PERRY BARR ACTION PLAN Alex Gaio — 1610 7479 — 24 May 2016
A CLOSER LOOK AT PERRY BARR Housing & Demographics With an expected increase of about 360,000 households from 2011 to 2031 in the West Midlands (Holmans 2013), Birmingham will need to absorb a large number of the growing demand for housing supply in the UK. Perry Barr, as an inner-city suburb, will need to take into account its fair share of new dwellings as it continues to mature and develop. Perry Barr’s current housing stock consists of primarily row housing and duplex style residential units (Fig 1) with some instances of single family housing units. Upon closer inspection, a healthy number of homes are either available for rent or for sale indicating that there is a sense of stability in Perry Barr with the highest concentration of uninhabited housing units near the former Birmingham City University (BCU) site at Wellhead Lane. Adjacent to the BCU site is a new industrial development that is yet to define the surrounding uses due to the departure of a large employer and landmark in the area.
Transport Taking into account the projected growth in demand for housing supply, and the type of residents in Perry Barr, there will be a noticeable strain on the current transport network within Perry Barr and to surrounding areas. The current paradigm in Perry Barr is that the dominant transport mode is the private automobile it is clearly the case because every corner of Perry Barr has access via a road, but not a bike lane or bus line. Where pavements are available, they are regularly used for parked cars and inhibit pedestrian movement. Although there is still extra capacity on the road network in Perry Barr and new investment in roads is not needed, peak travel times will be longer and will see greater volume with more residents in the area. With growth expected, and to set Perry Barr apart from every other area of Birmingham innovative solutions will need to be used. Knowing that a rail line can move ten times the amount of people as a lane of traffic (Auckland Transport 2016), it will be crucial to look at complementing roadway infrastructure with mass transit connections to Perry Barr and beyond— noting that Perry Barr is midway between other parts of the West Midlands and sees ample through traffic. By providing these sorts of options, Perry Barr would be following in the footsteps of one of North America’s most successful LRT systems in Calgary, Canada (MARCUS GEE 2011). Calgary’s new Green Line LRT line will be removing a lane of traffic on Centre street to increase capacity along the corridor. Adding higher-order rapid transit is also often a key proponent in spurring economic development and compact urban developments that add mixeduse developments in transit-oriented developments. With the departure of the BCU City North Campus, potential redevelopment of the OneStop shopping centre, and a new Perry Barr rail station there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the urban fabric of Perry Barr into a smarter, better connected, and renewed node in Birmingham.
Fig 1: Typical duplex in Perry Barr on The Broadway. Photo source: Google Maps.
In and around the Perry Barr High Street, Birchfield Road, and radiating out to the East and West are the largest concentrations of residential areas. From walking in these areas, the most obvious demographic is the number of families with children that make use of schools on The Broadway and the periphery of the Perry Barr area. The implications of this mixed demographic mean that there will be a growing demand on infrastructure as the population matures and as new residents make Perry Barr home. There will be a greater need to travel further distances as youth need to travel to jobs and higher education.
Local connections are good, but evidently designed with the automobile as top of mind. Additions of infrastructure for active transportation have proven
successful in Calgary (Bruntlett, Bruntlett 2015) (a city that was dominated by auto-oriented infrastructure) and as Perry Barr grows, the need to provide added choice and more healthy, space-saving modes will become evermore obvious.
Regeneration
Fig 3: The ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’ campaign. Photo source: Don’t Mess with Texas.
Currently, Perry Barr faces a challenge with community stewardship and is littered with rubbish. Birmingham City Council is an instrumental partner in building community stewardship. One approach that North American cities use is the adopt-a-street program which organises volunteers to collect rubbish in public places. This sort of a program could work so solve the litter problem that currently exists. One example of another solution which was massively successful was the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign (Fig 3) which has convinced Texans not to litter since 1985 and is still an active campaign today (Don’t Mess with Texas 2016). The establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Perry Barr would enable businesses to pool resources and work to improve the customer experience when shopping in Perry Barr. These kinds of districts work well in cities around the UK and the world improving local trading environments. (Department for Communities and Local Government 2014)
Action Plan Priorities Short Term: Beginning of community stewardship initiatives, improved local transport connections with better walking and pilot cycle infrastructure, establishment of a BID. Medium Term: Establishing a mixed-use focal point that can accommodate easy connections to public transport and national rail near the Perry Barr train station and OneStop shopping centre, adding medium density residential/mixed-use to the South portion of the former BCU site.
Fig 2: Removing a lane to add capacity on Centre Street. Photo source: City of Calgary.
Long Term: Providing a higher-order rapid transit connection (LRT or BRT) to the city centre through Perry Barr, renewed Birchfield commercial area
AN ACTION PLAN FOR PERRY BARR
Network of Safe Walking & Cycle Routes Early intervention in the action plan for Perry Barr will build on the recently added sharrow cycle infrastructure to create a pilot network of cycle routes to analyse where the best places are for cycling connections. Temporary bike lanes are lowcost and provide a safe alternative transportation mode for all ages. Photo source: Ailsa Dyson
Today
Medium Density Residential at Former BCU With the looming departure of BCU’s City North Campus, it will be important to immediately plan for new uses on the site while taking into account the desired future and growing deoand for housing of Perry Barr. Any new development will have integrated green space. Photo source: Waterfront Auckland
Renewed Commercial on Birchfield Road Widened pavements, calmed traffic, street furniture, greenery, mixed-use buildings and the establishment of a business improvement district to improve the streetscape and customer experience. These efforts will help Perry Barr market itself as a destination in Birmingham. Photo source: City of Vancouver
2028
Mixed-Use Transit-Oriented Development Core A mixed use core with commercial, office, and residential that provides a central focal point for Perry Parr with links to National Express West Midlands Services, National Rail, Network West Midlands, Road, Pedestrian, and Cycle connections. Photo source: Colliers International Canada
Ongoing Community Stewardship Programs In an effort to improve pride among local residents, the introduction of adopt-a-street litter control programs, smart marketing campaigns, and partnerships with local businesses, Perry Barr’s public realm can be maintained in top condition. Photo source: City of Bonney Lake
2040
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF PERRY BARR PERRY BARR HAS A NUMBER OF VALUABLE COMMUNITY ASSETS LIKE THE GREEN SPACE AT PERRY HALL PLAYING FIELDS AND LIVINGSTONE ROAD ALLOTMENTS, THE DIVERSITY OF LOCAL MERCHANTS ALONG BIRCHFIELD HIGH STREET, KEY EMPLOYERS LIKE NT INTERNATIONAL AND TUFNOL LTD ON ASTON LANE, AS WELL AS NEW GROWTH AT THE HUB DEVELOPMENT, AND NEW RESIDENCES AT BIRCHFIELD GATEWAY. WITH AN ACTION PLAN FOR PERRY BARR, THESE ASSETS ARE BUILT ON AND COMPLIMENTED WITH THE NECESSARY CAPACITY FOR A GROWING AREA IN BIRMINGHAM.
Aims
Objectives
Promote compact urban form
Foster a sense of pride and stewardship in the community
Build mixed-use development
and
public
Establish a mixed-use transit-oriented development site at the existing OneStop shopping centre
Renew existing commercial area along Birchfield Road with a business improvement district and enhanced streetscape
Launch a marketing campaign and community building initiative to promote community stewardship
Establish a network of safe walking and cycling routes that connect to long distance transportation services
Build greenery and recreational space into every new major development or require contributions from developers
transport-oriented
Establish Perry Barr as a node in Birmingham
Enable transportation choice by planning infrastructure for all modes of transportation (foot, cycle, auto, public transport)
Stimulate the local economy and improve the customer experience with a business improvement district
Accommodate additional residents with new housing
Provide adequate access to green space and recreation
Key Stakeholders Businesses & Institutions: OneStop, race track, industrial business owners, local business owners, haulage companies, BCU Local Citizens: Residents and residents’ associations, concerns over propery value Statuatory: National Rail, NHS, City Council
Timeline Broad Options Stakeholder Consultation
Preferred Options Stakeholder Consultation
Public Examination
Action Plan Adoption
Action Plan Implementation
Action Plan Evaluation (Ongoing)
REFERENCES AUCKLAND TRANSPORT, 2016. Take a Journey with Auckland Transport. BRUNTLETT, C. and BRUNTLETT, M., 2015-last update, Calgary cycle track network: An overnight success story, 5 years in the making. Available: http://calgarybuzz.com/2015/11/calgary-cycle-track-network/2016]. CITY OF BONNEY LAKE, 2015-last update, Adopt-a-Street Photos. Available: http://www.ci.bonney-lake.wa.us/cityblog/?page_id=46352016]. CITY OF VANCOUVER, 2011. Cambie Corridor Plan. Vancouver, BC: City of Vancouver. COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL CANADA, 2016-last update, 2 Units Remain! - High Profile Second Floor Commercial Units available in one of Vancouver’s largest mixed-use developments!. Available: http://www. collierscanada.com/4034#.V0DHbVdt9vM2016]. DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 2014-last update, Business Improvement Districts. Available: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-improvement-districts2016]. DIPPEL, S., 2015. Calgary mulls downtown Green Line LRT route options. CBC News Calgary. DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS, 2016-last update, History. Available: http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/about/2016]. HOLMANS, A., 2013. New estimates of housing and demand need in England, 2011-2031. Town and Country Planning, 82(9), pp. S1. MARCUS GEE, 2011, January 29. Light rail transportation that works. The Globe and Mail (1936-Current), A11. ISSN 0319-0714. PURFIELFD, C. and DYSON, A., 2015-last update, Centre City cycling track project a boon for bikes. Available: http://nexthome.yp.ca/news/centre-city-cycling-track-project-a-boon-for-bikes/38069/2016]. WATERFRONT AUCKLAND, 2015-last update, WILLIS BOND APPOINTED AS RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPER FOR WYNYARD CENTRAL. Available: http://www.waterfrontauckland.co.nz/waterfront-auckland/pages/newspage/?ID=278&redirect=12016].
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