CARS banned from the historic heart of Redditch, a 5G Innovation Centre by the college, pick up and drop off parking on Unicorn Hill – and Birmingham a 20-minute train ride away.
That’s the vision Council Leader Matt Dormer has for Redditch – and it’s a vision that will see the town transformed.
We’re on a walk around the town centre, starting at the police station – which will be demolished and a new ‘blue light hub’ created at the fire station – and taking in the new 5G Innovation Centre site, earmarked for the college car park.
The council has already submitted its Towns Fund Bid for just shy of £25million, while the historic heart of the town has been declared ‘at risk’ and made a conservation zone – moves backed by both political parties,
And improvement work has already started, with the block paving from Alcester Street extending across the rest of the town centre.
“People say, why waste money on paving as it won’t fill the shops – and no it won’t, but if you get the paving right, you get the area right,” said Coun Dormer.
“Being declared ‘at risk’ attracts funding and means the council can apply for pots of money to assist shopowners doing their shops up, which raises everything up, and people will then want to trade and shop here.”
“Moving the library into the Town Hall and demolishing its building will create an open public square for events and markets,” said Coun Dormer.
“Look at how Alcester busy is for its food festivals – it’s rammed over a weekend – more than 85,000 people, while we can’t get that number in a week.”
He’s also adamant that pedestrian zones should be for pedestrians only, and traffic enforcement orders are now in place on areas like Evesham Walk.
Moving down Unicorn Hill he sees the taxi rank moving and the creation of diagonal parking bays for drivers picking up and dropping off.
And having created an attractive town centre, we arrive at the ‘gateway’ project, the railway station, and here the plans truly are ambitious.
“Long term, we’re talking two lines, two platforms, because long term we want four trains an hour to Birmingham including an express,” he said.
“Bromsgrove to Birmingham is 20 minutes while from Redditch it’s what, 36 minutes if you’re lucky, if you’re not held up by the express going to Bromsgrove.
“So, everything we do down here will be with that second line in mind.”
