Council to apply for £13 million to improve Erdington High Street
Ambitious plans to completely transform Erdington’s struggling High Street with a cinema, restaurant quarter and public square, have been announced.
The plans for a “desperately needed” revamp also include a cafe terrace, remembrance garden, pedestrian zone and new housing.
On Tuesday, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet agreed to apply to the Government’s Future High Streets Fund for up to £13 million as part of a programme of works to transform the area.
The council also hopes to attract £42 million in private investment to allow it to take the scheme forward.
It includes redeveloping the Central Square Shopping Centre including residential accommodation as well as businesses, transforming the former Erdington Baths site into a community and enterprise hub and creating a new park on the site of a Poundland store.
Plans also include pedestrianising the High Street between Barnabas Road and Church Road and widening the village green space outside Erdington Library and improving St Barnabas Churchyard by adding disabled access and lighting to make it safer at night.
A draft business case put to the cabinet states footfall at the shopping centre has halved from one million visitors per year in 2012 to 500,000 in 2018, causing a rise in empty units.
The council officers state the decline in footfall and shops has led to an increase in drug-taking, street drinking and begging in the street.
A survey of residents and shoppers showed 30 per cent of survey respondents said they felt unsafe in the day time, which rose to 85 per cent at night.
The council had initially applied to the fund for Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Soho Road, Acocks Green, Northfield, Stirchley and a generic application for all other local centres.
Only Erdington was progressed to the next stage, though the Government High Street Task Force has offered advice toward a re-submission for Stirchley.
The cabinet unanimously agreed to advance the application for Erdington, and the council now has until June 5 to complete its submission.
Councillor Robert Alden, councillor for the Erdington Ward and Conservative group leader, said during the online cabinet meeting: “This is a really exciting thing for Erdington, potentially making it a real destination of choice for people to come to.
“It would bring in a restaurant quarter and potentially a cinema as well.
“This is a once in a lifetime chance to deliver a substantial transformation of Erdington High Street. This does meet the criteria to transform a part of the city that desperately needs it.”
Councillor Tristan Chatfield, cabinet member for finance and resources argued councils should be given responsibility for allocating the Future High Street Fund across their areas rather than central government.
He said: “The funding should be made broadly available and devolved to local authorities.”
