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Home African Caribbean Is Birmingham’s Development For The Future Short Or Long-Sighted?

Is Birmingham’s Development For The Future Short Or Long-Sighted?

by caribdirect
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As someone who is all for progress and development I feel compelled to write this article on the state of play in Birmingham,  the second city and my home since 1979 with regard to what is being referred to as  ‘city living.’

I have never seen so many cranes  darted all over the city and the volume of high-rise buildings being constructed  is truly incredible. Every conceivable space and plot of land have been taken over by developers for so called city living and even  places where the sun would normally shine  are no longer  seeing daylight as they are obscured by some of the tallest buildings being constructed. I really want to know who exactly is going to live  in what amounts to  these numerous blocks of apartments?  

I noticed the same trend on my last visit to Jamaica in  November 2022  especially in Kingston and am led to understand that some residents in their single storey homes nearby  have been  complaining bitterly about this new phenomenon. Most of these apparently  suddenly appeared on the horizon during the pandemic and the lock down period of 2020  onwards.

One clearly remembers Birmingham City Council’s housing department making a very good  decision a few years ago to demolish the many high-rise council buildings  which blotted the landscape from the sixties  where tenants lived,  in favour of maisonettes, low-rise apartment blocks and bungalows.

Suddenly, instead with the Birmingham City Council strapped for cash  prime land has now been sold  to developers  who are intent on building the highest buildings imaginable with the same council granting them planning permission. How ironic is that!!!   I have never seen anything like this as it beggars belief.

On my various trips to New York one is fascinated by the Manhattan Skyline and even London has become a sea of skyscrapers with more on the way. One of my cousins who lived in New York  but eventually moved to the suburbs used to visit there each summer  during her childhood  from Jamaica and found it strange as she puts it having to  ‘live in the air like a bird’.

Approaching Birmingham  on the  motorway known as the M6 close to Spaghetti Junction one can now observe how much the  city centre skyline has changed  and one has to ask is it for the better and necessary?

The abundance of tower blocks being built in Birmingham is truly cause for concern and out of all proportion to the need for them.  I keep asking the question who are they meant for and will they be affordable? Even two car parks where I used to regularly park  in the city centre, one literally next to venues such as  Birmingham library, the Rep Theatre, Symphony Hall and the International Convention Centre are no longer in use and  instead will feature  two high-rise buildings of apartments for city dwellers.  Where are  drivers expected to park if they choose to make a journey in to the city at this rate? Not everyone wants to take public transport such as the buses since the behaviour displayed  by some commuters  is often dire and that includes swearing, chewing gum left on  seats,  poor body odour, putting  feet on the seats, loud talking on mobile phones, taking up two seats and litter scattered on the floor, to name a few. One dare not say anything  to those displaying  anti-social behaviour for  one’s own health, safety and protection.

Britain is not as populated as for argument sake China  which understandable needs these skyscrapers. Even though there is a shortage of affordable housing in some areas this in my view  is a narrow-minded approach as when these private apartments are placed on the market out of the reach of most people who are struggling to get on the property ladder in the first place  they will remain empty.

The  Bull Ring Outdoor Market which my mother and her two sisters regularly asked me about after they migrated to New York,   as it was known as  the  shopping centre for  bustling trade  when they were living in England training to be state registered nurses  in the fifties has been demolished.  An announcement has also just been made that the Bull Ring Indoor Market and Rag Market will be sold to developers too for yet more apartments. The heart of the city is being ripped up and torn apart all in the name of progress and moving with the times. Or is it?

Apartments built  to accommodate the athletes for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games  a short distance from the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr have never been used as they were not completed on time and  still remain empty two years after that sporting event. Is that what one expects from the legacy of hosting the Games?

All of these issues are happening in the very week that the report  was released on the Grenfell fire in a 24-storey high-rise tower block in London which happened 7 years ago and claimed the lives of 72 people.  That report exposed the dishonesty and deceit of developers who constantly used inflammable material and showed no respect for the lives of human beings whilst constructing what were death traps. It must be stated that both political parties over time were in Government and did nothing to address the  many health and safety concerns that were constantly being raised.  May those who perished  rest in peace and their families and friends  at least be compensated even though they would much rather have their loved ones with them.

There is too the ongoing discussion about building houses on brown or green belt land which space (pardon the pun) does not allow for an in-depth analysis here.

I suppose  based on the question that was  raised in the  caption of this article only time will tell but it does not in my view look  aesthetically pleasing on the eye, plus the lack of sunlight, nor should so many people be literally crammed in such confined spaces. Others might wish to differ but that is my take on the situation.

caribdirect

caribdirect

We provide news and information for anyone interested in the Caribbean whether you’re UK based, European based or located in the Caribbean. New fresh ideas are always welcome with opportunities for bright writers.

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