Birmingham City Council has bid for circa £64 million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to support four major schemes in the city.
The selected schemes had been consulted on extensively and were identified as having a strong strategic case for investment opportunities. They include:
Erdington High Street – redeveloping the Central Square Shopping Centre and creating a new public square; transforming the former swimming baths in to a community hub; upgrading the public realm, footpaths and lighting to make it safer and more accessible.
A457 Dudley Road Improvements – major transport improvements to help reduce congestion, encourage active travel (walking and cycling), provide better facilities for public transport users and improve connectivity to new housing developments where more than 2,000 new houses are currently being built.
Moseley Road Baths and Balsall Heath Library – to allow for the next phase of restoring the Grade II listed Edwardian swimming pool and library.
Remediation of the former Birmingham Wheels Site (Bordesley Park) – remediation, treatment and clearance work to transform the space in to an attractive area for future employment and training opportunities.
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Ian Ward said: “After over a decade of austerity, Birmingham has some of the highest levels of unemployment and deprivation anywhere in the country and our communities should be at the heart of the levelling-up agenda.
“Birmingham City Council has a bold strategy for an inclusive recovery that will address long-standing inequalities that have been made worse by the pandemic and these schemes have the potential to create the jobs and opportunities that will drive that economic recovery.”
The Government announced a £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund (LUF) as part of the Spring Budget in March 2021. The fund will provide investment into infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport infrastructure, and investing in cultural and heritage assets.
A decision on the funding allocations is expected to be announced this Autumn.
