News Archive 2017/2018
WRA News Update November 2018
New Community Facilities on Taylor Wimpey Development Off Weaver Avenue.
Suggestions are being sought from residents for the content of the alternative community facilities which will replace the previously proposed YMCA between Weaver Avenue, Horsfall Drive, Signal Hayes Road and Sutton Coldfield Rugby Club.
You will have heard that the YMCA is not going ahead, and some of you may have been at the WRA Open Meeting in November 2018, where we discussed the potential uses of the area.
How would you like to see this community area developed? The only predefined fetures are that there must be a building of some sort (size not specified at this time) and grassed playing pitches; the rest of the site could be laid out as open space, low maintenance gardens.
Suggestions already put forward vary form a sensory garden to outdoor table tennis tables.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for how this land can be used, please send them to;
WRA News Update February 2018
AMEY
The Court of Appeal has found in favour of Birmingham City Council and against AMEY in a long running and occasionally bitter highways dispute, rejecting the company's 'ingenious new interpretation of the contract'. This judgement reinstates a previous adjudication in favour of Birmingham CC which was initially overturned by a High Court judgement in 2016.
AMEY was contracted in 2010 to carry out a 25 year PFI contract for the city, but the two parties fell out from 2014 onwards when it became clear that AMEY were not carrying out basic works that the council felt were obliged.
AMEY consider that they have already ''delivered significant investment in the city's roads, which has seen considerable improvements to the network. We have resurfaced 500 miles of carriageway - over one-third of Birmingham's roads''.
Information taken from 'Highways' magazine 23 February 2018.
So can we now look forward to substantial resurfacing (not just isolated pothole 'repairs') of our local roads - including Webster Way, Fox Hollies Road and many others in Walmley?
David Cooke (WRA Chairman)
Other needed improvements; (David Cooke WRA Chairman)
A. Highway improvements to Weaver Avenue - to complement the junction widening works at Thimble End Road, we have been pressing Birmingham CC to provide the following features:
1. Parking restrictions within the widened junction, otherwise the widening works will be ineffective. This will require a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to provide double yellow lines on Thimble End Park side of Weaver Avenue, from the 'give-way' markings and up to the entrance to the park.
2. A pedestrian barrier along the kerb at the existing pedestrian access to the park (to prevent children running into the roads when the gate is left open).
3. A sign near the park entrance advising visitors that parking is available on Horsfall Drive, ie. on the new houses access road. A layby has been constructed to accommodate five cars, but visitors seem unaware of this and continue to park on Weaver Avenue.
4. A sign at the layby (above) to designate visitor parking for Thimble End Park. This will be better used when the new access is provided into the park from Horsfall Drive, ie. when the Taylor Wimpey show homes and landscape area are incorporated into the park.
5. Better screening of the electricity substation at the junction of Weaver Avenue and Horsfall Drive.
The cost of all the above works is already covered by monies paid to Birmingham CC by Taylor Wimpey as part of the Section 106 obligations. The works will be carried out by Birmingham CC but they seem to be waiting for the junction widening works to be completed first.
B. We had asked Birmingham CC to install a kerbside pedestrian barrier at the Fox Hollies Road exit from Jones Wood, to prevent children running into the road. This is now in place.
C. Suggestions are now required for the content of the alternative 'community facilities' which will replace the previously proposed YMCA. Please see previous information. What do residents want? Please send suggestions to David Barrie and Ken Wood as above.
D. The Annual General Meeting of Walmley Residents Association 2018 will take place on Tuesday 24th April - time and venue to be confirmed. Notices will be posted.
The consultative group met on Thursday 8th February 2018 to hear and update from the Birmingham CC Planning Officers on the Supporting Planning Documents (SDP). David Cook was invited from WRA. Also attending were Jeff Gilbert and our Ward and Town Councillors. This was a closed meeting.
The SDP's have been further delayed and are most unlikely to be issued for public consultation (6 week period) before the local elections in May 2018. We were given an assurance that sufficient time will be available for public consultation to be completed after the local elections, and be acted upon before adoption by Birmingham CC Cabinet Members (not the whole council!), and before any planning applications are considered.
The updates we were given sought to demonstrate that our advices and concerns raised at meetings held last summer had been addressed. Regrettably, one of our major concerns (Transportation) was not discussed in detail because Transport for the Midlands (TfM) could not attend. This is likely to be the most contentious issue and we were promised a follow-up meeting with TfM before the public consultation starts. Matters discussed on Thursday comprised housing, transport, access, Sprint Bus, infrastructure, sustainability, education, health provision, open spaces/sports, shops and community facilities. Progress has been made on these issues since last summer and further details will be issued by Birmingham CC in the near future. The WRA will then liaise with the members and hold an Open Meeting(s) to discuss the implications. We are promised that the public consultation will include drop-in sessions attended by Council Officers and Councillors to be held during the daytime and evenings to maximise on residents' participation.
Weaver Avenue Road Improvements
One of the planning conditions immposed on the developers Taylor Wimpey for the housing scheme was that the junction of Weaver Avenue onto Thimble End Road would be widened to allow right-turning vehicles to wait without impeding left-turning vehicles. The current constraints have created substantial delays and disruption during peak traffic hours.
Those junction works should have been completed before first occupation of the new houses, over 18 months ago. The WRA, supported by our ward councillor, have voiced concern and requested action for over 12 months, but still no start has been made. Our enquiries indicate that the delays arise because;
1. Whilst the design of the junction widening was approved in June 2016, the whole process was then delayed whilst Birmingham CC agreed with Taylor Wimpey (TW) on a satisfactory means of piping a short length of the shallow ditch alongside Signal Hayes Road. This was eventually agreed in principle durning June 2017. At a meeting with Birmingham CC in July 2017 we were assured that the documentation would be completed for a start on site in August/September 2017. This was clearly not achieved.
2.0 We are now told that design issues have needed to be re-visited before the construction documentation can be finalised. We then have to wait until legal agreements, insurances, health and safety protocols etc are in place. TW then need to book road space to carry out the works. It seems unlikely that any works will start before April.
3. We will continue to pursue Birmingham CC for the earliest possible start date and we have been promised advanced notice, including details of the traffic management necessary to keep traffic moving. We will keep you updated but clearly Birmingham CC's performance has been unacceptable. If TW have held up these procedures why have enforcement notices not been issued? Doubtless TW are content to continue building the houses and exacerbating the traffic problems.
David Cook (Chairman WRA)
Birmingham Post News
The following items were mentioned in the Birmingham Post and are provided for your information;
1. Up to 32 acres of unwanted or unused Birmingham parkland, playing fields or public open space could be sacrificed to make way for much-needed new housing. Council officials are busy drawing up a list of sites for redevelopment and are asking councillors and communities to suggest suitable patches of land. Once confirmed, the sites will be used to build council houses. Birmingham CC has said it will publish its list of proposed sites in March and is refusing to reveal which patches of field or scrubland are under consideration, despite demands from councillors.
1. A cash-strapped police force is planning to sell off its key Sutton Coldfield site to raise money to plug a funding gap (further details in last week's Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer).
General Points of Interest
We have received a police alert regarding another telephone scam. Several residents are receiving threatening and intimidating phone calls from unknown persons telling them to purchase large quantities of iTune vouchers. The caller then gets the resident to pass over the access codes for the vouchers, which the scammer then cashes in. Residents should hang up on the initial call and contact the police on 101.
Don't leave anything metal on your front drive unless you want the scrap men to take it!
We are supporting a Sutton in Bloom event to be held outside Jeff's shop in the village from 2pm Friday 25th August. Alan Gardner, our local celebrity gardener, and others will be there to discuss the town's entry for next year. This is out best chance to influence what is to be provided from the Town Council's funds, so we need a good attendance.
Please feel free to email WRA with any comments, or items you would like us to raise on your behalf.