Tree surgeons have been busy clearing a large tract of land opposite the car park at Bracebridge in Sutton Park as part of a heathland restoration project.
The work is part of a heathland restoration project designed to improve the habitat for wildlife and preserve different types of vegetation in the park.
While many park visitors assumed the car park was being extended, it was in fact a project to clear dead and overpopulated trees to be replaced with lowland heathland an ecologically rich habitat that forms on nutrient poor sandy soils.
Sutton Park is a nationally important lowland heathland site and while much uch of the restoration work carried out looks dramatic and sometimes drastic, it had to be carried out.
Park rangers say it is important to continue to graze and work the site to ensure the survival of a patchwork of different vegetation types at different stages of development and to provide to a host of species in miniature the habitats that once existed across the entire midlands region.
Even the Exmoor ponies are wondering what’s going on
The large area being cleared as part of the heathland restoration project
The work, by Birmingham City Council, includes a reduction of mature birch to maintain and enhance lowland heathland areas.
One of the Birmingham City Council tree surgeons said that heathland is also better for absorbing harmful CO2, as well being an extra grazing area for the wild Exmoor ponies and other wildlife in the park.
The timber will be transported and used in an ecologically friendly way to power plants in the region.
Residents in Sutton Coldfield have b been warned to be aware of a new breed of scammers using the Census to perpetrate doorstep, telephone and online scams.
Census Day was last Sunday 21 March and from the end of the month until into April, census field officers will be visiting households across the town from which they have not received a completed census form. Their job is to encourage people to complete the census and help residents to access further help if they need it.
Scammers may seek to use the Census as an opportunity to perpetrate doorstep, telephone, and online scams, so it is important to remember the following:
At no point will you be asked for your national insurance number, passwords, bank account details, or your credit or debit card numbers, nor any payment
You will not receive any payment for completing the census, so any offers of money in exchange for your account details will be fraudulent
You will not be called for information about the census unless you’ve made an appointment with the Census Contact Centre or made a query or complaint
No-one will enter your home in relation to the census
Help to fill out your form is free (for more information visit: https://census.gov.uk/ or phone 0800 141 2021)
The existing car park area near the Miller & Carte restaurant, with Powell’s Pool in the back ground. Picture: Birmingham City Council
Mixed reaction for Triathlon car park development
Plans for a £770k development in Sutton Park to support next year’s Commonwealth Games have received a mixed reaction from Sutton Coldfield people.
Sutton Park was chosen as the venue for the triathlon and para-triathlon events, which takes place on July 29 and 31, 2022. It provides the perfect setting, with Powell’s Pool, the park and the local roads, to accommodate all three disciplines of a triathlon event (swimming, cycling and running). The area has already successfully hosted Birmingham Triathlon events over the last few years.
The plans will be part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games legacy and includes £528,000 spent on the revamped car park, in an area next to the Miller & Carter restaurant. The plans gained general approval at a series of consultations, but some residents are up in arms with one describing it as a ‘white elephant’ and a further erosion of the park’s natural beauty.
But a former local independent councillor says the proposals will be good for the park and criticised local Conservative town councillors on the planning and highways committee for voting against the plan.
Former Vesey independent Paul Long said on the Boldmere Community Facebook page: ” So what happens if BCC (Birmingham City Council) listen to this objection? It puts at risk the triathlon taking place for the CWG2022 because there will not be the facilities to support it – facilities that will also provide a long-lasting legacy. What should the Town Council have done? They should have spoken to residents in Vesey ward and attended the Vesey Ward Forum meeting.”
To meet Birmingham 2022’s requirements, the venue at Boldmere Gate will be required to provide a sufficient surface area to allow the installation of the athlete’s zone and media areas.
To achieve this, the existing hardstanding car parking surface area will be upgraded to provide a suitable surface area for the transition area and athletes’ zone.
The improvements to the car park will result in an improved permanent car park area for the benefit of visitors post-Games, as well as legacy benefits including an all-year car park and an improved ability to host future events.
The existing car park will expand from 125 to 221 spaces, a gain of 96, including 12 new disabled spaces and five for cycles, allowing the existing overspill car park further in the park would be reverted to Site of Special Scientific Interest habitat.
But local resident David Carter, who lives on nearby Monmouth Drive, said the proposals would damage the nature of the park.
He said: “The last thing we need here is more parking, causing traffic chaos around Boldmere Gate and back into Monmouth Drive. It will also have a detrimental effect on the beauty of the park. We already seen how the park has been badly affected during lockdown with thousands more people leaving tons of litter behind them.
“It seems unnecessary for such disruption for what is essentially a one-off event. A bit of a white elephant really.”
The designs will provide benefits for the Games and legacy by: improving and expanding the existing hardstanding area (athletes’ zone and media areas); the introduction of another entrance/exit point to the car park, which means traffic can access the car park without crossing event routes; improved accessibility for visitors through the provision of formal disabled parking bays and the installation of cabling and connections for upgraded electricity provision.
A consultation process with the city council found general approval of the plans with 62 per cent of those who participated rating the proposals as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ with a further 20 per cent rating them as ‘average’.
A local consultation by Birmingham City Council saw a wide range of suggestions for other improvements that resident would like to see at Boldmere Gate, including toilet facilities, a community café or bistro, children’s play area and even electric car charging points.
Presentation was made to attendees the Sutton Vesey Ward Forum on December 3 2020, which numbered 84 attendees, local councillors and stakeholders. This was an open live streamed event given to consult on the pre-application proposals ahead of the formal consultation as part of the Planning Application process. Residents on the contact list and the website were sent the agenda and joining instructions on the 23rd November.
A formal one-month on-line consultation ran from December 3 2020 to January 4, 2021 on the city council’s Be Heard Website, which received 76 responses.
Virgin Voyages, which recently revealed its third ship Resilient Lady would launch in Europenext summer, said its vaccination stance was to “ensure we’re providing the safest travel experience”.
“This is a step towards the safe return to sailing and is the right decision for Virgin Voyages,” said the line’s president Tom McAlpin in a statement.
McAlpin said he was “really encouraged” by US president Joe Biden’s plans to offer vaccinations to every American adult by the end of May.
“We’re an adult-only cruise line, which allows for us to offer a highly controlled, safe environment for everyone onboard,” added McAlpin.
“Our business us uniquely set up to do this with testing and vaccine travel requirements. There’s a huge pent-up demand for travel, and Virgin Voyages will be ready to welcome you onboard soon.”
Riders in the saddle for the Cycle St Giles event in 2019
St Giles Hospice aims to relaunch events with Cycle Spring
St Giles Hospice is hoping to relaunch its programme of fundraising events over the next few months – starting with Cycle Spring in May.
Events like Cycle Spring and their annual Solstice Walk raise more than £300,000 each year towards funding care for local people living with terminal illness and their families and, as Coronavirus restrictions begin to be lifted, the hospice is planning to bring the events calendar back as soon as Government guidelines allow.
Cycle Spring is planned to take place on Sunday 23rd May, with COVID-compliant measures in place.
2020 was an extremely difficult year in which to raise vital funds for the charity that saw closure of their shops and cancellation of many fundraising events – making the 2021 events programme more important than ever in raising vital funds for hospice care.
Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “If England continues to meet the Government’s COVID-19 milestones, we are hoping that our events should be able to go ahead this year – starting with Cycle Spring.
“We’re absolutely delighted at the thought of being able to welcome back our wonderful fundraisers in person in 2021 after a year when we’ve had to cancel our events and close our shops, which significantly impacted on our income.
“Whether you’re a regular rider or new to cycling, we’d love you to support us at our COVID-compliant Cycle Spring event. We sincerely hope that Coronavirus restrictions do not result in further cancellations but the safety of our supporters, volunteers and staff is our top priority. Whatever happens, we’ll be keeping our participants up to date with developments.
“If, come May, we can’t get together at Whittington we’ll provide our participants with everything you need to cycle for St Giles in your own time. We’ll make sure that our community can still take part, no matter what! Following sign up, all cyclists will be provided with fundraising packs full of route maps, medals, certificates and more.”
Previous Cycle Spring rides set off from Chasewater, but this year’s event will be starting and finishing at a new location for the first time ever – St Giles Hospice in Whittington.
Riders will be able to choose from three new routes through the beautiful Staffordshire countryside with varying degrees of difficulty. The 27-mile route is open to all cyclists aged 10 and above and the more challenging 52-mile and 76-mile routes are open to riders aged 16 and over.
Arrival times will be staggered from 7.30am to ensure that social distancing measures can be complied with, and bookings are restricted to a maximum of six people from the same household or support bubble.
One person cheering the return of Cycle Spring is Lichfield fundraiser Phil Langham, whose father-in-law was cared for at St Giles Hospice.
Phil Langham prepares for the spring cycle ride
Warehouse supervisor Phil, aged 52, took part in his first Cycle Spring event in September 2019 and is hoping to take part again.
Phil said: “I did Cycle Spring for the first time in 2019 and jumped right in at the deep end, doing the most difficult challenge. I really enjoyed it. It was amazing – a really good atmosphere.
“Cycling is a very sociable thing to do and knowing we were all riding for such a good cause gave us a real boost. It’s vital to support specialist services like St Giles Hospice and it’s great to hear that the event is going ahead again this year. The hospice relies so much on the local community for its fundraising and I really felt for St Giles because of the cancellations in 2020.”
Phil has supported St Giles since his wife Helen’s dad, Denis Parsons, was cared for by the hospice in 2011 before his death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He took part the 2019 ride with a team of fellow worshippers from Lichfield’s Wade Street Church.
Phil added: “St Giles Hospice is such a lovely place. My father-in-law felt comfortable there and the staff were really good. They always did what they could to help, and the nurses were brilliant, really attentive.
“I would definitely encourage people to take part in a cycling challenge for St Giles. It’s a great way to get some exercise and see the countryside and there’s a ride for people of all abilities – you can be as adventurous as you like!”
Cyclists booking a place before midnight on Wednesday 31st March can enjoy an early bird offer of £25, and entry at £27 closes at midday on Thursday 20th May 2021.
Chloe added: “Our cycling events have raised more than £250,000 since they were launched in 2013 and we’d like to thank everyone who has taken part and raised funds for St Giles. Riders like Phil make an enormous contribution which allows us to support more local patients living with a terminal illness and their families.
“With a new location this year we hope many Cycle Spring veterans will return to join our riders on these exciting routes for the first time – and with three to choose from you won’t struggle to find a cycle challenge to suit you or the whole family!”
Sutton Coldfield residents have reacted to comments from Central TV presenter Bob Warman about feeding the Exmoor ponies in Sutton Park.
In a section about the ponies, the veteran presenter said he would like to take carrots to the herd that roams the area the next time he visited the park.
This is despite signs posted throughout the park discouraging visitors from feeding the ponies as all of their dietary needs are catered for within the park itself.
Sutton Park is home to the largest herd of Exmoor ponies outside of Exmoor itself. As well as being a delight to visitors they contribute an important part to the environmental welfare of the park.
Sutton Park has also seen an increase in the number of dogs, let off their leads by owners, chasing and harassing the ponies, causing distress and anxiety. It is part of increased anti-social behaviour in the park which also includes large gatherings of people ignoring lockdown restrictions and discarding their litter, sometimes in the park pools.
One park visitor posted on a Sutton community Facebook page: “I can hardly express how furious I am. Just watching ITV Central News which featured an article on the wild ponies of our country including our beautiful Exmoor Ponies in Sutton Park.
“Mr Warman ended the article by announcing next time he is in Sutton Park he will take them some carrots.I just cannot believe the ignorance of such a prominent local person.”
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council, which has responsibility for the park indicated it was in dialogue with ITV Central about the concerns in relation the comments that were made on air.
A spokesman added: “As we have said throughout the pandemic, and would say more generally, we would urge dog owners/walkers to act responsibly at all times and for people to follow the guidance on coronavirus so we continue to minimise the threat it still poses to people.
“In terms of litter, we again repeat our call for people to respect all of our parks and open spaces. This is our shared environment. If people have litter and are unable to find a bin, they should take it home and dispose of it safely.”
Central News was contacted for comment, but no reply has so far been received.
Sutton pensioners have more penalty points than young drivers
Older drivers in Sutton Coldfield are taking risks and driving illegally, totting up more penalty points than younger drivers, according to a road safety charity, which added many should be banned from the roads.
There are more than 304,000 pensioners (over 66s) currently driving on UK roads with penalty points on their licence, nearly 25 times the number of young teenage drivers – of which there are just over 12,000 with penalty points.
The findings, which came from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVLA by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity – IAM RoadSmart – also revealed that the oldest person driving with points on their licence was 102 while there are more than 3,000 over the age of 90 currently driving with penalty points.
Overall, there are more drivers in their 30s with penalty points than any other age range (575,029), closely followed by those in their 40s (572,238) and then by those in their 50s (568,511). The highest single age with the greatest number of people with points was 49 (63,248).
Additional findings from the FOI discovered that there is up to 8,800 people still driving with more than 12 points – the amount at which you are disqualified – while the highest number of penalty points currently held by one individual is 68.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research, said: “The findings from our Freedom of Information request are surprising. Speeding and other motoring misdemeanours are often associated with younger drivers but the findings clearly show there is a large number of older drivers also flouting the rules.
“Regardless of age, the message we need to get through is that road safety is paramount and we urge drivers of all ages to stick to the speed limits and ensure their vehicles are in a roadworthy condition.
“We also urge government to urgently revisit the issue of drivers with more than 12 points who still have not had their licences revoked. IAM RoadSmart has been raising this issue for almost a decade now and the problem still persists.
“It’s not by chance that certain drivers amass 12 or more points and they need to be removed from the public roads. By letting them keep their licence it undermines the simple “four strikes and you’re out” message and this urgently needs to be addressed.”
A new cycling scheme, piloted in Sutton Coldfield, has gone live in the town today (March 8), before being rolled out across the West Midlands later this year.
New bike stands have already appeared at Sutton Park and across the town as part of the new cycle hire scheme championed by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
Now the scheme, piloted in Sutton Coldfield last month, has gone live in the town and in Wolverhampton and customers can hire the bikes via an app at a cost £1 to unlock a bike and 5p per minute after that. This means a 20 minute cycle will cost £2 and an hour £4.
Docking stations have appeared in the town centre, at Beeches Walk and at three Sutton Park gates, including Town Gate, Boldmere Gate and Banners Gate.
The scheme will also go live in Coventry, Birmingham, Stourbridge, Walsall and Solihull in the summer.
Eventually there will be 170 fixed docking stations and 1,500 bikes for hire, of which 150 will be powered e-bikes.
The bikes are also fitted with high quality laser safety lights.
Mayor Street, has welcomed the initiative. He said: “I know the people of Sutton will be itching to get involved now they can see the docks and bikes, and I look forward to seeing the first residents of the royal town trying the bikes out.”
“As well as providing a great opportunity for more people to take up cycling – these bikes also made here in the West Midlands, supporting local jobs and businesses.”.
The scheme, which will include a mixture of three speed and electric bikes, is run by Serco, who operate the so-calledBoris Bikes in London on behalf of TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The sign on the tree opposite the road leading to Bracebridge Pool announcing the reaping of the popular kiosk
This is the first sign, literally, that Sutton Coldfield may finally be getting back to some normality after 12 months of Covid-19 destruction and despair.
With the government’s roadmap recently announced, children will return to school on Monday. People will also be allowed to take part in recreation outdoors such as meeting for a coffee or a picnic with their household, support bubble or with one other person from outside their household.
This gives the green light for the likes of The Bracebridge to reopen its outdoor kiosk to people visiting the pool and Sutton Park itself and for people to socialise in a limited way.
As the successful vaccine rollout continues, from 29 March, the week in which most schools will break up for Easter, outdoor gatherings of either six people or two households will be allowed, providing greater flexibility for families to see each other. This includes in private gardens.
Most Sutton residents will hope the scenes from last December at the venue, just before the last lockdown, can be avoided with scores of people queuing at the takeaway ignoring social distancing.
Top, pictures show rubbish scattered around Bracebridge Pool and above how the pool looks today
Regular park walker Patrick James, who lives in Four Oaks, welcomed the news, but wants the behaviour of people visiting the park to improve.
Pictures taken last December show how large gatherings at Bracebridge Pool left beer bottles, coffee cups, food wrappers and other rubbish scattered around and in the pool itself.
The 50-year-old said: “The last thing we want to see is the mindless and selfish behaviour of people who treat a precious beauty spot as a rubbish tip.
“Bracebridge Pool is a particularly picturesque spot and an oasis for many during troubled lockdown times. People should treat it with respect.”
Store wars could be breaking out in Sutton Coldfield when a second discount supermarket takes over a former Waitrose store in Mere Green.
A new Aldi will soon join the new Lidl supermarket currently under construction in Mere Green, the discount rival bringing a fourth supermarket into Mere Green, together with Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer. Include Poundland, which also sells food and groceries, and there will be five.
While building work progresses on Lidl at the former Lucas site on Mere Green Road, rival German firm Aldi has secured the Waitrose store on Belwell Lane and could convert the premises into its third store in Sutton Coldfield.
Top, work progressing on the new Lidl and above, Poundland and M&S in Mere Green
It would not be the first Waitrose store to have been snapped up by Aldi as the John Lewis chain has struggled with falling sales over the years. It bought up a former Waitrose in Camden, London in 2018.
The store in Belwell Lane, which has been an upmarket grocery store feature for four decades, is part of the Atlas House block which also houses the Flints bar and various offices with a large car park to the rear.
It is thought to have been snapped up for just £1. A spokesman for Aldi would not confirm nor deny this but said: “We are always looking for and considering sites for our future stores network.”
The move could spark more anger with local residents as traffic would certainly increase again in and around Mere Green island adding to fears of traffic chaos with the new Lidl coming on line in the next couple of months.
The last time there were more than two supermarkets in Mere Green dates back to before the construction of Mulberry Walk, when the area hosted an Aldi, which is now Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and a Safeway store which was demolished as part of the new development.
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