be installed for just £226 (to cross a footpath 3.0m to 6.0m deep from the kerb line to your property), if you wish to have one installed, or if you wish to have an existing crossing widened, please contact the helpline on 0121 303 6644 (option 1). This must be done before the start of the work.

Properties with existing footpath crossings will have their crossing reinstated at no charge.

We can only install reduced price footpath crossings where there is a hardstanding area to your garden, or you have obtained planning permission for a proposed hardstanding area. Planning permission is required to install a hard standing area to your footpath crossing on your garden, for this please contact the City Council Planning Office direct on 0121 303 1115.

There are occasions where we will not be able to provide a discounted footpath crossing, common reasons are:

• If there are trees / utility boxes & manhole covers / street lighting columns / cables in the way 
• If the depth of your garden from the rear of the public footpath to your building is less than 4.75m 
• Crossings are not allowed on a bend, at traffic lights, or on a road junction

Road Resurfacing - Tibland Road

As part of the ongoing investment in Birmingham's roads, Tibland Road (from Pollard Road to Wildfell Road) will be resurfaced.

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 23-27 September 2013. It is expected to take up to five days and the crews will be working on site on weekdays between 8am and 6pm. Amey will put signs on the road to confirm the precise start date.

As vehicles can't drive over hot tarmac, the section of the road affected will be closed to all traffic while surfacing is being carried out.

If you require access for medical/personal reasons, you can contact Amey on 0121 303 6644 (option 2), to discuss how access can be arranged. Pedestrian access will be maintained as well as access for emergency vehicles. That number can also be used for any other questions that you might have. 

During working hours, it will not be possible to park on the road. Cars left will have to be removed and this may incur a cost to the registered keeper. There are also likely to be speed and width restrictions while the work is carried out. 

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this work needs to be done and is usually completed well within the time allocated. 

Planning Applications to the 31 August 2013

Just a couple to end the summer.

2013/06342/PA - 119 Olton Boulevard East, Acocks Green, B27 7NL
Erection of two storey side extension and front canopy

2013/06438/PA - 11 Roberts Road, Acocks Green, B27 6NF
Erection of single storey rear and two storey side extension

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.

Gospel Estate Police Meeting Update

Last Wednesday saw the first in what will hopefully be a series of meetings to address issues of crime and anti-social behaviour on parts of the Gospel Estate. We had an excellent turnout - the local police inspector, Jim Gooderidge, PCSO Chelsie Beardsmore and PC Ian Davis, as well as Cllr Stacey and myself, plus the Victims' Champion for Birmingham, Cllr Jess Phillips.

The most impressive thing, however, was the number of residents who made the effort to attend and it was really positive to see such an attendance from people who aren't usual visitors to that meeting - there was scarcely any room left.

We heard from people who have been victims of crime and anti-social behaviour - including the youth worker from the Gospel Oak, who described how their summer programme had to be scrapped this year. We also heard from some of the young people on the Gospel - who I was particularly pleased to see attending the meeting.

I'm always aware when writing about this that Yardley has a problem with the worst level of fear of crime in the city, a fear entirely undeserved when you consider the actual levels of crime over recent years. The problems that we are seeing on this part of the Gospel is a spike in burglaries from sheds and other buildings, thefts from motor vehicles, use of quad bikes and motor bikes, etc. The police are determined to deal with this and we all want to see the estate become a better place to live.

Some of this work ahead will require cross-border co-operation - the estate sits on the edge of Acocks Green, Hall Green and Solihull, crossing police and local authority borders. I'll be liaising with my colleagues in Hall Green - we already work closely to support the Gospel Oak Community Centre, which sits in Hall Green, but serves many people on the Gospel Estate. We'll also be assembling a stakeholders' group (jargon, I know) of the key agencies - Housing, Youth Services, voluntary and third sector - to discuss what further action can be taken and what needs to be done.

There will be further public meetings and we'll also be trying to arrange a meeting involving some of the young people from the estate to identify their needs and see how we can support them.

It is clear that this will not be an easy fix - this area has been ignored for some years and it will take some time to improve things. This couldn't have come at a worse time - with council and policing budgets being slashed by government, our resources to tackle problems like this are severely limited. Cllr Stacey and I will certainly be making every effort to bring whatever resources we can to bear on the problems and I'm confident that my colleagues in Hall Green will be happy to help as well.

If we can maintain and widen the support from local residents, then we're in with a good chance of improving the life of people in that area of the ward.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Ward Committee

Acocks Green Ward Committee
Wednesday 4 September 2013 - 7pm
Baptist Church, Yardley Road, Acocks Green

A couple of major issues.

• Discussion on future of council services
• Adults and communities
• Education Services
• Support Services Part One
• Environmental Health Update
• Acocks Green Baptist Church Redevelopment
• We will have representatives from the Stockfield Community Association and the Church to discuss the proposals.
• Planning Applications
• Community Chest funding

If you can make it along, this is a chance to discuss key issues in the ward - we want to hear your views. 

Gospel Estate Police Meeting - Wed 28 Aug 7pm Lakey Lane School

If you live on the Gospel Estate, this is an important meeting. 

The police and councillors need your thoughts and feedback on what can and should be done to make the estate a safer and better place to live. 

If you can't make it, let me know what your priorities would be. 

7pm, Community Room at Lakey Lane School. 

Planning Applications to the 24 August 2013

A few more this week. The

2013/06208/PA - 177 Shirley Road, Acocks Green B27 7NP
Erection of two storey side extension

2013/05451/PA - 338 Olton Boulevard West, Tyseley, B11 3HJ
Erection of single storey front extension and a conservatory

2013/04459/PA - 15-17 Station Road, Acocks Green, B27 6DH
Erection of single storey extension to second floor to form new self contained flat

2013/06219/PA - 1173 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6RG
Change of use from dry cleaners (Use Class Sui Generis) to restaurant with ancillary hot food takeaway (Use Classes A3 and A5) and installation of extraction flue to the rear

This is the former Johnsons premises. An earlier application was withdrawn. 

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.

Library Update

We're on course for closure as planned. The staff will spend most of next week preparing the building and should hand over the keys to the contractors on Monday 2 September. Then they have to install the scaffolding, heavy duty protection to the carpets, shelving and the model train collection and carry out a few more tests while they are mobilising materials and people to the site. Although the building is locally listed, it isn't statutorily listed, but the design of the new roof lights will be very similar to that already used on the listed buildings in Kings Heath and Selly Oak.

All being well, we'll be looking to have the building back just before Christmas. There will be regular meetings while the repairs are carried out, so I'll keep you up to date on progress.

Don't forget that books already on loan can be returned to any other library, but there's no fine payable if you wait to return it to Acocks Green.

From Monday 2 September, South Yardley Library will be open extra hours to partly fill the gap while Acocks Green is closed:

Monday 9am - 7pm

Tuesday 9am - 5pm

Wednesday 9am - 5pm

Thursday 9am - 7pm

Friday 9am - 5pm

Saturday 9am - 5pm