Aston, Newtown and Lozells Area Action Plan
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Aston, Newtown and Lozells Area Action Plan July 2012 Contact Development Directorate Birmingham City Council Click: E-mail: [email protected] Call: Telephone: (0121) 303 3959 Visit: Office: 1 Lancaster Circus Birmingham B4 7DJ Post: PO Box 28 Birmingham B1 1TU You can ask for a copy of this document in large print, another format or another language. We aim to supply what you need within ten working days. Call (0121) 303 3959 If you have hearing difficulties please call us via Typetalk 18001 0121 303 3959 or e-mail us at the address above. Plans contained within this document are based upon Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Birmingham City Council. Licence number 100021326, 2012. Contents Part one The vision 3 Introduction 4 Location 6 The challenge and opportunity 8 Vision 12 Transformational themes and objectives 14 Relationships with other plans and programmes 16 How the AAP has been prepared 18 Part two Policies and proposals 21 Introduction 22 Sustainable development and quality places 24 A successful economy 28 Thriving local centres 36 Housing and neighbourhood quality 40 Integrated and sustainable transport 46 Environment, open space and sport 52 Excellent education facilities 60 Part three Delivery and implementation 63 Introduction 64 Working in partnership 66 Planning contributions 68 Phasing 72 Delivery plan 74 Monitoring and review 82 Plans 85 Appendix A - Policy context 94 Appendix B - Baseline and technical studies 95 Glossary of terms 96 contents / aston, newtown and lozells area action plan 2 aston, newtown and lozells area action plan / the vision 3 Part 1 The vision the vision / aston, newtown and lozells area action plan 4 Introduction 1.1 The Aston, Newtown and Lozells Area Action Plan (AAP), forms part of Birmingham’s Local Development Framework (LDF) and acts as a basis for determining planning applications and bringing forward regeneration in the AAP area. 1.2 The purpose of the plan is to provide a clear vision and strategy for regeneration and development in the Aston, Newtown and Lozells area over the period 2012-2026. The AAP sets out a comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to shaping housing, employment, local centres, community facilities, infrastructure, transport and the environment. aston, newtown and lozells area action plan / introduction 5 introduction / aston, newtown and lozells area action plan 6 Location 2.1 The AAP covers an area of approximately 903 hectares and lies immediately north of Birmingham City Centre. From the A4040 Ring Road the Plan area stretches north to include Perry Barr/Birchfield Centre, east towards Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) and west to Hamstead Road. 2.2 The constituencies of Ladywood and Perry Barr lie within the AAP. It is home to a broad mix of land uses, a range of local centres and several distinctive neighbourhoods. 54,034 people live in the vibrant communities which make up this diverse and dynamic place (Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2009). 2.3 The area has excellent transport links with good access to public transport and motorway networks. The major arterial routes running though the area are the A38 (Aston Expressway), A34 Birchfield Road and A5127 Lichfield Road. The A4540 Ring Road runs along the southern boundary and the A4040 Outer Circle runs close to the northern boundary. The Birmingham Walsall Railway Line traverses the north eastern boundary of the plan, served by Perry Barr, Witton and Aston Stations. The Cross City Railway Line runs close to the eastern boundary, also running through Aston Station. 2.4 Many of the City’s iconic structures and institutions are located here, including Aston Villa Football Club, Aston Hall and Park, Birmingham City University and Spaghetti Junction. Other assets include a variety of green open spaces and waterways such as the River Tame, Tame Valley Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. FIGURE 1 Location Plan (Constituency and Ward boundaries) aston, newtown and lozells area action plan / location 7 n NORTH location / aston, newtown and lozells area action plan 8 The challenge and the opportunity 3.1 There are a number of strategic and local factors influencing the need for change in Aston, Newtown and Lozells, which present a huge regeneration challenge. Housing and population providing for a target of 50,600 City), (Census 2001). A lack of 3.2 Demographic Trend Projections homes. This supersedes the older family housing is evidenced by from the ONS for the period (2004) UDP housing target. overcrowding and aspirations for 2006-2026 point to a 14% growth larger homes (Census 2001 and the in Birmingham’s population with a 3.4 The majority of the AAP area Birmingham and Sandwell Housing particularly high rate of growth in falls within the Birmingham- Needs Study Final Report 2003). the child population and people Sandwell Housing Market Renewal The poor environment and issues 80 years and over. The population Area (Urban Living), which was with crime and safety reinforce the in the AAP area has grown from set up in 2002 to tackle weak high rate of resident dissatisfaction 50,828 in 2001 to 54,034 in 2008. It housing markets. In Aston, with the area (Birmingham and has a young population profile with Newtown and Lozells the housing Sandwell Housing Needs Study 28% of residents under 16 years stock is characterised by areas Final Report 2003). of age (ONS, 2009). The Black and of large-scale post-war housing Minority Ethnic community is large with a high rate of obsolescence, 3.5 There is a great opportunity and diverse, making up 76.4% of proportionally fewer detached to transform the housing situation the resident population compared and semi-detached dwellings in Aston, Newtown and Lozells to 29.6% city-wide (Census 2001). compared with terraced properties by capitalising on the area’s and purpose built flats, lower strategic location just north of 3.3 A key challenge for the City as than average home ownership Birmingham City Centre, and a whole is to respond to household levels (42% compared with 60% on the excellent transport links growth and the need to increase across the City), and a higher offered. The challenge is to provide housing provision. Birmingham’s than average proportion of homes sufficient housing for the growing Core Strategy Consultation owned by the local authority population and meet the need Draft 2010, aspires to embrace or housing associations (44% for larger family accommodation. sustainable growth of the City by compared with 27.8% in the Housing is just one element in the equation of creating better places to live and has to be balanced against the many other demands on land. Maintaining a supply of employment land and providing jobs is a key aspect of this AAP, as is the creation of sustainable neighbourhoods. The economy 3.6 The need to maintain a supply of employment land is driven by the adopted Birmingham Plan (UDP) and the Core Strategy Consultation Draft which encourage the provision of a portfolio of employment land to ensure that no desirable investment is lost due to the lack of a suitable site. As part of this portfolio provision will be made for Regional Investment Sites (RIS) intended to encourage the diversification and modernisation of the region’s economy and the development of the cluster Housing transformation priorities. The Core Strategy aston, newtown and lozells area action plan / the challenge and the opportunity Consultation Draft identifies two RIS within the City - Longbridge 9 and Aston. A major proposal in this AAP is the designation of a RIS in East Aston. 3.7 Like many parts of the City, manufacturing has been in decline for the last few decades and this has affected the area’s economic prosperity. A large proportion of the Wards in the AAP area fall in the 5% most deprived in the country (Indices of Multiple Deprivation, 2004). Diversifying the area’s economy, creating new jobs and tackling worklessness are critical issues for the AAP to address in order to create “prosperity for all” - one of the Council’s key objectives. 3.8 Worklessness rates in the plan area are persistently high. While nearly 22% of the working age population claim workless benefits in Birmingham the rate rises to 28.7% in Aston Ward and 28.8% Enhancing educational facilities in Lozells and East Handsworth. In some Super Output Areas the rate is above 30% (DWP/NOMIS/ BIEC). In April 2007 the proportion Wood 67%, Lozells and East on current and former industrial of children dependent on workless Handsworth 53%, Nechells 49%, sites. Regeneration of the benefits was 42% in Aston and 34% and Perry Barr 61%, compared with area will bring about a range in Handsworth. The comparable the City average of 54.6%. The of opportunities to improve figure for Birmingham is 32%, percentage of pupils achieving 2 or the environment. In particular, which is considerably higher than more passes at A Level equivalent there is potential for ecological the regional and national rate of in 2009/10 in Aston Ward was enhancements, most notably along just under 20% (Annual Population 100%, Handsworth Wood 96.75%, the River Tame. Survey 2006). Lozells and East Handsworth 92.4%, Nechells 92.86%, Perry Barr 96.93%, 3.12 The plan area contains a compared with the City average number of listed buildings, sites of Skills and education of 94.3%. (Source: Department for archaeological importance and two 3.9 Adult skill levels are well below Education). Conservation Areas. In addition to the City average in the study designated sites, other buildings, area.