Bins update

I'm told that bin collections in Acocks Green were brought up to date over the weekend by overtime working - there were crews out on Sunday clearing the backlog. If there are any outstanding collections, please do let me know.

Overall, volumes remain high, so this might mean that there are still the odd collection that gets delayed. Generally, missed collections will be picked up on the next working collection day.  Normally, it does take us two to three weeks to recover from the Christmas shutdown and the additional volume, so we seem to be a little ahead of the game.

Volume matters, because the more we all throw out, the longer it takes for the crew to put it in the wagon and the more often the wagon has to be emptied.

We've perhaps got away with it compared to last year, as we haven't had the snow and ice to contend with, but then January is still young!

Birmingham Development Plan Consultation Opens

The City Council approved the next stage of the creation of the Birmingham Development Plan at Full Counil at the start of December. This plan lays out a framework for development across the whole of the city until 2031.

It now goes out to public consultation until noon on the 3 March 2014. You can comment in several ways:

On line at www.birmingham.gov.uk/plan2031

By post to: Director or Planning and Regeneration, Birmingham City Council, PO Box 28, Birmingham, B1 1TU

Email to: planningstrategy@birmingham.gov.uk

Council officers will also be available to provide advice on completing the comments form at community libraries as follows:

16 Jan 10am - 4pm - Sutton Coldfield Library
21 Jan 2pm - 3:30pm - Handsworth Library
22 Jan 10am - 12:30pm - Walmley Library
23 Jan 10am - 4pm - Sutton Coldfield Library
31 Jan 11am - 1:30pm - South Yardley Library
6 Feb 1pm - 3pm - Northfield Library
8 Feb 10am - 4pm - Sutton Coldfield Library
15 Feb 10am - 1pm - Walmley Library

You can also obtain advice by visiting the offices at 1 Lancaster Circus in the City Centre or by calling 0121 303 4041 between 10am and 4pm on weekdays.

After this has been completed, the plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State and a planning inspector will be appointed to examine the "soundness" of the plan.

Acocks Green Library Update

Work will restart this week to complete the repairs to the library - it is on course for handover towards the end of the month, weather permitting. We have to complete some additional works, including improving the lightning protection for the building, repairs to the concrete lintel and staircase in the staff area, repairs to the fascia and also much needed repairs to the ramp and the external brickwork. We'll also try to fit in some internal redecoration of the library if the budget allows.

Bin collections update

As usual at this time, the collection rounds for the binmen are particularly heavy - the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays added an extra week's collection to those who normally have their collections on Wednesday or Thursday and that goes on top of the extra waste as a result of the holiday.

Those are the only two bank holidays that we don't collect rubbish as normal and it usually takes a couple of weeks to catch up. Last year was worse because of the snow and ice, but it looks as though we might get away with just the wind and rain at the moment.

The crews are doing all they can to minimise the amount of rubbish not collected each day, but the sheer volume makes it difficult. Some parts of Acocks Green are about a day behind on collections, although there may be pockets where it is a little worse. Crews are working this weekend to clear the backlogs and they will prioritise black bag collections over the recyclables - but all will be cleared.

If there are any patches that are more than a day late, let me know and I'll make sure it gets cleared.

Street Lighting Improvements - Greswolde Park Road

The LED lighting revolution returns to Acocks Green in 2014. It took a serious fight to get the whole of Woodcock Lane relit last year, as Amey initially denied that the rail bridge was part of the highway. It took weeks of nagging, site visits and eventually having the archives exhumed to prove that it was indeed part of the highway and should be properly lit.

Now, the new lights are coming to Greswolde Park Road, comfortably the worst lit street in the ward now we've sorted Woodcock Lane.

The new lighting columns are placed towards the back of the pavement so that they cast light onto the footpath and the road itself. The light is directed downwards and not into gardens or houses and the positioning also reduces the number of lights damaged through collisions. The lights are also much cheaper to run - halving the city council's streetlighting electricity bill and the carbon emissions. As the lighting is more effective than existing lamps, the

Work is due to start in the week beginning 13 January 2014.

It may take several weeks to complete and there may be a delay between the columns being installed, having them connected to the supply and then the old columns removed.

This work is reasonably non-intrusive - but it will not be possible to park by columns that are being installed or removed and there will be trenches and holes dug to allow cables to be installed. Any open trenches will be barriered off in the meantime.

If there are any problems, please contact Highways on 0121 303 6644 (option 4).

Winter Advice Special

Part of the following is extracted from a leaflet put together by the England Illegal Money Lending Team and the Birmingham Financial Inclusion partnership and shamelessly stolen from Cllr John Cotton's website. Other bits have been added from my own resources.

I hope that this helps.

HomeHeat Helpline 
The HomeHeat helpline advises people worried about paying their energy bills and keeping warm during the winter. It gives advice to households in urgent need of heating help and advice. It is free to call and is open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
Web address - www.homeheathelpline.org.uk
Telephone – 0800 33 66 99

Warm Homes Discount
For more information on this, see this earlier post. 

Water 
Severn Trent Water offer a range of tariffs and services which include flexible payment options, Water Direct, the Severn Trent Trust Fund, the Water Sure scheme, a Single Occupier Assessed Charge and Access services. What may also reduce your bills is their Free Meter Option Scheme and our Water
Efficiency products.
Web address - www.stwater.co.uk 
Severn Trent Water on 08457 500 500

Free Debt Advice
Thousands of people every year, for whatever reason, get into debt. One in four people now use loans or credit cards to meet the basic costs of living.This situation could mean that you get behind with your regular bills such as rent, council tax, phone, electricity or gas. Debt agencies can help you maximise your income, prepare a budget and talk to those you owe money to.
Birmingham Debt Advice Team – 0121 303 2087
Birmingham Settlement – 0121 250 3000
Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau – 0844 477 1010
Stepchange – 0800 138 1111
National Debtline – 0808 808 4000    Web address - http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/
Money Advice Service - 0300 500 5000    Web address - www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk

Healthy eating 
Birmingham’s markets are jam packed with fresh produce, lots of choice and bargains. Six days a week, 140 stallholders are up with the lark to offer their great deals. The Indoor Market is famous for its selection of fresh meats, fish and produce, giving supermarkets a run for their money for choice, price and atmosphere. And whether you’re running up a ball gown or saying  ‘curtains’ to ready-made home furnishings, nowhere beats the Rag Market.Opening times:
• Bull Ring Open Market - 9am to 5pm every Tuesday to Saturday
• Bull Ring Indoor Market - 9am to 5.30pm every Monday to Saturday
• Rag Market - Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9am - 5pm
Check out www.agirlcalledjack.com/tag/recipes/ 
This blog has recipe ideas for everyone on a budget, written by someone who was until recently living on that very same budget. She's been there and wants to show that being on a budget doesn't mean that you can't have tasty, varied food. Every menu is carefully and realistically priced by Jack from her local shops.

Local Welfare Provision from Birmingham City Council
The Local Welfare Provision scheme is discretionary and seeks to assist vulnerable people who are in short term crisis, to meet their needs for food and essential items or to assist them to maintain their independence
within the community. Before a grant is awarded the applicant will usually be required to demonstrate that their need cannot be met by another source. This may mean asking for help directly from other agencies or
other parts of the council before continuing with an application.
Web address - www.birmingham.gov.uk/lwp

Borrowing Money
Many households are feeling the impact on household finances from spiralling debt caused by high interest and fees and are struggling to access bank services and affordable credit. Birmingham Fair Money has
gathered the not for profit, responsible lenders serving Birmingham under one web site. For loans and savings check out their web site for further information.
Web address - www.birminghamfairmoney.org.uk

If you have already borrowed money and are struggling to repay help can be obtained from the debt section. If you are worried that you may have borrowed from a loan shark you can contact the England Illegal
Money Lending Team. A loan shark is someone who lends money without the appropriate licence issued by the Office of Fair Trading. Loan sharks rarely, give any paperwork and if payments are missed they often use intimidation and violence to get money. The England Illegal Money Lending Team can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Telephone - 0300 555 2222
e-mail: reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
or by text to: loan shark + your message to 60003

Budgeting 
The Pay Ahead Stay Ahead Scheme is aimed at 16-24 year olds. They can offer budgeting advice workshops and one to one support for those living in Birmingham. To sign up call or check out their web page. Their website also has an online directory offering help and advice to everyone on issues such as food banks, employment and benefits.
Telephone 0800 160 1990
Web address: www.payaheadstayahead.com

Birmingham Trading Standards
Each year Birmingham Trading Standards Service and the Citizens Advice consumer service receive requests for advice and assistance from members of the public concerning repairs carried out to their homes. Unscrupulous traders can deliberately take advantage of the most vulnerable members of our society. They can charge extortionate prices for very little. We take the job of tackling rogue traders very seriously. Our message is “Think Twice” before you open the door.
For more information visit:
Web address - http://www.noroguetradershere.com/ 
Telephone 0800 233 5000

Local Trading Standards Service
E-mail: tradingstandards@birmingham.gov.uk
Website: www.birmingham.gov.uk/tradingstandards 
twitter: follow@bhamts

Citizens Advice Consumer Service 
Website: www.adviceguide.org.uk
Telephone: 08454 04 05 06 

The Samaritans
It doesn’t matter who you are, how you feel, or what has happened.
If you feel that things are getting to you, get in touch.
Tel: 08457 90 90 90 
E-mail: jo@samaritans.org

Local Advice in and around Acocks Green
These are all part funded through the Community Chest from Acocks Green in order that they provide support to residents within the ward. 

Birmingham TUC Centre for the Unemployed

They offer help to people who are either unemployed or on low wages and have a drop in session between 10am and 12 noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Address: 448 Stratford Road, Birmingham B11 4AE 

Telephone 0121 771 0871

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau

They offer free independent and confidential advice. This is on a first-come, first-served basis and they are open Monday and Tuesday between 9:30am and 4pm; and Thursday 10am to 4pm

Address: 744-746 Warwick Road, Tyseley, B11 2HG

Tyseley and Greet Unemployment Resource Centre
They offer advice on benefits, debts and welfare rights.
Address: 541a Warwick Road, Tyseley, B11 2JP
Website: http://www.tg-erc.org.uk/
Telephone: 0121 764 4202

Other sources of advice
Birmingham Community Law Centre
The law centre provides free legal advice and representation in welfare benefits, debt, community care and public law. 
Address: The Bangladesh Centre, 97 Walford Road, Sparkbrook, B11 1NP
Telephone: 0121 772 6233

AdviceNow
Advicenow is an independent, not-for-profit website providing accurate, helpful information on rights and legal issues for people who need it
Web address: http://www.advicenow.org.uk/

Shelter
They provide quick online advice on housing issues through this website.
Web address: http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice

Planning Applications to the 21 December 2013

A few to catch up on before Christmas:

2013/09257/PA - Yardleys School, Reddings Lane, Tyseley, B11 3EY
Installation of 2 no. storage containers

2013/09187/PA - Land at the junction of Reddings Lane/Olton Boulevard West, Eaton Electrical
Ltd, Tyseley, B11 3EZVariation of condition number 7 attached to planning approval 2010/01029/PA to amend the wording to
read 'No development, save for works of demolition and site clearance, shall take place until details of the
number, design, location and post development monitoring arrangements of (bird nesting boxes/bat boxes/bricks/tubes) to be provided as part of the development has been submitted to and approved in
writing by the Local Planning Authority. The bird/bat boxes shall be installed in accordance with the approved details and thereafter maintained'

The wording currently reads:
No development shall take place until details of the number, design, location and post-development
monitoring arrangements of (bird nesting boxes/bat boxes/bricks/tubes) to be provided as part of the
development, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The
bird/bat boxes shall be installed in accordance with the approved details and thereafter maintained.
Reason: To enhance the nature conservation interest of the site in accordance with Paragraphs 3.37-
3.40 of the Birmingham UDP 2005, PPS9 and the Nature Conservation Strategy for Birmingham SPG.

This would seem to allow clearance to clear the site BEFORE the nature conservation measures have been installed.

2013/09264/PA - 162 Yardley Road, Acocks Green, B27 6GR
Continued use of premises as a tyre fitting & car repair centre.
This has been an issue of local concern for some time. 

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.

Merry Christmas

Diary Date - Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Friday 20 December 2013 - 10am
Committee Rooms 3 & 4, Council House
And you can now watch online here.

Key items on the agenda:

• 2013 Summer Tunnel Closures
• Bus Lane Enforcement
• Call in - Review of charges for trade waste services

The call in will be held in private session, as it includes commercially sensitive information.

"Call in" is a process where an Overview and Scrutiny Committee can ask the Cabinet to reconsider a decision if the committee thinks that the decision is wrong.

After the Cabinet has announced its intention to make a decision, members of the relevant O&S Committee have three working days to consider that decision. Two members of the committee can lodge a request to call in the decision. This puts any action to put the decision into practice on hold. The meeting will be held at least ten working days after the publication of the original decision. 

At this meeting, the committee will consider the call in and if a majority of the committee agrees, a report will be submitted. The full Cabinet will then reconsider the decision. They may confirm it or reverse their original decision. 

Planning Applications to the 14 December 2013

A few to catch up on before Christmas:

2013/08883/PA - 1174 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6BS
Erection of single storey rear extension including alterations to staircase and shop front alterations

2013/08744/PA - 49 Cottesbrooke Road, Acocks Green, B27 6LE
Erection of first floor side and rear extensions and conservatory (Amended description)

2013/08986/PA - 1146 Warwick Road, Acocks Green, B27 6BL
Display of 1 no. internally illuminated fascia sign, 1 no. externally illuminated projecting sign and 1 no.
non-illuminated fascia sign

2013/08818/PA - 120 Douglas Road, Acocks Green, B27 6HW
Erection of single 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.

Christmas Bin Collections

Just a reminder that - as in previous years - there will be no collections on either Wednesday 25 December or Thursday 26 December. Services will return to normal on Friday 27th December.

If you normally receive a black bag refuse collection on Wednesday or Thursday, your next collection will be on Wednesday 1 January or Thursday 2 January 2014. 

If you are also scheduled for a recycling collection on either Wednesday 25 December or Thursday 26 December, your next recycling collection will be on Wednesday 8 January or Thursday 9 January. 

The Household Recyling Centre at Tyseley will be open as normal over the Christmas period if you have to get rid of any large amounts of waste in the interim (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Free loft and cavity wall insulation available

Birmingham Energy Savers - a partnership between Birmingham City Council and Carillion Energy Services are installing free loft and cavity wall insulation (where appropriate) in certain areas of the city.

You can check your specific availability here, but the offer is broadly available across the Yarnfield estate, around The Avenue, the area around Fox Green Crescent and Pemberley Road and across the Gospel Estate. Many of those properties will not be suitable for cavity insulation as they were built with solid brick walls, but please check.Insulating a loft could save £170 a year on your heating bill and cavity wall insulation could put £140 a year back into your pocket.

I'd really recommend this - if you haven't already had this done.

Report - Acocks Green Ward Committee

A brief report on Wednesday's ward committee meeting.

I started with a brief tribute to Trevor Wagg, the late husband of former Cllr Penny Wagg and somebody who - despite our differing political views - was one of the keystones of our community and passed away suddenly a few weeks back. Our civic society is built on people like Trevor who are prepared to get involved and keep things running. He will be missed by his friends and family, but also by the wider Acocks Green and Yardley community.

We had a brief on the role of the local delivery group in the overall community safety and policing structure and the drive to cut crime, engage with young people and work to marginalise extremism of all sorts. You can find the full details here.

Our Environmental Health Officer had to send her apologies, but she sent a brief report. She's rolling out Street Litter Control Notices and has been dealing with properties on Spring Road and Westley Road, but will be dealing with the Yardley Road next. Members of the public raised a couple of issues about rubbish along the Yardley Road, which I'll be forwarding to the relevant council officers for action.

On planning applications, it was noted that the plans to demolish the Glynn Edwards Hall have been withdrawn at the last minute and there is no immediate prospect of a resubmission. We had a look at the current live planning applications, although we did not decide to object to any specific applications. We also noted that 2013/04742/PA, which was refused permission in August, is now the subject of a planning appeal.

Moving on to the community chest applications, almost all of the 2013-14 spending was finally allocated, with £2478 set aside to supply some new computer chairs for the library to replace the existing ones, which can best be described as "well-worn." These are the same chairs that were provided for the new South Yardley library, so should be good enough for us too! I also updated the meeting on the progress of the repairs, explaining that the delays have been caused by the amount of additional work to be done and the days lost to the weather (although we have been remarkably fortunate this autumn). Cllr Stacey pointed out that allowing for time lost affects the overall cost of a contract and there is a trade-off between risking time overruns and paying more upfront. These repairs look to be overrunning by about a month - which is rather better than the experience with South Yardley Library, which remained closed for well over a year for roof repairs.

We also agreed to allocate £1000 to the police project to secure homes against burglaries. We've had a rise across the ward and this is key in reducing fear and protecting people. We also approved a grant of £1200 to support the work of Fox Hollies Green Neighbourhood Forum.

One interesting issue was raised towards the end of the meeting - that of neighbourhood planning. We'll be inviting a council officer with experience of the Balsall Heath pilot to attend a future meeting to discuss it. It is an innovation of the current government, but it is not an easy option - neighbourhood plans have to comply with national and local planning policies and there's a lot of work to be done before it can be put to a referendum of the neighbourhood. Although the term "neighbourhood forum" is used in the government information, they aren't necessarily equivalent to the neighbourhood forums that we have in Birmingham - although the chances are that they would generally pass muster.

There was also a reminder that we are about to start the formal consultation on the 2014-15 budget. There are a number of meetings planned. Next week, there's one at South Yardley Library between 6pm and 8pm. on Wednesday 11 December.

Acocks Green Library Repairs Update

Before.....

I attended another of the regular progress meetings at the library on Tuesday and work is continuing well. Re-roofing is now complete on all three roof sections and the roof lights are installed on the two smaller roof sections. The weather has been generally quite kind, although it has caused some delays and the external work won't be complete until the 20th December.

You can see the difference in the two pictures. The old rooflights, dingy and sealed with flashband (a temporary water proofing measure at best) have been replaced with new, identical uPVC units, which are double glazed and designed to retain heat. Each of these units is assembled in the factory to check that they meet the bespoke size requirements, then taken to bits for powder coating before being delivered to site and reassembled again. The dodecahedronal units on the lower roof will be the most complicated of the lot (there are four or five different designs of roof light up there in total).

The library will be noticeably lighter once this work is done. Because this project has been managed under budget, we're also improving the ventilation by installing powered openers on selected windows to give a better flow of air in the warm months.

Roof fixed and skylights replaced

The photo below shows the water damage above one of the windows on the stairwell in the staff area. The surveyor reports back that this is not merely cosmetic - the lintel will need to be replaced. This will require significant internal and external structural scaffolding to support the roof while the work is completed and is more substantial than first thought.

Again, thanks to careful management of costs, we're able to get this work done. Originally, the roof above this wasn't planned to be replaced, although the condition was at least as poor as the main roof sections above the lending library itself.

Water damaged lintel

Once the externals are completed and after the Christmas break, the internal work - making good and repainting - has to be done. Some of this work could perhaps have been completed during normal closure days, but that would have meant further disruption, so we have decided to keep the library closed until the work is completed.

Unfortunately, this means that we aren't likely to get the library handed back until around the 17th January and it will take at least a week to ten days to return the library to a suitable condition to be opened to users (South Yardley took a fortnight, but that had been completely stripped for well over a year), so the aim is that we should be back in business by the end of January at the very latest.

Planning Applications to 30 Nov 2013

Nothing last week and just one this week:

2013/08766/PA - Land adjacent 4 Grattidge Road, Acocks Green, B27 7AQ
Application to determine the details for condition numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 attached to approval 2012/05569/PA (This is looking at the details of drainage, hard and soft landscaping, boundary treatment, samples and pedestrian visibility splays)

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.

Diary Date - Acocks Green Ward Committee

Acocks Green Ward Committee
Wednesday 3 December - 7pm
The Oaklands School, Dolphin Lane

Key items on the agenda:

• Community Safety Update
• Environmental Health Update
• Planning Applications
• Community Chest
• Grant to Fox Hollies Neighbourhood Forum 

Diary Date - Full Council

Full Council
Tuesday 3 December 2013 - 2pm
Council Chamber, Council House
And you can now watch online here.

Key items on the agenda:

• Question Time
• Members of the Public to any Cabinet Member or District Committee Chair
• Any Councillor to Committee Chair or Lead Member
• Councillors other than Cabinet Members to Cabinet Member
• Councillors other than Cabinet Members to Leader or Deputy Leader
• Report of Council Business Management Committee
• Proposed Changes to the Constitution
• Changes to the senior management and departmental structure
• Report of the Executive
• Birmingham Development Plan
• New governance arrangements for integrated transport authority
• Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
• Children and Families with no recourse to public funds
• Motions for Debate
• Lab motion on the Standing Up for Birmingham campaign
• Tory motion on reopening train lines, as mentioned in the Birmingham Mobility Action Plan

Incidentally - I missed last month's meeting for unavoidable family reasons. 

Yardleys School to take pupils from 4-16 from 2015?

A proposal for consultation has just landed on my desk and I thought I'd share it - Yardleys School is suggesting that from the 1 September 2015, it might expand from being a secondary school to include the primary phase as well and create an "all-through" school. Pupils will be guaranteed a place - if their parents wish - from reception through to completing their GSCE examinations (and the potential is there to extend either end to nursery and sixth form provision) - but will also be able to join the school at secondary level as they do now.

Birmingham certainly has a need for further school places and this will provide an additional 60 per year from 2015 with the first admissions to reception class in that year. The primary school would not be on the same site as the secondary school, but would be in "refurbished accommodation" on a new site nearby (I don't have any more information than that).

The school holds the view that the "all-through" method would help pupils make the transition from primary to secondary education as well as making curriculum planning easier across the phases.

What do you think?

Leisure Centres Update

You may have noticed that the council have confirmed plans to close nine leisure centres across Birmingham and build six new ones, which will then be operated by the private sector.

The news for Yardley and Acocks Green is good - Fox Hollies will remain and Stechford Cascades is lined up for replacement. Both of these are significant regional facilities - Fox Hollies provides one of the few all-weather athletics tracks in the city (just refurbished at the cost of £300,000) and the Cascades pool offers the only pool capable of hosting swimming galas. The problem with pools is that they are hugely costly to run and those costs spiral as the facilities get older - they weren't designed with current fuel costs in mind and only Bournville has a pool that benefits from free heat from the Cadbury's factory. There's an annual £6 million cost of running our pools across the city, which has proved unsustainable in the face of government attacks on our spending.

There was never a threat to close either the Cascades or to Fox Hollies.

Your Labour councillors in Yardley were very clear that they would not tolerate any plans that would see either closed and we backed the plans to rebuild the Cascades, which is pretty much at the end of its operational life. We actually had cross-party agreement on this proposal. Any suggestion that we even suggested closure of either site is absolutely untrue.

It is true that Labour opposed an opposition motion in council that would have blocked the closure of any pool in Birmingham, but that is because we believe in devolved power - these decisions rested with the districts. For example, Tiverton Road pool was slated for closure by Selly Oak District - it requires investment and will face competition for existing custom from the new pool at Birmingham University. I voted against the opposition motion to ensure that power stayed in the districts.

Acocks Green Station Update

I've just dropped by the consultation session on lift installation planned for Acocks Green station and I can now add an artist's impression of what you will see from the roadside. Two caveats on this - firstly, the facing is brick in this picture, which has been ruled out of the finished article on the grounds of cost (CENTRO are cutting back as well). Secondly, the pitched roof style is much more in keeping with the design of the station rather than the curved design shown in the other artist's impression - although the design drawings have a third plan - a flat roof with a fall to allow water to run off.

There is also the point that the photo on which the design is based is taken from a low angle on the opposite side of the road, minimising the visual impact from this quarter view. From the design drawings, the top of the towers are slightly above the level of the pitch roof of the two "wings" of the station building, but not above the height of the central pitched roof. In reality, the only visibility of the towers is going to be from station/car park level or from the brief quarter views approaching the station along Yardley Road - they will be invisible from the front of the station.

The walkways are glazed and uncovered, to ensure visibility and the whole arrangement is covered by CCTV cameras to improve security - so much as we can expect since the station staffing was slashed.

The towers are available in a range of colours - the grey has been chosen as a relatively unobtrusive colour for the flat metal facing. While I was there, there were certainly mixed views over the design, although most people who attended seemed to think that the addition of lifts was the most important aspect of this development. I've asked that CENTRO look at fitting the pitched roof shown on the top picture, as this would chime nicely with the existing roof of the station and they have undertaken to look into that. It is a particularly affordable solution, as the towers are largely pre-fabricated and can be installed with the minimum of track possession required. The height allows clearance of existing trackside lighting, but also for any potential future electrification of the line.