£400,000 new Great Barr RSPB visitor centre plan unveiled
Details of a proposed new visitor centre at the RSPB Sandwell Valley nature reserve have been unveiled – as plans for it went on display.
Bosses at the Great Barr reserve are applying to the Lottery for more than £400,000 to build a new centre.
The visitor centre on Tanhouse Avenue would replace temporary buildings that have been on site since a fire destroyed the old centre in 2010.
Insurance money paid for the damage and since then the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds charity have applied for grants to enable them to fund the new centre.
The plans for the new centre went on display at the reserve to show volunteers and volunteers what charity bosses hoped to achieve with the development.
The new centre would feature an open plan multi-purpose area, a volunteer room, an office as well as an outdoor wear store and toilet facilities.
The two-storey modern-looking building would also have a porch and terrace area.
The centre would not only be used by the staff and visitors, but also volunteers and community groups. Since the visitor centre was targeted by arsonists in 2010, a £100,000 temporary building has been the main base at the reserve.
The temporary building includes a classroom, an office and toilets.
However, bosses at the reserve admit the temporary building has not been the most suitable visitor centre. Learning and education officer, Wendy Murray, said: "We are really excited to be at this next stage, and to see the plans go on display.
"It will be so much better than the temporary building we have at the moment.
"It will be wonderful to have a visitor centre which can be a real focal point of the reserve.
"This will not only benefit the staff, volunteers and visitors, but also the whole community."
The plans are due to be submitted to the Lottery imminently and a decision on whether the bid is successful will be made within a months.
Bosses at the centre have been consulting with staff, volunteers and visitors for the past year on what they would like to see in the centre.
A number of consultation events were held at the reserve with the Birmingham-based architect Ian Bramble.
Mr Bramble then worked from the feedback to draw up designs for the centre.
Last month it was revealed that bosses were closing the reserve every week on a Thursday until Easter in a bid to cut costs. It is hoped the closure will save on staffing and utility costs. The reserve is already closed on a Monday. Bosses say the opening times will be reassessed once the new visitor centre is built.
