The_Rev Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I don't have much to offer to this myself, but I work (well, park my car) in the city centre and my drive into work takes me down Curzon Street and past Millennium Point on a daily basis, so it's been somewhat interesting to see what they have been doing to this new park given that the roadworks it has caused has caused me delays on more than one occasion. The fences have came down now, and even though I have only seen it from the car so far (I drive down the road in this picture if you dont know where Curzon Street is) and it's looking alright. It looks a lot less green than the artist who came up with this picture suggests, but I think that might be more to do with the fact that it is December than anything else. So, has anybody had a look around it yet? It should definitely make the city centre feel bigger, and it should make the whole area around Masshouse and Millennium Point feel like they are part of town for the first time. I'd imagine the guy who owns The Woodman might think 2013 could be a good year for his boozer too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 10, 2012 I've seen it from the bus going round the back of Masshouse but it's hard to really tell anything about it like that. At the moment to me it just looks a bit less scruffy there. Should look good when it's completely finished and in summer I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I've passed it numerous times on the train and it's always annoyed me how barren that area is. This is the first view of Birmingham for many travelling from the capital. I'm glad they are finally sorting that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 The bit you are looking at in that photo is the old platforms at Curzon Street Station (fancy stone building in the middle, grade 1 listed btw) which was used by Royal Mail until fairly recently. That isnt going to be part of the park, but it will be where the HS2 station is located when it is complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMFy Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I had a stroll around the Lower East Side on Saturday. It looked run down, like coda's picture. Perhaps the council are going for the Manhattan feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 10, 2012 I swear they were selling helicopters on those old platforms in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 The bit you are looking at in that photo is the old platforms at Curzon Street Station (fancy stone building in the middle, grade 1 listed btw) which was used by Royal Mail until fairly recently. That isnt going to be part of the park, but it will be where the HS2 station is located when it is complete. They could do with sticking a few shrubberies in that bit. People getting the train see the sty on one side and a graffitied concrete jungle on the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 And of course, that is why they should use Moor Street station. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I swear they were selling helicopters on those old platforms in the summer. They were being used for an opera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted December 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 10, 2012 To be fair, there aren't many cities, especially those of a certain age, where the ground approach is scenic.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Especially by rail, because industry tends to build up around railway lines and industrial estates ain't pretty. The fact that New Street station is a shithole is still there, but given the extensive refurbishment that is currently taking place it shouldnt be a problem by 2015. I've linked the Big City Plan before, but I still think it is hugely impressive a just how much central Birmingham has changed since the late 1990s. The rebuilding work since they started sorting out the canals and building Brindleyplace about 15 years ago has been fantastic for the city. As I've said in previous threads, I do wonder what an exiled Brummie would make of the place today if they had been away for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted December 11, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've not been in Birmingham city centre for nearly 4 years now, and very rarely since about 2001. I'm a fiercely proud Brummie, though, and want to go back and see how it looks. If not least of all so I can argue with all the boastful Mancs with whom I share an office these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 11, 2012 I've linked the Big City Plan before, but I still think it is hugely impressive a just how much central Birmingham has changed since the late 1990s. The rebuilding work since they started sorting out the canals and building Brindleyplace about 15 years ago has been fantastic for the city. As I've said in previous threads, I do wonder what an exiled Brummie would make of the place today if they had been away for a while. I left Brum in 1972, and - other than trips to VP - have only made intermittent visits since then. It's certainly changed beyond recognition, mostly for the better, I think. Although it doesn't feel like the place I grew up in any more, which is a slightly sad experience. But that's just an inevitable part of change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted December 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 11, 2012 Birmingham has always felt like a city that has never been finished to me. There always seems to be a regeneration project going on in one part or the other but I'm not sure the city can support whatever they're doing. In my life I've seen John Bright St, then the pavilions then the palisades then broad st then St Paul's square then gas st then the mailbox then the bull ring. By the time they've finished one, the previous one is already looking shabby. Having said that, I've been 15 years away now with only brief visits back. I used to be fiercely defensive of Birmingham but less so these days. I think it probably differs little from Glasgow or Manchester or Cardiff but I've a feeling I voiced such comments a while ago and got shot down for them so I'd better get my tin hat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted December 11, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 11, 2012 I think most cities still have their own identities and idiosyncrasies choffer but these days it takes a little bit of time to get to know each city to find them. Take away food for example, most cities do things completely differently in a take away. Part of the reason cities look the same is globalisation and the amount of identikit shops that exist in every city, regional identities have been visibly lost, (fashion is also the same everywhere these days, it didn't used to be) but they still exist under the skin of the city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogso Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 My only experience is the same as Coda's, that view from the train rolling in. Although the other day, on Saturday on the way to the Villa, all I really noticed was a load of work going on further up than that picture above, on the left. It didnt look finished. Is only part of it open now? I actually very rarely venture into the city centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted December 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 11, 2012 Especially by rail, because industry tends to build up around railway lines and industrial estates ain't pretty. (was going to link to these in the original, but was on mobile) Philadelphia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itdoesntmatterwhatthissay Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Ooooh, Ill go and have a look tomorrow. Exciting. That area certainly needed attention. Personally I think we're a fragmented city which ignores its natural resources. I envy Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol because they have a more joined up policy in planning areas; they focus on sustainable footfall rather than large inward investment. They are more community led, whereas we wait to be led. (The Council that is) The people of Birmingham are brilliant, the city has a good infrastructure with huge potential for expansion, regeneration opportunities a plenty, excellent communities and people who want to make changes; it just lacks someone with a vision to try and connect areas with these desires. The big city plan will certainly transform the city but there needs to be a stronger approach to connecting sustainable footfall throughout Birmingham and not just in a fragmented city centre. This way the fragmented city centre will find its own investors; cultural, start-up, social and private. I think the potential of the metro will be huge and am quite excited to see where else it might go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa_shere Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 The artists impression looks great byt its hard to tell from the photos in this article if the finished product is anything like that. Doesnt look as open and green and the AI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 You need an account to read that article unless I am missing something. As for the lack of green? Well, you may have noticed that it is currently December. There isnt much green anywhere in December! It does look a bit grey at the moment, but once leaves start to appear on the trees it will look much better. It will look even better in a few years when the trees have grown from saplings into full sized trees too. I think this is definitely why the council have decided to go with a 'soft launch' and just leave it there for people to discover for the time being, though I would hope they have a few big events on there next summer to put it firmly on the map. I think the potential of the metro will be huge and am quite excited to see where else it might go! The Metro is an oddity, I've been in and out of Snow Hill station several times a week for more than ten years so it's always been there in my mind even though I have had no real cause to ever use it (I live east of Birmingham and even though I have worked in Brum for ages it has only ever been in the city centre or Tyseley so the Metro doesnt serve my needs) but I do wonder how many people it does serve reject it because it's just not a visible presence in the city centre. So many more people will see it when it goes down Corporation Street that it should become a thing that isnt just stored at the back of a lot of peoples minds. It might put the Jewellery Quarter back into the city centre for a lot of people too, the JQ is lovely but so few people ever go there it is a hell of a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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