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

Planning Applications to 17 August 2013

Nothing at all last week and just one to report from this week. All quiet, really.

2013/06026/PA - 3 Greenwood Avenue, Birmingham 
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.

Golf - a good walk ruined?

The new clubhouse at Pype Hayes

Tuesday saw Cllr Majid Mahmood and myself visiting Pype Hayes Golf Club to see how the My Time contract is performing one year into operation.

I have to confess that golf is not a sport that has ever inspired me, but I was impressed by the potential that this operational model offers the city.

The club house has just been rebuilt from the ground up after a fire prior to the contract starting and represents what the providers want to offer more widely. The ground floor is open-plan, but can have areas closed off to create rooms for meetings or private hire. It includes the golf shop and a bar and restaurant, which looks out onto a large decked area and the 9th and 18th greens. Membership is priced competitively within the market and they consciously want to attract a wider, younger group - dress codes have been scrapped and membership is made easy so as to attract those put off by other, rather more old-fashioned clubs.

On the upper floor is an air-conditioned, light and airy gym, which is largely unstaffed, allowing the costs to be kept exceptionally competitive - a day pass costs £5 and monthly membership can be had from about £25 a month. For that, you get access to 60 of the latest machines - many of which have Freeview, will connect with smartphone apps to provide individual training routines and will shortly have internet access as well. The machines are so smart that if they break down, they notify the supplier electronically and an engineer is tasked to visit within 24 hours.

The view out from the club house

My Time are a social enterprise - they do make a profit, but it is all reinvested in the business, so that they have no debt to carry. They started out running a number of golf courses in the south east and this was their biggest expansion, running seven council courses in Birmingham. From being a loss-making and under-invested council service, which was massively subsidised, this will generate income for the city council, increase community involvement and also deliver the service that golfers want. They've got a fearsomely long contract period - 25 years with an option for a further 25 years - but the initial signs look extremely promising.

Another win for Birmingham

Earlier in the year, as Birmingham proudly hosted the Cycle City Expo, Andrew Stunell, a Lib Dem MP, accidentally leaked on the internet (and then withdrew it) that Manchester had won their bid for money to develop further their cycling potential. The assumption that followed was that there was no way that Birmingham would win, given the size of Manchester's bid. This view gained a lot of traction - even I bought in to it - but Monday saw the announcement that we were all wrong. Yet again, Birmingham has won a competitive bid and gained the largest chunk of the £62m won by any single local authority (the Manchester bid covers the Greater Manchester area and Leeds is actually a West Yorkshire bid including work across Leeds and Bradford). We've secured £17m of funding - to go with a further £7m of city council money - to make some major improvements for cyclists in Birmingham.

Infographic from Dave Atkinson @roadccdave

Although this is going to be used to create 70 miles of new cycling routes and improve the 60 miles that we already have, this is only a start. As was pointed out during the Changing Gear scrutiny inquiry, the infrastructure in the Netherlands has taken four decades of work to get to the level that it is now - it has taken consistent investment and political will, backed by popular pressure, to get to their standard of provision. As a city, we're a long way behind this curve and this money is only a contribution to what we need to do to revolutionise cycling in our city.

This is a long term investment for the city - changing how we travel and making sure that we can use the most appropriate method for the journey will make our city cleaner, it will improve the air quality and have significant health benefits well beyond the value of the investment. It makes financial and health sense to do this.

While I'm delighted to see this boost for cycling in Birmingham, a tweeter (@roadccdave - Dave Atkinson) put this money into the context that we normally see for transport projects. The realignment of the A45 Coventry Road to allow the extension to the airport runway has cost £30m by itself. The Cycle Expo saw Andrew Gilligan, Boris' cycling tsar, visit Birmingham and tell us that he has the same amount to spend on a single project on the Embankment as we have won from the government for the whole city. I'm not being ungrateful - but let's put this into context.

Of course, we now have to deliver on the promise. That's the next challenge.

By the way - SkyRide Birmingham returns to the city on Sunday September 15. Sign yourself up....

Planning Applications to 3 August 2013

The builders aren't on holiday.

2013/05246/PA - 295 Fox Hollies Road, B27 7PS
Display of 1 no. externally illuminated fascia sign and 3 no. graphic signs

2013/05556/PA - 66, 72, 167 Fox Hollies Road, B27 7TJ
Installation of external wall insulation

2013/05682/PA - 1285 Warwick Road, B27 6PX
Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 2.5 metres, eaves height 2.5 metres

2013/04062/PA - 1091 Warwick Road, B27 6QT
Change of use of first floor to dining area in conjunction with existing restaurant use at ground floor, and erection of single storey front extension, two storey rear extension and second floor extension to create residential flat at second floor.

(This one has come back again and the Ward Committee resolved to object to it when it last appeared)

2013/05684/PA - 108 Shirley Road, B27 7NA
Erection of 6 metre deep single storey rear extension. Maximum height 4 metres, eaves height 3 metres

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 - Bretton Road

As part of the ongoing investment in Birmingham's roads, Bretton Road (from Olton Boulevard East to Gospel Lane) will be resurfaced to repair joints and cracks in the concrete road.

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 19-23 August 2013. It is expected to take up to five days and the crews will be working on site 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. 

Road repairs - Fanshawe Road

As part of the ongoing investment in Birmingham's roads, Fanshawe Road (from Circular Road to Pool Farm Road) will be resurfaced to repair joints and cracks in the concrete road.

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 12-16 August 2013. It is expected to take up to five days and the crews will be working on site between 8am and 6pm on weekdays only. 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. 

Road repairs - Lyall Grove

As part of the ongoing investment in Birmingham's roads, Lyall Grove  will be resurfaced to repair joints and cracks in the concrete road.

The work is scheduled to start during the week of the 12-16 August 2013. It is expected to take up to five days and the crews will be working on site between 8am and 6pm on weekdays only. 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.