Snow Hill scheme ready to put people at heart of district Council backs £16m plan for public square, pedestrian areas and less traffic
A£16 MILLION revamp of the area around Birmingham’s Snow Hill Station is set to start later this year after it got the green light from council chiefs.
The redevelopment will see the heart of Birmingham’s business district made more pedestrian friendly with traffic restrictions.
The scheme will be split into nine individual projects completed over three phases. Birmingham City Council’s cabinet agreed to release £1.25 million for detailed business cases to be drawn up for each project and to proceed with the first two phases.
Phase one is now due to commence in October and should be completed by May next year.
The single project includes banning the right turn from Livery Street onto Colmore Row and introducing measures in Lionel Street and surrounding roads to provide an alternative bus route.
It will also change one-way traffic to two-way between Livery Street’s junctions with Cornwall Street and Barwick Street to serve vehicles exiting Snow Hill railway station.
A restricted parking zone will be introduced on Colmore Row to minimise road markings while ‘high quality’ paving materials will also be laid down in the area.
Phase two outlines four projects and is due to start in April next year.
It includes transforming Cornwall Street to a quiet route encouraging businesses to ‘spill out’ on to the road.
Edmund Street will be changed from one-way traffic to two-way to serve cars leaving Snow Hill station.
Steelhouse Lane will be closed off between Colmore Circus Queensway and Printing House Street to create a public square for pedestrians. The final part of the work will be to spruce up the square in front of Snow Hill station, laying natural stone paving, creating additional seating and improving lighting.
Council leader Ian Ward (Lab, Shard End) said: “These schemes will mark a real step change in the quality of the public realm around Snow Hill. They will introduce a reduction in the amount of traffic in these streets and make them more pedestrian friendly.
“This will improve Birmingham’s reputation making it a more walka- ble city.”
Around £9.9 million has been obtained to deliver the works, thanks to grants from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund, the Enterprise Zone, the Colmore Business Improvement District (BID) as well as investment from the private sector.
Michele Wilby, executive director of Colmore BID, said: “Colmore BID has campaigned for some time to make the Snow Hill area easier and safer to navigate for pedestrians and cyclists and to create a more welcoming environment for visitors and commuters to the city Snow Hill rail station.
“We are delighted, following our significant investment, to see the various phases progressing and look forward to working with Birmingham City Council, Transport for West Midlands and other key stakeholders to realise this exciting, longterm vision for the Business District.”
Further funding would have to be found to deliver phase three of the scheme which outlines the final four projects.
It includes changing a stretch of Newhall Street from one-way traffic to two-way traffic in order to help centre from remove vehicles from Colmore Row, changing the direction of traffic on Bennetts Hill and restricting traffic on Temple Row West to one-way heading north.
A further project is to spruce up the west side of Colmore Row with improved paving, vegetation and ‘bespoke’ seating.
Another scheme includes signalling improvements and lane-narrowing to the Colmore Circus Queensway, Snow Hill Queensway and Colmore Row junction to improve traffic flow.
The final works will see aesthetic improvements to Newhall Street.