Where to invest: Road vs. Rail?
The debate between road and rail has been in the public eye for many decades, but no more so than now, with the recent proposals for HS2, the High Speed rail link between Birmingham and London. With the current coalition government pledging to build some form of high speed rail, HS2 seems to be the way forward, but campaigners are rallying against it’s development, suggesting that funding should be put into Britain’s roads instead.
The first trains on the newly proposed HS2 rail link should be operational by 2025, and will be capable of up to 250mph. Current times from London to Birmingham are around 84 minutes, however HS2 proposes to reduce this to only 49 minutes (more information can be found in Chapter 2 of the March 2010 DfT’s High Speed Rail report). read more…
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The Future of Planning Policy
Today, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced the government’s plan on the future of planning and planning policy making. The annual document entitled “Business Plan 2011-2015″ sets out the Coalition’s vision for the future, and is focused heavily on what they call The Big Society.
Their vision and plan, presented in a 41 page document available for download in PDF format from the No. 10 website here [Link], emphasises the decentralisation and redistribution of power and decisions to local councils and in particular, local people. read more…
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Birmingham’s “Digital Exclusion”
In Birmingham today, around 36% of residents have never been on the internet, and just short of 1 in 2 residents have access to broadband. Birmingham City Council has identified a significant digital exclusion between those that have access to the internet, and those that don’t. In their 2026 Vision for the Future, they say, “A digital divide remains among socially excluded communities”, and that those that are excluded are 3 times more likely not to use the internet.
The Council, in partnership with British Telecom, are making strides towards changing this. read more…
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Birmingham City Centre is a lively and bustling place, however Birmingham City Council has revitalised the Big City Plan (BCP) of 2007 with new ideas and commitments. The new 2010 Big City Masterplan, is intended to create a new “world class” city centre, and is the most ambitious development project ever undertaken in the United Kingdom.
While the 2010 BCP is far reaching and affects all areas of Birmingham City Centre, the plan sets out 6 broad objectives, designed to guide the development of the city over the next 20 years. read more…
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London’s Answer to Silicon Valley?
Everyone knows Silicon Valley is the place to be when it comes to technological developments; housing some of the biggest names in tech, from iPhone maker Apple, to search-giant Google. However, David Cameron believes that “there’s no reason why it has to be so predominant”, and with the introduction of a new “entrepreneur visa”, and reforms to the UK’s intellectual property laws, he intends to transform an area of East London into a new high-tech hub.
The key to this, is the creation of the new entrepreneur visa, intended to allow people who have excellent business ideas and proposals to set up far easier than currently possible in the UK. read more…
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Yesterday, the Coalition Government released a new guide to creating and maintaining a healthy high street. With over 5,400 places in the UK with the name ‘High Street’, this healthcheck is designed to pick out places which may be suffering from decline, or those which are beginning to show early warning signs of decline.
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Planning in Birmingham
Planning, a key aspect to the modern city, is something which has been very important in Birmingham over the past few decades and continues to be at the forefront for what Birmingham City Council say is Birmingham’s transformation into a modern, vibrant international city.
Developments, such as the commercial centre “The Bullring”, Birmingham’s Eastside, and the current construction in Selly Oak, have sparked debates and discussions, having heavy reliance upon planners and developers. read more…
