Saturday, October 5, 2024

A Jewellery Quarter ‘Urban Village’ 10 Year Review

It is now time to take stock of the total number of residential units which will be constructed in The Jewellery Quarter as a direct result of the Urban Village Scheme and the JQA is pressing for a ten year review.

Also a plan should be produced showing the location of the residential units so that we can review how the Conservation Management Plan has affected the area and integral businesses.

The original Urban Village Scheme envisaged 2,000 residential units, resulting in an influx of around 5,000 people.

However, the official figures of residential units constructed/under construction/with planning consent to December 2005 totalled 4403 (264 are in The Industrial Middle and 113 in the Golden Triangle which managed to get planning consent before the adoption of The Conservation and Management Plan).

It looks at the moment that this figure will reach well over 5,000 within the next couple of years, which working on the UV figures could mean over ten thousand people will be living in the Quarter! Is this figure sustainable or we are just building ‘vertical slums’ and the trade being squeezed out?

The pressure is always on to build more and more apartments in the Quarter and if we do not hold our ground the area could become just a housing estate with a blue plaque saying ‘This WAS Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter’.

Very soon there will be little ‘vacant’ land in the Quarter, the most obvious of course being Legge Lane. These figures will give us the basis for a report – what we now want are your views of how you feel the Urban Village has, and will in the future, affect the Jewellery Quarter and especially the trade – we know of many ‘evictions’ from workshops where planning permission has still not been implemented. Tell us your story by fax or email or write it down and send to us. A dossier will be kept and a report produced later.

  • Old Science Museum – (See revised Application)
  • Pope St/Carver St/Icknield St. (Chord Deeley) – Planning Applications now under consideration by Conservation/Heritage Panel and Planning Control.
  • Frederick Street – ‘Brown Shed’ Building & ‘The Variety Works’. The brickwork has now been cleaned on both buildings by Premier Sodablasting and refurbishment work has now commenced on both buildings.
  • Health Centre – Warstone Lane. A Planning Application (C/03378/07/FUL) has been received from Morris Homes to increase the number of apartments from 49 to 61 and enlargement of basement car park to increase number of spaces from 60 to 76.
  • Birmingham Mint. Work is proceeding on site.
  • St Paul’s Place. The Chord development is proceeding and it really looks as if this development will add something ‘good’ to the Square.
  • Tenby Street North: Site has been flattened but still no sign of building work commencing.
  • 61 Caroline Street. ramework now erected and work proceeding – this building will at least screen the side of the Heritage Court flats!
  • Hall Street. Work in progress.
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Stay Connected

259FansLike
152FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1,185FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Latest Articles

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x