Streetworks - Elton Grove - footway repairs

The length of Elton Grove from Fox Green Crescent to the end. Patch repairs will be carried out using asphalt as part of the 5 year upgrade of Birmingham's highways. This is expected to start during the week commencing 12 November and is expected to last for up to two weeks, being carried out between 7:30am and 5pm weekdays, with the possibility of Saturday work as well.

Access will be maintained to homes, but there may be times when it is temporarily restricted. When they are working on your stretch of footpath, please make sure that cars aren't parked alongside.

If you have any further queries, you can let me know or contact Amey directly on 0121 303 6644.

Halloween

If you - or a vulnerable neighbour - doesn't want to take part in Trick or Treating, why not put this in the window? Thanks to West Midlands Police for the image.

Action....

Work underway at the moment from my desk:

Knights Road
Street light column 1 damaged
This was hit by a vehicle on the 1 October and was cut down and replaced by the 3 October. It still needs to be connected up underground and this is scheduled to be done in the fortnight from the 29 October.

Briarfield Road
Street light column 1 failed
This repair should be completed within the next 8 days.

Shirley Road
Street light columns 40 and 40A failed
These are both near the junction with Oakhurst Road and opposite the shops beside the leisure centre. Again, this should be completed within the next 8 days.

Diary Date - Full Council

Full Council
Tuesday 16 October 2012 2pm
Chamber, Council House and live streamed here (with a link to the full agenda).

Key items from the agenda:

• Question time from the public & councillors
• Review of City Council constitution 
• Statement of Licensing Committee
• New ways of working within Overview & Scrutiny
• Motions for debate - one on Council Tax Benefit and one on proposals for tenant consultation

Planning Applications to 12 October 2012

No new applications, but this might be worth a look. 

2012/06960/PA - 8 Botteville Road (and rear of 4-6 and 8-12 Botteville Road)
This is a proposal to vary an application that has already been approved (2010/06541/PA), but the developer wants to build larger properties on this site 

Thoughts?

Report - Acocks Green Ward Committee

A slightly chilly meeting on Wednesday evening...

We had an officer from Trading Standards attend to talk about No Cold Calling Zones. We've had three areas designated across the city - in Sheldon, Sparkhill/Hall Green and Stechford. The law doesn't allow the City Council to actually ban traders from calling door to door, but this is aimed at tackling rogue traders and reducing distraction burglary. Typically, this is where a caller at the door keeps the homeowner occupied while an accomplice steals from elsewhere in the property and the typical victim profile is an 82 year old woman living on her own. Far too often, rogue doorstep tradespeople are checking out the house for a later visit. Even buying something with cash at the door can reveal that you keep cash in the house, roughly where you keep it and - something I didn't know - that you have a large quantity of cash in one place. Apparently, the notes take on a particular smell if kept together. These zones are targetted on areas where a high number of distraction burglaries are reported and they act as a deterrent. Initially, Trading Standards officers provide a response to individual incidents and ask doorstep callers to stay away - and most comply - but after a while, experience shows that the zones become self-enforcing as residents themselves get the confidence to turn callers away and 95% feel safer with a zone in place. With budget cuts, there are no plans at this stage to bring a zone to Acocks Green, but we'll keep an eye on the situation.

The meetings were agreed for the remainder of the coming year:

• 5 December 2012 - 7:30pm - Lakey Lane Primary School (time accommodates police meeting at 7pm)
• 20 Feb 2013 - 7pm - Severne JI School
• 17 Apr 2013 - 7pm - The Oaklands Primary School
• 29 May 2013 - 7pm - Venue TBC

Community Chest spending continues. We agreed funding for:

Acocks Green Means Business - £4500

This is a project to help 250 local people to develop self-employment opportunities and, hopefully, deliver about 20 business starts with 2-3 months of workshops and one-to-one advice. This has been an effective scheme in the past and has actually been able to draw down further funding from elsewhere, reducing the commitment from the ward.

Acocks Green Library temporary provision - £26,000

We've used some unspent money allocated to the library earlier in the year, a little new revenue spending and a chunk of capital spending to deliver on this - Labour weren't prepared to see the library close temporarily without alternative provision. 

Project Worker, Gospel Oak Community Centre - £3408

Youth Group - Gospel Oak Community Centre - £2817.50

We're supporting this scheme jointly with Hall Green. Although the centre is just outside our boundary, it serves a large community within the Gospel estate and I've been down to visit the team there and meet some of the young people in the youth group and I was impressed by what the team are trying to do. 

We do still have some funding remaining for the year, but there is an alternative source of support through the Acocks Green Community First funding stream, which provides match funding for sums between £250 and £2500. Have a look at the website here. 

We've also agreed to continue funding for the Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum.

Most of the planning applications mentioned in the agenda had already been decided, but we have an application for the land adjacent to the end of Grattidge Road at the Solihull side of the ward. This waste land is between the end of Grattidge Road and the back of what used to be a furniture store, but is now an indoor play area. There is already an existing planning approval on that entire site for redevelopment, but with the play area now in use, that looks unlikely to move to fruition, so the developer wants to build five detached houses on it. The councillors have heard different views on the matter - some residents are in favour, others opposed - if you have views, let me know. We also briefly discussed the flurry of applications for solid wall insulation on council property on the Yarnfield estate.

That largely wrapped up the meeting, although I will be writing a letter to express the community's concern about the ticket office closures that the government have now approved for many stations within London Midland's area, including all the stations that serve Acocks Green. The decision has been made, despite widespread opposition locally, but I will still express our dismay at this. I was also asked about progress on the Yardley Road issue.

With that all done and dusted, the meeting was closed and we'll reconvene in December. 

Street trees on Olton Boulevard East

Following complaints from residents about the tree growth in Olton Boulevard East, I arranged a site meeting  this week with Amey's trees officer and the local highway steward to discuss what has been done and what needs to be done. They have confirmed that pruning is urgently required to the street trees along the length from Victoria Road down to the junction with the Warwick Road/Gospel Lane. This should have been done, but was reported as complete thanks to an administrative error. It should be completed over the next four weeks or so - weather permitting. We also checked on a bush on the corner of Anson Grove, which has been reported as obstructing the view of drivers - this bush was actually the remains of a tree which should have been properly removed some time ago. It has now been hacked back and the stump will be removed in due course.

The trees along here will be pruned up to a height of about 6m and will have basal growth removed.

It was a particularly interesting meeting from the point of view of somebody whose gardening knowledge is limited, to say the least. The old policy of pollarding trees of a certain age has now been replaced by one where the overall tree shape will be maintained, but this is only carried out as required - probably every 15 years or so. Pollarding actually leads to more aggressive growth and leaf fall and attracts more aphids. More regular maintenance involves controlling the basal growth - the sprouting around the base of the trunk - and lifting the crown (which will be done to the trees on Olton Boulevard). This removes the lower levels of branches and twigs to give improved ground clearance. Trees will also be dealt with where they are threatening to damage property, but they are not pruned for light reasons or to improve television reception for properties behind the trees.

The Amey contract has also led to considerably greater clarity about what species of trees can be used on the highway and where they can be planted. Large central reservations will be planted with a range of trees, but traditional street trees will be restricted to a small number of species that are suitable. As it is contractual, it is also binding on developers, so trees that exhibit 'antisocial behaviour' in terms of other residents or road users can be properly controlled.

Yardley Road Repairs Update

Following complaints from residents about the condition of the road, I arranged a site meeting with a team from Amey on Yardley Road. This has been partly resurfaced, but the central section of the road (roughly from the rail bridge down to Cottesbrook Junior School entrance) has not yet been done. I walked the road length with the design and plans officer, the highway steward and an inspector to discuss what needs to be done. Again, the condition of the road has been raised by residents (and I'm only too well aware of it myself).

It was originally scheduled for repair under the rolling five year plan, but when I checked the new edition of this constantly updating document, Yardley Road had fallen out of the plan. This wasn't satisfactory, so I arranged to meet the team on-site.

The inspector has logged a number of urgent faults that will be rectified rapidly - they now do this with a handheld GPS device that instantly records what and where the fault is so that it can be scheduled with the repairs team. I did point out that some of the surface damage is actually quite a hazard to cyclists.

There is also a need to carry out more in-depth repairs to the road surface, to match the other two sections which have already been dealt with. Roads are prioritised for repair and surfacing works to ensure that the worst sections of carriageway are dealt with first and damage may not always be apparent to the naked eye. The photos indicate some obvious problems, but detailed inspection, including specialist testing equipment can reveal deeper problems. Fortunately, most of the problems with Yardley Road are actually surface-related.

This section was inspected during the summer and the planner will be checking that this inspection actually corresponds with the damage that he has seen, as that will affect the priority of the road. If that doesn't help, it will be put forward as part of the 'change programme' for addition to a future work plan. I'm hopeful that this will be dealt with by early 2013 at the latest, but I will keep pushing on this.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Ward Committee

Acocks Green Ward Committee
Wednesday 10 October 2012 7pm
Acocks Green Baptist Church, Alexander Road/Yardley Road

Items for the agenda:

• Trading Standards to attend to discuss no cold calling zones
• Community Chest applications
• Report back on Acocks Green Neighbourhood Forum
• Planning Applications

You can find the full details here. 

Planning Applications to 6 October 2012

Again, no planning applications to note last week, but an interesting crop this week.. 

2012/06209/PA - 37 The Avenue
Erection of single storey rear extension

2012/06727/PA - 2, 4, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 34, 41, 49, 52, 61, 72, 88, 97, 99 and 101 Holcombe Road
2012/06726/PA - 320, 352 and 360 Olton Boulevard West
2012/06725/PA - 52, 54, 56, 60, 68, 70, 80, 82, 108, 114, 120, 122, 123, 124, 133, 134, 135, 144, 145, 147, 156, 161, 167 and 169 Sunningdale Road,
2012/06721/PA - 21, 22 and 28 Briarfield Road
2012/06720/PA - 29, 31, 35, 37, 39, 41, 57, 59, 63 and 67 Wetherfield Road,
2012/06724/PA - 24, 26 and 46 Onslow Road
2012/06722/PA - 16-18 Ferndene Road
2012/06723/PA - 8, 23 and 25 Fieldhead Road
Installation of external wall insulation on behalf of Birmingham City Council. 

This is excellent news for these residents. These properties don't have a cavity to be filled with insulation, so they leak heat, wasting their money. With this external wall insulation properly installed, they can expect to save £400 - £500 a year on their heating bills - an investment well worth making. Externally, the houses will look as though they have been covered with a sandy coloured render - it will just be deeper than you would normally expect. The residents will notice the difference rapidly - keeping the houses warmer in winter and cooler in summer. You can find out more information here.  

With the announcement of Carillion as our preferred provider for the Birmingham Energy Savers scheme, I hope we'll see more of this being done to insulate the older properties (typically pre-30s homes) around the ward. For those worried about the change in the street scene, it is also possible to internally insulate street-facing walls and externally insulate the remainder of the property. 

I'll be sure to invite them to a future ward committee meeting to discuss what they plan to offer, so watch this space. 

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.

Avoiding another Library LibDemLetDown

When I was elected in May and Stewart and I became the Labour majority on the Ward Committee, we were delighted to see that repairs were planned to the leaky roof of our library, long neglected. What shocked us was that no plans had been put in place for alternative facilities while the library was closed - a period of some twelve weeks.

Given that this is one of the most popular libraries in the city and at the heart of our community, we didn't think that this was satisfactory. It doesn't just offer books, it provides a home for the neighbourhood office and crucial access to IT. Yardley has a real problem with a growing digital divide - the uptake of internet access is behind the curve here, so we need the facilities that the library can offer. Under the Lib Dems, Sutton Coldfield and South Yardley library were left closed for months with no alternative facilities other than the nearest library. Stewart and I didn't think that was good enough, so over the past few months, we've been working hard on a temporary alternative site and working through a number of options, negotiating with suppliers and potential landlords to drive a hard bargain with our limited funds.

Once we've finalised the details, we'll be able to announce more, but it is planned to be very close to the library. It won't offer the full range of services that the current building does, but it will offer a limited book borrowing service and also access to IT. The rooms used are accessible for all and should allow a good service to be maintained.

Just another example of how Labour are determined to be different and determined to deliver.

2 wheels good...

Last Friday, a group of councillors joined a team of committed cyclists to have a ride around Birmingham (about 4 miles in total) to see how difficult it is to get around the city by bike. We only rode around the City Centre, but it was genuinely instructive. You can see more pictures here and here on Brownhills Bob's page, who ran across us by chance on Moor Street - a particular disaster area. I can't claim to be anything other than a leisure cyclist and occasional commuter.

While it was an all-party ride, the only non-Labour councillor was Dave Radcliffe, a Lib Dem. We were joined by cabinet members Steve Bedser and James McKay, scrutiny chairs Victoria Quinn and Lisa Trickett and fellow backbencher, Peter Griffiths. Very disappointing not to see any Tories there, but given the state of the roads, that's probably more out of embarrassment than anything else (although a couple did give their apologies...)

We saw some areas where cycling has been thought about, with on-street cycle lanes and reverse flow lanes against one-way traffic, but too many where it has been forgotten - or might yet be forgotten. The Hill Street/Hurst Street cycle lane is very heavily used, but we aren't clear what the future is when the New Street main entrance is relocated. Moor Street is a nightmare for two-wheeled travellers - millions have been spent on the highway, with no consideration at all for cyclists. I found that out when I came to cross it later that afternoon on the way home - navigating the traffic was a nightmare.

Acocks Green isn't well served in terms of great cycling routes to the City - we don't have the Rea Valley route that runs in from the south of the city and the canals aren't suitable for any serious numbers of cyclists. We have an opportunity with the Smarter Route scheme which will be coming to the Warwick Road over the next few years and I'll be making it my mission to get a good deal for all road users - pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and drivers.

Cycling is coming up at a forthcoming scrutiny committee meeting. So, I'd welcome your thoughts on it. :Looking to the future, how can we make Birmingham a cycling city? Do we surrender to the car or push on with making our roads safer? (I think we should encourage cycling for the health and environmental benefits, but I'd be happy to hear alternative arguments too) What would make you want to cycle or cycle more? Do we need more cycle routes? Better signage? Driver & cyclist education?

This link was sent to me and it does seem a pretty sound starting point.

Here are the core questions that we are considering

1. How can we encourage cycling in the city that is efficient and safe, getting people from A to B desirably and sustainably linking urban areas?

2. How can natural green corridors and walkways alongside road networks be best used to create a city cycle and/or pedestrian network? How has this been developed in other cities?

3. What are the resource implications of adapting current cycle routes and joining them up?

4. Which partners can help us to do this and what resources do we need?

5. Who is currently cycling? Who could be most easily encouraged into cycling? What are the barriers and opportunities to uptake by more people and between more places?

If you would like to comment directly, you can send your views to Baseema Begum in the Scrutiny Office at Birmingham City Council by phone on 0121 303 1668 or by email to baseema.begum@birmingham.gov.uk by the 5th October (or to me, if you want). There will be a public evidence gathering session 1300-1500 Friday 19th October in the Council House. 

Woodcock Lane and Yarnfield Road improvements well under way

Both of these important projects are now well under way. The Woodcock Lane improvements are designed to help slow traffic heading towards the bridge and to improve crossing facilities for residents in the flats, so that they can have easier and level access across the road using the new build-outs.

Yarnfield Road is now one-way from Walden Road to the junction with Briarfield and works are well under way to calm that short stretch of road and make it safer for children attending Yarnfield School.

Diary Date - Yardley District Committee

Yardley District Committee
Thursday 27 September 2012
2:30pm - Council Chamber, Council House

Key items of interest (check the agenda below for full list):

• Revenue budget monitoring to August 2012
• Report on devolution of housing services
• District committee performance framework
• District convention

This is a public meeting and the chair has the option to allow members of the public to speak. 

Full agenda and paperwork here.

Resurfacing work on Oakhill Crescent - 19 Oct

Oakhill Crescent is due to be resurfaced during the week of October 19th. Contractors will be planing off the existing road and resurfacing it. The work will be carried out between 8am and 6pm during that week and is expected to last for up to five days.

Please be aware that the road will be closed while surfacing operations are being carried out.

As this road is a link between Oakhurst Road and Gospel Farm Road, please be aware that this will prevent through traffic as well. Pedestrian and emergency services access will be maintained, but cars cannot be parked on the road while the work is being carried out. Any cars left there may be removed by the City Council and this may incur a charge to the owner. If you have any specific queries about this, please contact Amey on 0121 303 6644.

Public Protection Committee

Just to update readers. Following a decision by the cross-party Acocks Green Ward Committee, I attended Wednesday's session of the Public Protection committee to oppose proposals put forward by the police to designate the whole of Acocks Green ward as an area where they have the power to insist that people stop drinking alcohol in the street. The members felt that we would support these proposals on a targeted area where problems had been identified - such as the existing zone Shirley Road by the park, so it is not opposition to the idea, but to the breadth of the proposal.

I can report back that the police report has been deferred, as they failed to meet the standards of evidence required under the Act and their consultation was also not supported by evidence. There's a handy guide to Designated Public Place Orders here. I'd certainly be interested in any other views on this proposal - for or against.

Additionally, there was an interesting report from Trading Standards, who have led the fight against cowboy clampers in the city centre and have been imaginatively using their legal powers to prosecute, securing convictions and prison sentences for offenders and even seizing a ticket machine that was able to accept £2 coins, but would not register them. The officer present read a letter from a young mother, who returned with a young baby and a trolley full of shopping to her car to find it about to be lifted onto a truck just because she had parked with her bumper two inches across a poorly marked white line. It cost £350 for her to get the car back - an amount she had to pay in cash through the fence of a remote yard before they would release her vehicle. The good news is that from the 1st October, it will be illegal to clamp a vehicle on private land.

Alexander Road Paper Recycling Collection

Apologies to residents on Alexander Road - the paper doorstep recycling collection was unavoidably left incomplete last Friday. Two trucks broke down and despite the best efforts of the crews, this was the only road that they couldn't complete on Friday. Boxes were cleared yesterday.

Confirmed - ticket office opening hours to be halved at Acocks Green

Liberal Democrat Transport Minister Norman Baker has approved a swathe of cuts to ticket office opening hours at a number of stations in the area. Apparently, he is 'protecting passenger interests' by taking away the ticket office staff, who also play a valuable role in reassuring passengers about safety on these stations. Instead, more machines will be installed, the sort that 'baffle passengers', according to Which magazine

The consumer watchdog Which? says that almost one in seven train passengers buys tickets from machines. In a survey, its researchers found that some ticket machines displayed unhelpful or meaningless information and others failed to show the price of different tickets. Several machines required researchers to choose between different routes, but then failed to show how much the different routes cost. Researchers saw “any permitted route” often displayed on screen, but this does not mean that any route is permitted. Rather, that you can travel by any route permitted by the train company.The Which? researchers were very rarely told what that permitted route was, so unless passengers carried a detailed rail map in their head, the route allowed would remain a puzzle.

I understand that from early 2013, when new ticket machines are installed, the opening hours for the ticket office at Acocks Green (a very busy station on the network) will be as follows:
Mon - Thu:   0700 - 1600
Fri:               0700 - 1800
Sat:              0800 - 1600
Sun:             CLOSED

This is a poor decision, especially with the plans in place to encourage more usage of the station by installing lifts and improved access.

Spring Road will also be slashed, with staffing hours reduced to just 4 hours a day Monday to Friday and five hours on Saturday, with a closure on Sundays.
Mon-Fri:     0700 - 1100
Sat:             0900 - 1400
Sun:            CLOSED

Tyseley will also face a hefty reduction in staffing hours, down to just 2 hours a day Monday to Friday, with no ticket office service at all at weekends.
Mon - Fri:   0700 - 0900
Sat/Sun:       CLOSED

You can find full details here.

This is unrelated to any decisions that may yet arise from the McNulty report which proposed a swathe of office closures across the national network, but it doesn't look good for either Spring Road or Tyseley.

All this is despite objections from disability groups and 18,000 passengers across the Midlands. As the chairman of CENTRO said, "London Midland recently said that reducing staff will not save them any money,,, we fail to see what possible benefits there are to London Midland, the Department for Transport or, most importantly, the passengers in driving through these changes."

Policing Update

We've had a couple of local policing meetings with residents in the past few weeks - one over at Lakey Lane and one at the Baptist Church on Yardley Road. The news remains broadly good and crime remains low. We've had a statistical spike in robberies, but because we have very few across the ward, just one more makes a difference - although every robbery has a victim and a crime behind the number. We had eight burglaries from homes and two thefts from sheds. There has been another small spike in thefts from motor vehicles, predominantly from VW models along the Shirley Road corridor. Overall, though, crime remains low and generally down on last year. We've also had a problem with thefts of lead overnight - do please report any suspicious activity, although it only takes a few minutes to take the lead from an accessible domestic roof.

Residents over in Lakey Lane continue to report being disturbed by anti-social use of quad bikes and motorbikes. The police have been listening - they've been targetting the users and have issued warning notices to some of the riders.

Let me know of other problems in the area.

Planning Applications to 15 September 2012

No planning applications to note last week, but a crop of three this week. 

2012/05569/PA - Land adjacent 4 Grattidge Road
Erection of 5 no. four bedroom detached houses with garages and proposed landscaping works. 
This has come back again, so I'm very interested in views from local residents. Initial responses seem to be broadly positive in principle. This is actually the waste ground behind the new indoor play area on the Warwick Road, but would effectively form an addition to the Grattidge/Harrier/Osprey development.  

2012/06169/PA - 17 Cottesbrook Road 
Erection of two storey side & rear extension and single storey rear & forward extensions


2012/05760/PA - 4 Pool Farm Road
Erection of first floor 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.