Park Central In The Sunshine
As luck would have it my planned walkabout on Attwood Green and Park Central coincided with a gorgeous sunny day!
The tranquil day was spoilt by a young lad riding a motorbike around the park to impress the girls. He had "L" plates but no helmet. He was soon told to clear off by the efficient park ranger who noted his plate - good job!
New TV Station for Birmingham
The Stirrer reveals plans for a new TV station for the city. The trailer sums everything up well and there seems to be some good industry folk involved.
The trailer promises "local politics and business news" which could make for some interesting times ahead.
One thing I would like to see is the children of the city given the opportunity to get involved. Budding media stars in Ladywood are already given the opportunity to learn about presenting and producing shows through the fantastic TNT Ladywood - how I'd love to see this transferred to the TV.
Clare Short Interview – Part Three
"Tony Blair... he would have probably been a Tory if he hadn't married Cherie"
In this third and final part of the Sunday Mercury's interview with Clare Short, MP for Birmingham Ladywood, Clare compares Gordon Brown and Tony Blair and talks about her ambition to be mayor of Birmingham (if we are ever forced into having an elected mayor, of course)
It's worth watching, particularly for her comments on Tony Blair and her opinion that he would probably have been a Tory had he not met Cherie. Tony's wife has since dismissed those claims as "rubbish".
Watch Part One of the interview.
Watch Part Two of the interview.
Clare Short Interview – Part Two
"If Tony Blair had told the truth, discussed it honestly, we probably could have prevented a disaster that's killed up to a million Iraqis, displaced millions of them, wrecked the country, nearly 200 young Brits are dead and many others mangled and injured and the Middle East is ever more dangerous. I think Tony has ruined his reputation, it's a tragedy all round."
In this second part of the interview with the Sunday Mercury, Clare talks about her resignation over the Iraq war, her own expenses claims and those of her colleagues. She says the people of Ladywood have no problem with her and I would second that. She also accuses others of "fraud" and "greed".
Watch Part One of the interview.
Watch Part Three of the interview.
Clare Short Interview – Part One
Last weekend the Sunday Mercury sat down with Clare Short for an interview with the now independent MP for Birmingham Ladywood, who is standing down at the next election.
Here's part one in which Clare talks about her life before becoming an MP, her fondness of Handsworth and her favourite memories of her time in Parliament.
Watch Part Two of the interview.
Watch Part Three of the interview.
Planning Application: 18-19 Caroline Street
A planning application for change of use at 18-19 Caroline Street is currently open for comment. The former jewellers workshops, just 150m from St Paul’s Square, have been vacant for over two years and are in a poor state of repair.
The applicant wants to set up a photography studio on the ground floor and make other units available to the creative industries. The first floor would be refurbished to allow the applicant to live above the units. Some internal structural changes have been proposed.
The building occupies a prominent place on Caroline Street so I am pleased to hear the applicant would not make any external changes other than signage. There is also no parking requirement.
You can view the full application including floor plans and photographs using the Planning Online tool and reference C/02412/09/FUL. Comments must be made by 1st July 2009.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
4am Project in the Jewellery Quarter
It's not every Sunday morning I get up at 3.30am, but that's exactly what I did this morning, in the name of the 4am Project! The brainchild of Karen Strunks, the 4am Project aims to gather a collection of photos from around the world at the magical time of 4am.
I missed the first shoot back on 4th April (4/4) so with this re-run being held on the Summer Solstice in the Jewellery Quarter, I had no excuse. So armed with a flask of coffee and some spare batteries, I wandered down to St. Paul's Square.
It was a pleasure to meet everyone, a mix of professionals, keen amateurs and point-and-clickers like me! We wandered around St. Paul's Square, Brook Street, Newhall Street and up to the top of the St. Paul's Square car park. Unfortunatley we were short of time so couldn't head into the heart of the Jewellery Quarter, or down to the canals. Another time!
After a short interview with Karen which will no doubt make its way onto YouTube first, I asked her when she first picked up a camera. I was shocked to hear it was less than two years ago. You can learn a lot in a short space of time, it would seem!
Here's a selection of my shots, for the rest check out my Flickr.
The Birmingham Beach Is Back!
Birmingham's beach (no, not the one at Spaghetti Junction!) is back for another summer. Sponsored by Monarch and BRMB, the beach will be open for sun-seekers (we can hope...) from this weekend right up until ArtsFest in September.
The Council says the beach provides "an idyllic urban oasis for city centre workers and visitors to relax". When I was there today there were distinctly below-par Spanish dancers on stage to an audience of kids running around screaming. Idyllic? Hardly!
International Food Fair
I stumbled upon the International Food Fair in Victoria Square and New Street today, offering a wide variety of food from across the world. One of the more popular stalls wasn't from some far flung corner of the globe, it was from Shropshire! Alternative Meats offer kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile, amongst others.
Also available was paella, a huge variety of sweets, cheeses, fruit and veg, pretty much anything you could want.
The Food Fair ends tomorrow but will be open from 10am until 9pm if you fancy a wander round.
License Application: 89-91 Livery Street
Last week I wrote to all residents local to 89-91 Livery Street to inform them of a license application. The license would be for late night music, dancing and alcohol sales, so effectively it's an application for a nightclub. Opening hours could potentially be until 2am during the week, with Friday and Saturday extended to 4am.
The premises are next to the recently opened Hatters Youth Hostel and very close to large residential blocks. In fact the top floor of the premises overlooks the courtyard of one block!
Despite the presence of Subway City further down the road, this is a quiet residential area and I have no doubt that a nightclub would cause extreme disturbance to local residents, not to mention those staying in the hostel. With the saga that was TRMNL only a recent memory, it's important that the right decision is made early with this application.
I already know of five residents who have written to oppose the application. You can add your views by emailing Birmingham City Council at licensing@birmingham.gov.uk quoting reference 61547. You have until 2nd July.
89-91 Livery Street
Looking up Livery Street
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