£14m Colmore revamp offers a healthier vision
Cyclists and pedestrians put first in city centre transformation
NEW traffic restrictions are being planned for the Colmore business district ready to make it much more pedestrian- and cycle-friendly.
Work is starting in earnest on a £14 million redevelopment scheme centred on Colmore Row that will create new public spaces, pedestrian areas and pocket parks with a view to staging cultural events outdoors opposite Birmingham Cathedral.
Danny Crump, director of urbanism at architects Broadway Malyan, said: “This is a really exciting programme and we are thrilled to have played a small part in getting to this stage.
“There has been a recent appetite – given the current Covid-19 situation – to provide spaces where people can safely walk, exercise and go about their daily business.
“This scheme puts pedestrians and cyclists first, moving away from a bias towards vehicle-focused design that simply does not meet the complex needs of a modern city like Birmingham.
“Our healthy streets approach will breathe much-needed new life into the area by delivering high quality public realm and a new cultural offering, while also boosting active travel and helping to combat the harmful effects of climate change.” The Colmore Row investment comes with Birmingham’s new e-scooter trial scheme set to launch today. A new “parklet” opened in Waterloo Street at the end of last month.
The first phase of works will focus on Colmore Row and Livery Street. The pedestrian space around Colmore Row will be improved with high quality paving, soft landscaping and the widening of the footpath.
As work progresses, the right turn for traffic going up Livery Street on to Colmore Row will be removed.
When that happens, vehicles going up Livery Street will have to turn left towards Colmore Circus.
The bus stop and taxi ranks adjacent to the square on Livery Street and Colmore Row will be relocated, with a new taxi rank at the top of Livery Street in place of the bus stop, which will move to the main pedestrian entrance at Snow Hill Station. Changes will also be made to the current one-way traffic system in the area. The stretch of Livery Street between Cornwall Street and Barwick Street will become two-way instead of uphill only.
Civil engineering firm and building contractor McPhillips is carrying out the work on behalf of Colmore BID, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Birmingham City Council.