Talks on major Sutton Coldfield town centre plan moved to September

Proposals by Bordeaux Estates to create 75 one and two-bedroom apartments along with 4,305 sq ft of retail and leisure space and car parking were put forward on this week's agenda for Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council's planning committee.

But councillor Clare Horrocks, Chair of the Planning and Highways Committee at Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, said at August's meeting: "Given the large nature of this application, officers at the Town Council have agreed with Birmingham City Council that an extension of time is allowed.

"This will mean that we can fully review the application and give it due consideration before making a recommendation. As a result, it will feature on September's agenda."

Sutton Coldfield Town Council Leader Simon Ward said: "We want to work closely with Birmingham City Council through the Town Centre Regeneration Partnership to make sure anything that happens in the centre fits in with the masterplan.

"I think the Bordeaux scheme is something we need to investigate in detail in that context.

"The positives are that we have concentrated land ownership in so far as we have M&G owning the Gracechurch and Birmingham City Council with the Red Rose Centre.

"But that's not all of it so there are key sites in the town centre and it's really important that what happens with those fits in alongside the overall objectives. I'm encouraged that we are engaged with the city and M&G as well and I'm hopeful they are moving in the right direction but timing is key with all of this."

It comes as community architect and founder of the independent Sutton Coldfield Our Town group, Tony Whitehead said Sutton is moving into a 'key stage' with plans for the future of the town centre and must ensure its masterplan isn't jeopardised.

He says it's vital to ensure any plans conform to the principles set down in the 2020 Masterplan and question whether they help or hinder the renewal of the Town Centre.

As well as plans from Bordeaux Estates, Aldi recently unveiled £5m proposals for a new store on Brassington Avenue.

"Our Town is working extremely closely with key stakeholders and the town council making up the regeneration partnership," Mr Whitehead said.

"We are trying as a group to be pro-active and come up with imaginative but realistic ideas that are commercially viable.

"This is a critical stage we are moving into. We have these very significant applications coming forward, and following the endorsement of the Masterplan as a supplementary planning document by Birmingham City Council Cabinet, it now firmly stands as planning policy, and so it’s a question of people holding their nerves by its principles.”

"Because of the consultation and efforts to get the policy for the Town right, it’s something we feel must be adhered to otherwise it's a pointless process and a waste of peoples’ time and money."

He added: "We have to build on what Sutton has got and make it as attractive and distinctive as possible to try and pull people here otherwise they will go somewhere else.

"There's great potential in Sutton. It's a compact centre, a prosperous area, and one with housing located close into the centre. And we’ve shown how the pedestrianised streets with market stalls can be revived and extended.”

"If you get it right, you will get people back in and the tills will ring, businesses will do better.

"And so is the Bordeaux Estate plan going to rescue the town centre from decline? It doesn't seem to offer much with its stacked-up 75 residential units looming over Lower Parade.

"Rather than the comprehensive approach recommended in the Masterplan and further developed and presented to Birmingham Planners earlier this year by Our Town, this scheme ignores its neighbours, McDonalds and the City Council owned Red Rose Centre. And so as it stands it risks jeopardising the successful implementation of the Masterplan.”

"It's important we don't needlessly abandon its principles only to find the core problems of the Town Centre have, in fact, been made far worse.

"And while we welcome Aldi, we have concerns too. Will Aldi shoppers choose to leave their car and have a browse in the centre?

"We’d like to think they will, but there are some fundamental reasons why they won’t.

"We have mapped the links between the current Aldi store proposal and town centre and consider it virtually impossible for it to provide safe and easy passage.

"At present, under the plans, the likelihood is that shoppers will drive to Aldi fill their shopping bags and drive back home again without visiting the town centre at all."

“And so we’re suggesting what we consider is a better planned proposal with the Aldi store entrance aligned onto Manor Road to make it a closer and more visible extension of the main shopping area. These examples show how rather than be negative, Our Town is offering constructive suggestions so everyone benefits.”

“This is the spirit of the Masterplan process,” added Tony, “a community taking control to help bring about a revived, distinctive and prosperous Town Centre.”

Jonathan Cox, Director of Bordeaux Estates, has previously said: “We see the scheme as providing a real opportunity to bring new life and confidence to this neglected area of Sutton Coldfield town centre, and with it the catalyst for further development and investment.”