Smethwick – Birmingham Development Framework

The wider client team was made up a group collectively known as the Partners, including Homes England, NHS, West Midlands Combined Authority and the Canal and River Trust in addition to the councils. Tibbalds worked with this group to identify potential sites for redevelopment and any other public realm or placemaking opportunities, that in turn fed into the overarching framework that provides direction for growth and a consistent approach to ensure that a new district emerges where people want to live, work and visit.

Within the heart of the corridor lies the new Midland Metropolitan Hospital, which provides a potential catalyst for dramatic changes which can help to sustain the existing, struggling local centres and creates opportunities for improved open spaces as well as improved and new connections into the Main Line canal for both movement and recreation. A more detailed masterplan was developed for the area around the new hospital by Tibbalds, which has been approved by both councils to be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. This provides guidance for developers in respect of the aspirations for, and nature of, the development sought.

Health and Wellbeing

Unsafe and poor quality public realm and open space undermined the communities ability to walk and cycle with no variety of recreational opportunities or are poorly connected to surrounding neighbourhoods. This has resulted in an urban area which is heavily dominated by traffic and road infrastructure, with little opportunity for respite in open spaces or within the public realm. We took a strategic view of the corridor, to see how the connections to these spaces could be improved and how existing spaces could be reconfigured where possible to provide overlooking to create a sense of safety and a variety of recreational opportunities. In addition, the frameworks and masterplans encouraged street networks that put pedestrians and cyclists first to flip the current vehicular priority on its head. This, in combination with improved open spaces will offer safe, enjoyable and varied open spaces within the new and existing neighbourhoods for all to enjoy.

The frameworks for the key sites along the corridor including Grove Lane, City Hospital and Cape Arm, enhanced physical and visual connections between the site and the Main Line canal, a major asset which in places is currently out of sight and inaccessible. Through improved accessibility with new connections to the towpaths and the strengthening of the visual relationship between the built development and the canal, the framework aimed to reconnect the members of the community with this major heritage asset that is an important corridor for nature and wildlife.

The quality of the building stock is also of utmost importance when considering residents health and wellbeing, with regard to orientation, space standards, privacy and access to services and facilities. Through our masterplanning work we had constructive conversations with the local authorities to develop frameworks for high-quality new homes in compact neighbourhoods that fostered socialising between neighbours and active lifestyles.

Active Travel

The Main Line Canal provides a unique driver for active travel in the area. The framework proposed an integrated network of cycle and pedestrian routes that connect into the canal, which forms a direct link between Birmingham and Smethwick and a route that grew hugely in popularity over the lockdown period. In addition to the canal, the transport network connects an otherwise fragmented collection of routes throughout Smethwick and Birmingham, creating route options as it was fully understood that whilst the canal may be optimum during certain times of the day and year, not everyone would feel safe using this corridor at all times. Increasing the availability and accessibility of pedestrian and cycle movement networks as well as exploring more compact urban typologies where suburban, car dominated neighbourhoods may otherwise have occurred, ensures applicants are working within a framework that encourages sustainable behaviours.