Birmingham Mail Advertisement Dismisses Local Concerns.

Press release: 2nd September 2014

A consortium of 11 local groups in Selly Oak have raised concerns with the local council over plans for a new Sainsbury’s store and retail park in the district. On Monday 2^nd September the developers responded with a full page advertisement in the Birmingham Mail but did not give the full facts. Local groups welcome development on the site but have the following concerns: The supermarket service yard could place a 35 metre blank wall on the Bristol Rd. The student residence block for the site could have three towers each over 9 storeys high with the tallest at 16 storeys high and would dominate the whole district. Disabled access from the Bristol Rd to the Sainsbury’s store will be down a lift, through a 35 metre long underpass and back up a travellator to the shop floor level. There will be good cycle access onto the site but no route linking Harborne Lane to the Bristol Rd as cyclists will have to dismount to use a lift. The proposed new road layout will leave the outbound A38 using a widened Chapel Lane, and leave drivers circulating the Selly Oak Triangle as they do now. The Sainsbury’s store will block the heritage site of the former Dudley no 2 (Lapal) canal and only provide partial replacement of the canal. This is a huge disappointment as the replacement will not connect in water with Harborne Lane Bridge – which was rebuilt at public cost ready for a renewed canal some 3 years ago on the understanding that the development would pay for the road improvements. Failure to provide a fully working canal across the site will deprive the nearby Selly Oak Park of a great public amenity.