Work commences on Snow Hill Public Realm

Construction work has begun on a new public realm project in Birmingham city centre that will enhance the area for pedestrians and improve public transport connectivity.

Spearheaded by Colmore BID, GBSLEP and Birmingham City Council, the Snow Hill Public Realm programme includes a number of projects that will enhance the public realm and prioritise pedestrian movement, reallocate unused on-street parking and encourage on-street activities within Colmore Business district.

Civil engineering firm and building contractor, McPhillips has begun work on the first project focusing on Colmore Row and Livery Street, which looks to improve the pedestrian space around Colmore Row with high quality paving, soft landscaping and the widening of the footpath in some places. The right turn from Livery Street onto Colmore Row will be removed, meaning vehicles on Livery Street will have to turn left onto Colmore Row. The bus stop and taxi ranks adjacent to the square on Livery Street and Colmore Row will be moved, with a new taxi rank at the top of Livery Street and the bus stop moving to the main pedestrian entrance at Snow Hill Station.

Changes will also be made to the current one-way traffic, making it two-way system between Livery Street’s junctions with Cornwall Street and Barwick Street, to enable exit from Snow Hill car park and Livery Street via Barwick Street or Cornwall Street.

Melanie Williams, Chair of Colmore BID’s Outstanding Places working group and partner at DWF Law LLP, said: “The BID team with others have worked hard over the course of the last 5 years to bring this project to fruition and it is fantastic to see a start on site and activity within our BID to send clear signals of activity and the progress of works to make the use of our public spaced more user and pedestrian friendly.”

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Our city centre welcomes more than 42 million people a year, and following the regeneration works around Centenary Square and Paradise, it’s time for us to revitalise the business and retail areas. Improving pedestrian access and traffic flow to reduce congestion around Snow Hill and Colmore Row, this will improve people’s experience of Birmingham.”

Colmore BID has a longstanding reputation for working on public realm projects to enhance the district for those that live, work and visit it. Previous successes include the creation of Church Street Square, a space that had had been under-used as well as the award winning Colmore Square.