Watch out for the parking vultures

These signs have recently gone up on the land behind the shops on Shirley Road (accessed from beside Jeffries Hardware). Existing car parking immediately behind Jeffries isn't affected, but all the space beyond that is.

One thing that this government got right was to ban private wheel clamping on private land - that was simply extortion. However, it hasn't stopped parking companies issuing parking tickets - often termed as "Parking Charge Notices" so they look like council-issued Penalty Charge Notices, even though they aren't.

When you enter a privately run car park like this, the operator considers that you are entering into a contract and if you break that contract, then they will invoice you. They are not "fines" in the same way that a council or police-issued ticket is. The company has to go to court to obtain judgement against you - unlike the police or the council.

The excellent Moneysaving Expert has a guide on how to appeal dodgy fines. As GBPS are a member of the British Parking Association, there is an independent appeal process and a code of practice.

Always take care in where you park and unless you can see clear signs allowing you to park there, don't take the risk. These firms are after your cash, pure and simple.

Bin collections - update

Despite extensive talks with representatives from Unite, the City Council has been unable at this point to reach an agreement over issues that have been raised by the Trade Union about terms and conditions of employment for refuse collection staff.

The Council is continuing to talk to the Union with a view to reaching a resolution, but regrettably, there will be some industrial action that will lead to disruption of collection services on Monday 11th and Friday 15th August. There is also a temporary ban on overtime working.

If you are due a collection either today or Friday, please put your bags, boxes or bins out as normal.

If they have not been collected by the end of the day, please take them back onto your property and put them out for the NEXT scheduled collection. 

That will be next week for rubbish and two weeks for either green waste or paper/glass/tins/plastic recyclables

There is no need to report a missed collection.

Sorry for any inconvenience - the council are trying to come to an agreement with the unions.

The never ending list

Some kind soul decided to dump this at the end of the alleyway on Ninfield Road connecting to the Warwick Road. The bags contained roofing tiles, so I suspect that this is the result of a dodgy builder pulling into the car park and chucking waste out of the back of the van. I've had this cleared after it was raised by a local resident.

Also on the radar from last week - there's still work in progress to sort problems with an alley off Shirley Road. Following a resident's complaint, scaffolding on a council property on Gospel Farm Road has been removed.

A resident on Gospel Lane has raised concerns about a leaking sewer pipe, which he has been trying to get sorted for some time - that's now the subject of a formal s163 notice to Severn Trent, insisting that they deal with the problem within a few weeks.

The saga of the 31 bus route grumbles on. I've written to the respondents to our petition asking for feedback on the National Express proposal to remove the buses from Pool Farm Road and Pollard Road and run them down Thornfield Road instead. This doesn't restore the service to Olton Boulevard East and that's been a major concern of residents. I've fed the views of residents back through CENTRO, but further comments are always welcome.

Residents from Woodcock Lane had raised concerns about the "SLOW" markings becoming invisible and I've been on to Amey who will be repainting them.

I've also been chasing our Fleet and Waste team over a number of piles of flytipped green waste around the ward - chiefly on the Yarnfield and Gospel Estates. I'm pushing to have these removed.

Concerns continue about a property on Yardley Road, which has hedges overgrowing the footpath - that's still work in progress.

Planning Applications to 4 August 2014

Playing catch up again...

2014/04871/PA - 91 Westley Road, Acocks Green, B27 7UW

Erection of two storey side and rear and single storey rear extension

2014/04956/PA - 8 Botteville Road (and rear of 4-6 and 8-12 Botteville Road), Acocks Green, B27 7YD

Application for variation of Condition 5 attached to planning approval 2010/06541/PA for minor amendment for plans with 0920 prefix to be substituted with drawing numbers 417-101, 417-102, and 417-201 to 417-208 inclusive

2014/05175/PA - 17 The Avenue, Acocks Green, B27 6NG

Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed erection of a single storey rear extension

2014/05119/PA - 55 Francis Road, Acocks Green, B27 6LT

Erection of two storey rear extension

2014/04575/PA - 980 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6QG

Erection of a single storey rear extension and installation of an extraction fan

2014/05396/PA - Land adjacent 70 & 91 Francis Road, Acocks Green, B27 6LT

Application to determine the details for Condition Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 14 & 16 attached to approval 2013/04805/PA

2014/05267/PA - 11 Edenbridge Road, Hall Green, B28 8QB

Erection of single storey side and two storey rear 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.

Wheelie bins roll out

Every household in Acocks Green should be receiving one or other of these cards to identify whether your property has been assessed as suitable for a wheelie bin.

Here's some key points:

If you disagree with the assessment of your property, you can challenge it - either if you have been denied a bin or have been deemed suitable.

If you need a larger bin for your non-recyclable waste, please let the council know by Tuesday 2 September. Properties with more than six residents can request a larger bin and those with more than nine can ask for an even larger bin.

If you need help moving your bin for collection, then the council will provide assisted collections - just as they do now.

There is NO CHARGE for either of these bins.

Collection days may change - the details will be provided when your bin is delivered. For Acocks Green, collection days will be either Wednesday or Thursday.

Bins should be delivered between the end of September and mid November.

The first collections will be during the week beginning 24 November.

The bins DO contain a chip, but this simply identifies the property to which the bin belongs.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask - but the bins team will be at the Ward Committee Meeting on the 10 September, 7pm in the Library, ready to give you some answers.

Litter pick in Fox Hollies Park

On Saturday, I joined a group of Acocks Green residents of all ages who are set on forming a Friends of Fox Hollies Park group. 

Their first venture was a cleanup session and we had Lee from Waterside Care and Dan and Alec from the local police neighbourhood team join us. 

We only managed an hour in the sun and heat, but we put together quite a collection of bin bags.

If you'd like to join in future sessions, then please get in touch and I'll put you in contact with the organiser. 

This is how community organisations start - a handful of people committed enough to do something. Can you join in? 

Warwick Road works

Part of the Warwick Road improvement programme includes work on the remainder of the road. Much of this is new lines on the road or changes to parking orders. At the junction of Broad Road and Warwick Road, we've built out on the junction and the give way lines will be repainted to improve sight lines down the hill into the Green.

There will also be a new pedestrian refuge just to the west of the Broad Rd junction, which caused some concern once I saw the markings on the road. Residents had also raised concerns that the island would force larger vehicles to swerve around it and there were doubts that some would be able to make the adjustment in the space allowed.

It was complicated by the bus stop on the other side of the road, which is used regularly by drivers to pause to catch up with their timetable before a crew changeover in the Green.

The design team came out on site and brought some traffic cones to create a temporary obstruction to mimic the changes in the road layout. We watched buses and trucks as they passed the site and as a result, the white road markings will be extended down towards St Mary's Close and slight adjustments made to the sizing of the refuge.

Road repairs - Cottesbrooke Road

As a result of an inspection, there are some localised repairs to be made to the road surface on Cottesbrooke Road.

The work is due to start during the week of the 28 July 2014 and is estimated to take about five days, with work being carried out between the hours of 8am and 6pm.

Road closures will be in place while work is in progress and there will be some restriction on access to property. Please don't park vehicles on this stretch of the road during this period, as they may have to be removed and there will be a charge for release. If you need urgent access to your property, then ask the crew on site or call 0121 303 6644 (option 2). Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout.

Acocks Green Station Update

Work continues on the lift installation at the station, with the start of work to build the bridge out from the existing building and the tower blockwork starting to go in.

Planning Applications to the 12 July 2014

Just a single one for this week:

2014/04675/PA - Forward House, rear of 32 Station Road, Acocks Green, B27 6DN

Change of use to a recording studio (Class B1) and rehearsal room (sui generis)

Sui generis is the term used where the usage classification doesn't fit into any of the defined classes. Class B1, for example, includes:

Offices (other than those that fall within A2), research and development of products and processes, light industry appropriate in a residential 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.

Bins update

A quick update on the bins situation.

Following the strike action last Thursday, all depots prioritised collecting black bag waste and on emptying litter bins in the busiest spots.

Our depot at Redfern Road was particularly badly hit by a lack of drivers and they have been playing catch up ever since. Bear in mind that as a city, we make 200,000 collections each day across the city and across all types of waste. The Lifford Lane depot have sent crews over to assist, but Redfern still has a couple of black bag rounds outstanding and a good deal of recycling and green waste collections.

They are making every effort to catch up on outstanding work

Growth Deal Announces Funding - good news for Birmingham

This is a positive move for the regions - although Labour's proposals promise even more funding and freedom for regional groupings. The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership - the government's chosen method of delivering funding - has been given £357 million to support training and education and deliver on infrastructure needs. The GBSLEP will be able to fund 34 projects over the next few years. Unfortunately, this doesn't even reach the targets that Lord Heseltine proposed in his No Stone Unturned report, as that promised an annual pot five times bigger than the £2 billion that the government is offering a year. It is ironic that a Tory peer gets the regional need far better than his government.

Within Birmingham, this will help fund major repairs to the Tame Valley Viaduct (better known as the elevated stretch of the A38M that carries 100,000 vehicles a day) and station improvements around Snow Hill. It will also help us maximise the benefit of HS2 by improving local transport links - connecting New Street and Moor Street, extending the Metro to Centenary Square, down to the Curzon Street HS2 station site and on to Edgbaston, bus rapid transit from Quinton into the city centre and put some more money into improving walking and cycling in Birmingham. There will also be funding to support the extension of Battery Way in Tyseley - something I want to keep a close eye on, as regenerating the brown field site there is one thing, but I'm wary of other potential side effects.

In terms of business support and training, money will go into skills to support car manufacture, life sciences, aviation engineering, food technology and advanced technologies.

This is good news for Birmingham and the wider area - the Black Country LEP doesn't do badly either.

It is just a shame that the government haven't been brave or generous enough. Lord Heseltine urged them to do more and Labour will deliver our proposals quickly if we're elected next year.

Planning Applications to the 5 July 2014

I've not done this in a while, so I'm starting again.

2014/04523/PA - 2 Ingram Grove, Acocks Green, B27 7SQ

Erection of two storey and single storey rear extensions and alterations to roof

2014/04084/PA - 72 Oakhurst Road, Birmingham, B27 7PG

Erection of 1 no. two bedroom attached house within curtilage of existing house

2014/04404/PA - 168 School Road, Hall Green, B28 8PA
This site is within the School Road Conservation Area

Erection of two storey side and rear extension to form new retail unit on ground floor and two bedroom flat above and single storey rear extension to existing shop

2014/04499/PA - 78 Lulworth Road, Hall Green, B28 8NT
Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed erection of a single storey rear extension

2014/04197/PA - 21 Glaisdale Road, Birmingham B28 8PX
Erection of two storey side and single storey front extension with porch

2014/04299/PA - Lidl UK Gmbh, Olton Boulevard East, B27 7RR

Variation of condition C2 attached to planning approval 2000/01878/PA to allow collection and delivery of goods 06:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 08:00 to 20:00 Sundays and Bank Holidays

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.

Road Repairs - Arden Road and Norland Road - starting wk comm 14 July

As a result of an inspection, there are some localised repairs to be made to the road surface between 75 and 91 Arden Road and on Norland Road between Pool Farm Road and Dolphin Lane.

The work is due to start during the week of the 14 July 2014 and is estimated to take about five days, with work being carried out between the hours of 8am and 6pm.

Road closures will be in place while work is in progress and there will be some restriction on access to property. Please don't park vehicles on this stretch of the road during this period, as they may have to be removed and there will be a charge for release. If you need urgent access to your property, then ask the crew on site or call 0121 303 6644 (option 2). Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout.

Strike action - Thursday 10 July

As you may have heard, local authority staff will be taking strike action on Thursday 10 July. This is likely to affect bin collections, so here's the advice on what to do if you have a collection scheduled for that day.

Please put your green bins, black or green sacks or recycling boxes out AS NORMAL.

If they have not been collected by the end of the day, please LEAVE THEM OUT for collection. It will be cleared over the weekend or sooner if possible.

There is no need to report a missed collection

Sorry for the inconvenience, but the rubbish will be cleared as soon as possible.

Quad bikes and antisocial behaviour

I've heard a lot of complaints about anti-social use of quad bikes and off road bikes. These have been passed on to the local police, who have responded, despite their limited resources.

Sadly, due to service cuts, there aren't as many traffic officers trained to ride the off-road bikes, so there is a huge demand for their services. These are the team that can conduct pursuits safely across areas like Fox Hollies Park - there used to be a unit operating out of Stechford, but that was removed. Nevertheless, the police have put together a sufficiently persuasive bid that saw the bikes put to work in Acocks Green and they recovered the stolen bike in the next picture.

They have also been tackling quad bikers who are driving in an anti-social manner, particularly on the Gospel Estate. Two have so far been issued with s59 notices, which means if they are caught repeating the behaviour, the drivers will have the bikes removed and impounded. They then face a £250 recovery charge, plus £10 a day until the bike is collected by somebody insured to take it.

The police have also had helicopter support to deal with the problem - with the chopper even lifting on a number of occasions specifically to support operations against anti-social behaviour and vehicle theft in Acocks Green.

The problems haven't been fixed, but it is really good to hear that the police have been able to respond to the concerns raised.

They always need your support, so if you have any information that can help tackle this behaviour, you can always contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Carnival 2014

A really good day at the Acocks Green carnival yesterday. After heavy showers very early on, the rain held off for the rest of the day and the parade went off well. We had our usual stall under the treeline and I spent some time helping with the parade marshalling (sorry to any drivers who were inconvenienced while the parade passed down through the Village).

This is a great annual event, which is part funded by the Ward Committee Community Chest, but driven by a dedicated community organisation. It just shows what people can achieve together.

And the Guess the Weight of The Cake competition was won by a Mr SW from Sheldon, who was closest at 3lbs 8oz.

Bob Jones

We've lost one of our own today. The first Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Cllr Bob Jones, died overnight. He was just 59. 

Bob was a fine PCC - competent, fair and knowledgeable. He was also a good man. For a busy guy, he managed to find the time to come over and visit us here in Acocks Green - he was out here on election day in May this year.

He will be much missed by his own family, but also by the West Midlands Labour family. You don't get many like Bob and we were lucky to have him.

My thoughts today are with Sarah and his family. 

Work on the Warwick Road

You may have noticed some road works starting along the Warwick Road from Dudley Park Road towards the city. These are spot improvements to help cyclists and pedestrians, with new road markings and build outs from the kerb. There will also be some sense brought to the traffic orders along this stretch and the signage update is ongoing.

The work should take about 11 weeks to complete along the whole length of the road. It forms part of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund works - the same pot that will fund the major work in Acocks Green Village.

Location:Douglas Road,Birmingham,United Kingdom

Brumtunnel Closures 2014 - deja vu all over again

A reminder that the A38 St Chads and Queensway tunnels will be closed again during the school holidays this year.

The full closure will apply from 10pm on Friday 18 July through to 6am on Monday 1 September.

Starting on the 4 July, there will be two weeks of overnight closures from 10pm to 6am and a further four weeks of overnight closures to the 28th September. There will be up to 120 people working in the tunnels at any one time and work will continue round the clock to ensure that the tunnels reopen for business on time

This will complete the upgrade work started last year, which left the tunnels resurfaced, cleaner and brighter. The new phase of works will see the ventilation system, pumping stations, plant rooms, security and communication systems upgraded. 32 vehicle detection cameras will be installed to spot breakdowns and set signs to warn motorists. New smoke extraction and fire response systems will be installed to ensure that in the event of a fire, emergency exit doors can be opened remotely to ensure people don't escape into moving traffic and to make sure that smoke is removed quickly and safely. Over 40 miles of cabling will be installed as part of the work. .

Clearly, this will cause inconvenience - that's unavoidable - but the work has to be done. The lessons of last year were that it could have been a lot worse. Carrying out the work during the holidays makes a difference and we also found that many people chose to find alternate routes or modes of transport into the City for the duration.

For the most up to date information, refer to Brumtunnels.