Catch-Up From The Capital
Blogging has been non-existent this week as I'm down in the big smoke for a few days. People need to smile more in this city.
Here's a round-up of what's been going on back in Birmingham:
- Soldiers from Birmingham and the West Midlands will be welcomed home today with a march through the city centre. A one-minute silence will be observed and I will be joining in from 100 miles away.
- The "Gym For Free" scheme, so successful in its trial across Ladywood, looks set to be rolled out across the city.
- Jewellery Quarter based company Life has developed the brand concept “WorldF3rst” for the Formula 3 vehicle developed by Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre.
- Birmingham's Chief of Regeneration Clive Dutton has left the city for the London Borough of Newham, managing the transformation of the area due to the 2012 Olympics.
- The City Council is taking advice on hitting tough CO2 targets from environmental guru Jonathon Porritt
There's also plenty of talk about the proposed UK City of Culture bid on which I have very strong views, so will blog about that separately.
Cabinet Gives Green Light to Ladywood Aquatics Centre Study
I am delighted to report that the City council Cabinet has given the go ahead for a full feasibility study into the proposed Aquatics Centre in the heart of Birmingham.
The centre, as I blogged about here, is set for land next to the Nelson School opposite the NIA. It will contain a 50m pool, leisure pool, climbing wall, gym, sports hall, 5-a-side and 11-a-side football facilities and community rooms. I am impressed with the way that residents' concerns about parking have already been addressed within the plans.
Despite Labour's claims to the contrary, local residents have insisted to me this is their preferred location. It will encourage public transport use and be a terrific use of land which suffers from anti-social problems.
Examining the Impact of Cardinal Newman’s Work on Ladywood
Today I joined representatives from the Ladywood Project, Spring Hill Library, the Oratory School and Pisces WM at the Norman Power Centre for the latest steering meeting of the Cardinal Newman Community Project. The project will, pending funding, examine the impact of Cardinal Newman and his work on the community of Ladywood over the years.
This will involve examining historical records, interviewing elderly members of the community and involving children from the Oratory school. The work will be displayed in various exhibition spaces and a DVD will be produced to record the work for future generations to enjoy.
I was invited along by project leaders Pisces WM to give input from a community engagement perspective. I was concerned that a lot of valuable information may have left Ladywood over the years as people have moved away. My suggestion was to create a project website with the aim of publicising the project to former Ladywood residents to hopefully capture some of that information.
I'm impressed with the quality and the variety of the partners on board, the dedication of the Pisces WM team and the generational focus which should help to further develop the strong community spirit of the area. It's important to note this is not a religious project examining his work, more the impact of that work on the local community.
Stay tuned for more information as the project develops.
Objections Received to Livery Street Nightclub Plans
Following my letter to all nearby residents, the Council has received a large number of objections to the license application for a late night venue at 89-91 livery Street.
The case will be heard by Licensing Sub-Committee B on Tuesday 21st July at the Council House.
Academy Launch Weekend Line Up Complete
Local act The Streets has been added to the bill for the launch weekend of the new Birmingham Academy venue in September. Mike Skinner joins Editors, The Twang and Ocean Colour Scene to celebrate the launch of the new venue over the course of four days.
The Academy is upping sticks from its Priory Square location to make way for major redevelopment. The old Dome II nightclub on Horsefair (Bristol Street) will become the Birmingham O2 Academy following a major £5m refurbishment.
The main room has increased in size to 3,000 which should mean higher calibre acts can play the city more regularly. And as at the current site, the venue will also contain smaller rooms of 600 and 250 capacities.
The full line-up is:
Thurs 10 Sept - EDITORS
Fri 11 Sept - THE TWANG
Sat 12 Sept - THE STREETS
Sun 13 Sept - OCEAN COLOUR SCENE
The Entrepreneurial Smell of Coffee
In these tough times it's really encouraging to see entrepreneurs still prepared to give it a go.
The first Urban Coffee outlet opens soon on Church Street in Birmingham's financial district. The owners have started a blog to track their progress, which should make for a fascinating read.
They describe themselves thus:
"We have no experience in retail or coffee and it's the worst economic conditions since the War!!!"
Good luck folks!
I've got a few tips for the Urban Coffee posse - if they've not done so already I suggest they check out the fantastic Saint Caffe on St. Paul's Square as a great example of how to "do" the coffee shop concept. Also, a coffee shop in that area that opens later in the evening would be greatly appreciated!
Brum’s Best Budget Eateries
Media coverage of Birmingham this week focuses on food in anticipation of this weekend's Taste of Birmingham festival over at Cannon Hill Park, which starts tomorrow. Today’s Guardian features a list of Brum’s Top 10 Budget Eateries, with some of my personal favourites making the cut. My local The Lord Clifden, the Bullring’s Urban Pie and the Friends of the Earth Warehouse Café in Digbeth all feature.
Also on the list is Ladywood's very own Great British Eatery, which I blogged about last weekend.
Anti Islamic Extremist Demo in Birmingham
These disturbing videos tell part of the story of what happened in Birmingham city centre on Saturday. In the first video there appears to be something like a small explosion after 7.5 minutes.
There's been very little media coverage of this, surprising considering the content of the videos and sheer numbers of police on show.
I should just add that these videos were not made by me (!) and are taken directly from YouTube.
Enjoy a Credit Crunch Lunch in Ladywood!
The Birmingham Post carries a glowing review of the Great British Eatery on Francis Street, part of Broadway Plaza - the development on the site of old Children's Hospital near Five Ways.
The chips here are heaven sent. If angels eat battered fish, they must swoop down to Francis Road. Every piece of fish is cooked to order and it shows in the crispness. No grease, no clag, just lightness and flavour. Fed up with hours-old, dried out fish? It doesn’t have to be that way.
Solid local beers from Holdens, in Dudley and Freedom lagers from Staffordshire are sold by the bottle (£2.50) and pear and apple ciders from Somerset. Posh pots of ice cream, too, without additive muck.
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