Elevated garden vision for Quarter
AN ELEVATED urban garden, new food hub and community green space are just some of the proposals being mooted following a major consultation in the future of Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter.
Three separate ‘visions’ for the district have now been put forward which could see streets transformed into pedestrian friendly boulevards and a car park turned into a thriving destination for foodies.
The Jewellery Quarter Development Trust (JQDT) secured funding last year from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership to create a so-called ‘cultural action zone’ since when it has carried out the study alongside a host of different partners and consultees.
The results comprise ambitious community visions for three areas of the district, each with their own name.
‘Chartists’ will focus on the southwestern border of the Jewellery Quarter that connects Paradise with Spring Hill while ‘JQ Common’ is centred around the traditional heart of the area, covering the station, Chamberlain Clock and Golden Square.
Completing the line-up is ‘Great Hampton Street’ which also encompasses both Hockley Hill and Constitution Hill.
The JQDT said a common theme throughout the visions was how greenery could be introduced to increase the number of outdoor spaces and develop a sense of community.
One of the proposals is to transform the Hockley Circus island and road junction into a ‘connector’ between the Jewellery Quarter and areas such as Handsworth, Hockley and Newtown.
One of the ideas is to create what the trust is calling the ‘Hanging Gardens of Hockley’ over the flyover by planting community gardens and allotments, taking inspiration from the famous High Line garden in New York.
Another concept could see a new linear park running along Summer Hill Road to help repair what the trust said was a ‘tear’ in the urban fabric between the Jewellery Quarter and Ladywood district.
By narrowing the road, a new network of trees and urban greening could be planted to provide space for people to spend time outdoors and encourage a new sense of community.
It would also create a safe and attractive green link to encourage people to travel by foot and bike from Winson Green and Spring Hill, the trust said.
And in the heart of Jewellery Quarter itself, there could be the ‘Vyse Street Food Project’, a proposal being developed by grass-roots food movement Slow Food Birmingham, the council’s Food Trails initiative and architecture and planning practice Urban Design Hub.
This is aiming to install a community garden and urban farm atop the multi-storey council car park, in Vyse Street, as well as introduce a sustainable food hub into the quarter.
It is hoped these visioning studies will stimulate investment into the area, boost businesses, create jobs and maximise the potential of the Jewellery Quarter’s existing assets as well as demonstrate how the local ‘Neighbourhood Plan’ could be implemented in areas most in need.
These plans, which would take around ten years to fully implement, will now be used by the JQDT and wider community to lobby local, regional and national government.
The Jewellery Quarter Neighbourhood Plan is due to go to a local referendum next year and, if it is passed, then additional funding could be made available to help deliver the visions.
Anita Bhalla, interim chairwoman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, said: “Publishing these vision documents is an important step along the way for the Jewellery Quarter to realise its full potential as a business cluster, visitor attraction and historical residential area.
“This cultural action zone has been about bringing local stakeholders together to develop a shared vision and practical action plan which aligns with the Government’s levelling up agenda and is a toolkit to unlock future local funding and support.”