Comment Nice idea... but a bridge too far
down upon moving water is an elemental and enjoyable experience, and there are few opportunities to do it in Birmingham.
So making new bridges is to be encouraged.
However, particularly with a river as small as the Rea, there is a balance to be struck.
Make too many bridges, and there is little river left to look down at.
At Connaught Square the balance is not yet right. Too much of the river is covered.
Making a bridge into a square is a lovely idea, but it would be better still if it were smaller.
Similarly, the temptation to extend the pavement on High Street over the river, making another little square, should be resisted.
Better to give someone walking along High Street the opportunity to look directly over a balustrade down to the water, as they could before Deritend Bridge was demolished in the 1930s.
In fact, there are no balustrades anywhere. Every bridge is enclosed by head-height glass screens.
This is a bad design decision, and contradictory to the general strategy. Leaning on a balustrade, gazing down at the water, is part of the universal experience of being on a bridge.
Is someone scared about people falling in?
I have another reservation too. When it rains, the Rea in Digbeth can become a spectacular torrent.
A large part of south Birmingham and much of the city centre drains into it, very quickly.
But in dry weather, because of the dished profile of the brickwork river bed, the water occupies only about the central third of the space within the culvert.
If the profile were rebuilt flatter, the same volume of water could occupy the full width of the culvert, making it more attractive to look at.
The Environment Agency, which has responsibility for the river, is concerned to prevent the flooding which historically threatened the Rea’s banks. But I can’t see that spreading out the water in the riverbed would by itself affect that.
Seven Capital and K4 Architects are to be applauded for their initiative in giving a major role to the river Rea in their proposal, which is due to be considered by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee in February.
Their engagement with the neglected river is splendid – but it could be made more splendid still.
I hope it will encourage other landowners to extend this riparian initiative. Zellig and the Custard Factory, downstream across High Street, could be next. Eventually we might have an urban riverside walk through Digbeth and Deritend that would be worth coming on HS2 to visit.
With a river as small as the Rea, there is a balance to be struck. Make too many bridges, and there is little river left to look down at.
Joe Holyoak is a Birminghambased architect and urban designer