Snow Hill Station Prospectus
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
STATIONS AS PLACES DRAFT Opportunity Prospectus An integrated vision and delivery masterplan for Birmingham Snow Hill Station BIRMINGHAM SNOW HILL STATION March 2021 FOREWORD Introducing the concept of Stations as Places The Stations as Places programme aims to promote local railway stations as community ‘hubs’ rather than simply access points onto the rail network. The vision is to develop local railway stations as an asset highly valued within the community, contributing to economic growth and acting as a hub for creativity, heritage and social amenity. The Vision “We will develop stations as quality gateways between communities and the railway, supporting the changing needs of our passengers, residents and visitors. Stations in the West Midlands will be community assets, supporting the wellbeing and development of the areas they serve through involving local community and business.” ~ West Midlands Station Alliance (WMSA) Mission Statement What does the prospectus do for Birmingham Snow Hill Station? There is an important role for the railway to play in both the economic and social regeneration of the local areas which our stations serve. This Opportunity Prospectus sets out the economic, social and geographic landscape of the area around the station and highlights some of the opportunities for commercial development, partnership working, inward investment and community regeneration. We have included a profile of Snow Hill station in this document and looked at different types of activity neighbouring the station, from development in the surrounding area to the travelling public and local authorities using existing assets in different ways. Snow Hill lies in the Snow Hill area of Birmingham city centre and acts as a major gateway to the city centre and the surrounding areas. Significant development around the Snow Hill District will bring new homes, office space, retail space and community space to the city. Furthermore, with Birmingham hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Phase 1 of High Speed Two (HS2) between London and Birmingham being completed between 2028 and 2031, the city will experience significant local and regional growth in employment, visitor footfall and spending. Birmingham Snow Hill Station will be an increasingly important transport gateway, making now a key moment to identify opportunities for improvement at the station and for further strengthening the role of the station in the community and local economy. Coronavirus (Covid-19) Reviving our Railway The Covid-19 pandemic has caused massive economic and social disruption. Rail operation across the country was placed into an Emergency Management Agreement with the Department for Transport, which subsequently, has now been superseded by an Emergency Recovery Management Agreement. We were proud to keep our railways running during the pandemic to serve key workers and allow them to travel safely. We are now in a phase of reviving our railways and the communities they serve. There are big new challenges for our Stations as Places Programme: • Passenger numbers will take time to recover. • The way in which station buildings are used has changed. • City, town and local centres will have to reinvent themselves as retailers withdraw and office buildings are less full. • Ways of funding new investment will need to be transformational. Stations as Places will be forward looking and opportunistic. ‘The moment is now’ for stations to harness community spirit, pursue more entrepreneurial ways of using station buildings and support the revitalisation of high streets and local centres. Contents Chapter Page Why ‘Stations as Places’ for Birmingham Snow Hill Station? 2 Bringing our partners together 3 About Birmingham Snow Hill Station 4 – 9 The Headline Opportunities – The Station 10 The Headline Opportunities – The Surrounding Area 11 – 12 Opportunity Plan 13 Understanding the potential for growth 14 The Aspiration 15 - 16 Development Opportunities 17 Opportunities for Investment 18 Action Plan 19 Who to contact and how to get involved 20 1 Why ‘Stations as Places’ for Birmingham Snow Hill Station? Who are the West Midlands Station Alliance? The WMSA is a formal alliancing arrangement between industry partners with a common THE VISION vision and forward plan, including infrastructure owner Network Rail, station facilities owner Chiltern Railways, operator West Midlands Trains (WMT) and West Midlands Rail Executive. The role of the WMSA is to facilitate Stations as Places by bringing together various stakeholders to work together in partnership, ensuring that the Stations as Places vision and local aspirations are shared between the stakeholders, the infrastructure owner, the station facilities owner and the local government. Why has Snow Hill Station been selected? Birmingham Snow Hill railway station, located on the Chiltern Main Line, North Warwickshire Line and Birmingham to Worcester Line is an important station for commuters into Birmingham and London Marylebone, as well as other destinations such as Worcester and Solihull. With the 2022 Commonwealth Games approaching, major business moving their offices/headquarters to Birmingham and HS2 creating stronger links between London and Birmingham, this is an important time for investment in the station and the surrounding area, delivering improvements which would benefit regular users, the local community and businesses in the town. This Prospectus provides an opportunity to engage with the stakeholders of Snow Hill station to capture opportunities and commitment to delivering improvements at the station to enhance it as a key gateway and transport hub to both support investment and growth in the city centre and wider region. The drivers for developing this location Passenger numbers at Snow Hill increased by 4.7% between 2018/19 and 2019/20 and increased significantly over the previous years. The station sits in the top five busiest stations in the West Midlands, and passenger numbers are expected to continue increasing, post COVID. The city centre itself suffers from congestion and poor air quality; it is therefore essential that passengers are encouraged to access the station using sustainable modes of transport. In turn, increasing footfall around the station presents an opportunity for businesses to benefit. Proposals to introduce more office space around Snow Hill station, development of Enterprise Zones and the creation of St Mary’s Place through the redevelopment and innovative reuse of historic buildings in Steelhouse Lane, will only increase use of the station. Combined with the 2022 Commonwealth Games placing Birmingham on an international stage, HS2 being built between London and Birmingham, proposals to redevelop the station and work to improve the public realm outside the station, highlight the need to ensure the station itself and surrounding area deliver an equally welcoming and attractive gateway to the city. 2 Bringing our Partners together Our stakeholders really matter to us. Stakeholder feedback is key to creating a prospectus that resonates with different audiences and ensures consensus on the future of the station and surrounding area. We want to ensure that what we collect and receive is representative and inclusive. Our approach to capturing local insights around Snow Hill covers the following four dimensions: LOCAL PERSPECTIVE SOCIAL VALUE Railways stations should reflect and cater for the Transforming a railway station from a ‘passenger local community to which it serves thoroughfare’ into a genuine community asset will To help shape the future of the station to meet the needs have a positive impact on the local community of the local community, involving them in the planning Residents and businesses are more likely to take process is critical. Community involvement helps to ownership of their local station if it is a pleasant and safe make a station a more attractive and valuable community place to be, meets their needs and represents local asset. Stations as Places aims to establish strong links people and heritage. A railway station as a valued between the station management and businesses, the community hub can offer a real contribution to improving community and other local stakeholders, ensuring that social inclusion and mental wellbeing; from promoting the voice of the community is heard. inclusivity through community groups or simply making waiting as a part of a morning commute more pleasant. LEGACY COMMUNITY An important objective of Stations as Places is to A railway station is often a great asset to a provide a long-term legacy by establishing integration community, but a community can also be a great and community involvement at the heart of the station. asset to a railway station This will involve the community taking a level of ownership The ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme ran by West Midlands of the stations and passing this onto the future generations Trains demonstrates how community involvement can to keep each station a valuable part of the local revive and enhance local stations and in turn, the station community. Of course, Network Rail, West Midlands can become a key community asset. Most importantly, Trains and the Local Government will also have an an integrated station shows that people care and that important role in the legacy of the station and that is why they have something to be proud of, improving social partnership working between the community and these inclusion and mental wellbeing whilst making the station organisations is so important. a more pleasant