Birmingham City Council has outlined a 10-point plan to rejuvenate Erdington town centre over the next two decades, acknowledging that the high street has "declined in recent years." The vision forms part of the council's Local Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for shaping Birmingham's future over the next 20 years.
Council's vision for a 'destination of choice'
The council's vision states that Erdington town centre will become a "destination of choice" with improved shop frontages, a thriving mixed-use environment, and historic buildings that are celebrated. The document explores regeneration opportunities and sets out how the council can support economic growth, address housing need, and attract investment.
"Erdington town centre has the potential to be rejuvenated as a unique, thriving, mixed use centre," the council wrote. "It could offer new public spaces with improved walkability and a sense of place, with a variety of centrally located homes, businesses, leisure, and wellbeing services."
10 key opportunities for Erdington
The council listed a number of key opportunities for the area, including:
- More shops offering comparison goods and night-time leisure venues in the high street.
- Central Square Shopping Centre becoming a major site for mixed-use development, with retail, leisure, creative, food and drink, and community and wellbeing related ground floor uses being supported.
- The former swimming baths on Mason Road being redeveloped into a community and enterprise hub.
- Proposals for the creation of a new community square at the centre of the High Street.
- Improved pedestrian and cyclist connections between Erdington Rail Station and the High Street via Station Road and Wesley Road.
- Proposals to remodel and improve Wilton Outdoor Market.
- Public realm improvements along Sutton New Road between Station Road and Reservoir Road.
- Improved pedestrian environment throughout the town centre, with tree planting, blue infrastructure for rest and relaxation, quality street furniture, paving and play equipment.
- Improvements to St Barnabas Church Yard.
- Public realm improvements including public art and signage at Six Ways junction.
Addressing crime and anti-social behaviour
The high street has in the past been plagued with fears over anti-social behaviour and crime. This led to West Midlands Police launching Operation Fearless last year, backed by £880,000 from Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster. The force previously said the funding, sourced from money seized from criminals, had been instrumental in tackling crime in the area and said residents reported feeling much safer due to increased police presence and enforcement activity.
The council's vision continued that Erdington town centre will have improved shop frontages and public realm that enhance the High Street's character, a thriving mixed-use environment with independent retail, restaurants, cafes and other cultural, wellbeing and leisure related uses of high-quality design that would support a strong day and night-time economy, centrally located homes, apartments, and office accommodation of high quality, spaces for new businesses to thrive that support local people into employment, and historic buildings which are celebrated, enhanced, and put back into meaningful economic use.
Next steps for the Local Plan
"Erdington Town Centre will become a destination of choice, with the delivery of a new public space at the centre of the high street that enhances the quality and identity of the centre and improves accessibility to the high street for pedestrians and cyclists," the council wrote. The Local Plan document is a massive blueprint for how Birmingham's future could be shaped in the next 20 years, and the council's vision for Erdington is now part of that public record.
