Museum centre plan on site of old shops is axed
PLANS to put a “world class” museum collection centre on the site of an old shopping centre in Birmingham have been scrapped.
Birmingham City Council confirmed that proposals to build a centre that would house Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s collection are “no longer being pursued”.
Back in 2018, shortly after the Poolway Shopping Centre in Garrett’s Green was flattened, councillors had drawn up plans for a centre that would house museum collections. Phase one of the development, which was a brand new housing estate, was delivered, but phase two never materialised and the old shopping centre site has become a derelict wasteland and fly-tipping haven.
In 2018, the site had been earmarked for housing but a masterplan was drawn up to create an ‘urban village’ featuring homes, retail, green spaces and the museum centre.
The neatly built Meadway housing estate that currently faces the scrubland is a pleasant area, but there has been uncertainty for years over what, or when, phase two will arrive.
As a result, many estate residents wake up to a view of wasteland filled with piles of fly-tipping and discarded furniture.
Birmingham City Council confirmed that plans to fulfil phase two of the development are now being drawn up as a “priority”.
A spokesman said: “The site of the former Poolway centre is part of a wider development called the Eastern Triangle Growth Area.
“The first phase of the development has successfully built 136 new homes, half of which were designated for council rent, providing muchneeded affordable housing for the city. Additionally, the Kents Moat open space has been upgraded.
“The site of the former Poolway centre was part of phase 2 of the development, but this was delayed between 2018 and 2020 while the site was considered as a local museum’s collection centre.
“This proposal is no longer being pursued, and work is being undertaken to identify an approach to the delivery of phase 2.
“In January 2024, the council gained cabinet approval on a report which contained a number of sites marked as priority that could be used to build around 1,170 new homes. The site of the former Poolway centre was one of the sites contained in the report.
“Phase two is now expected to deliver new affordable housing and we are looking at this including the creation of a new local centre with the potential for health and retail facilities.
“We know there have been a number of discussions with the community for years, work is now being undertaken to pull together all the information we have to form a brief, and a clear timeline for the site is being developed as a priority.”