Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Annual Town Meeting 14 March 2018 Town Centre – proposed changes and opportunities
Presentation structure Context and Background Role of town centres Sutton Coldfield issues Sutton Coldfield options Conclusions and next steps
Strategic Plan Council’s Vision “Founded in our past, working for our future to improve the environment, local services and facilities making Sutton Coldfield an even better place” A priority is: To represent Sutton Coldfield’s interests on key strategic issues facing the Town Related action: To engage with other agencies to revitalise and improve the town centre
Background £19m Government funding for new Sutton Coldfield transport interchange Improved connectivity - ‘plugging’ the area into HS2 Focus on creating 45min journey time from key locations to HS2 stations Scheme led by TfWM in partnership with BCC
Opportunities A catalyst for change which should provide: Better bus / rail interchange with improved pedestrian linkages Investment in the wider public realm Improved prospects for commercial investment and redevelopment of key sites
Challenges Increased competition from internet shopping Out of centre competition Economic uncertainties Lack of investment Fixed / rising costs
Offer Social experience with good range of shops, leisure and catering facilities Ease and quality of access High quality environment Unique attraction Good customer experience
Issues Rail station located on periphery Poor point of arrival Difficult and unattractive route into town centre Severed by Brassington Avenue
Issues continued Poor pedestrian access into Gracechurch centre from rail station Lower Parade area – good bus penetration but divides town centre and results in poor environmental quality Town centre defined by A5127 around it which acts as a physical barrier
Outline Site Options - Land at Station Street car park - Land at Brassington Avenue - Land at Red Rose Centre - Land at Newhall Walk
Option evaluation criteria Likely to include: Policy – BCC transport / planning / connectivity / HS2 Feasibility – size / topography / functionality / integration Deliverability – risks / land ownership / costs / timescales Impacts – commercial / shoppers / bus operators / highways Regeneration – redesign / redevelopment / new masterplan
Conclusions Important to ensure that: Scheme not viewed in isolation as a transport project Achieves better integration with bus and rail Improves prospects for redeveloping key sites Related investment in improving the environment, public areas and linkages to the town centre Town Council want to be proactive in influencing these changes and evolving a new vision / masterplan for the town centre
Next steps Stakeholder engagement Further consider site options How can scheme best support regeneration of town centre? What happens to buses in Lower Parade? How best to deal with severance issues caused by A5127 (Brassington Avenue)? Aim to agree preferred option between stakeholders Summer 2018
Group discussions Taking into account the proposed new transport interchange please discuss: What do you think are the best features of the town centre? What 3 things would you want to change to improve the town centre?
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