Birmingham City Council response to recent claims related to the A34 Perry Barr highway improvement scheme
The decision to deliver the A34 Perry Barr highway improvement scheme was taken back in December last year, and attempts to challenge that decision in the courts proved unsuccessful.
A significant amount of work has been undertaken to ensure that the impact of the work on local residents, businesses and visitors is minimised.
Yesterday, Birmingham City Council announced dates and plans for Phase 2 of the scheme.
Since the announcement, campaigners have made several misleading claims on social media. These claims have been made without context or supporting evidence. Therefore, in order to set the record straight, please find below the claims and our rebuttal.
Claim 1: No employment/business impact assessment
Misleading. The regeneration of Perry Barr will present significant benefits and opportunities to businesses. We have maintained a dialogue with businesses throughout the works so far and will continue to do this. During Phase 2, we are keeping access open to all businesses so that there will be no business interruptions. We are also implementing a significant programme of mitigations to minimise any impact on journey times.
Claim 2: No consultation on installation of CCTV or ANPR cameras
False. Working with West Midlands Police, all residents within 100m of a new CCTV and ANPR camera have been consulted in accordance with national guidelines, and nearly 2,000 letters have been sent to local residents about the works. Local councillors were also included in this engagement.
Claim 3: No impact survey on dispersal of traffic to local areas
False. The entire mitigation programme has been guided by an evidence-based impact assessment. This has allowed us to effectively target mitigation activities.
Claim 4: No air quality assessment for local residents
False. An Air Quality assessment has been carried out for the full scheme and was included in the Full Business Case. It showed that the scheme would drive air quality benefits to local residents.
Claim 5: No consultation on school transport
False. We are engaging with schools and other education venues to help them with travel advice as part of our Traffic Demand Management engagement plans. Our contractor Tarmac has employed a full-time public liaison officer to ensure businesses and schools are being considered throughout the duration of the works.
Claim 6: No assessment of impact on people with disabilities
Misleading. The A34 Perry Barr highway improvement scheme will provide significant improvements to those with disabilities by improving step-free access and making footways wider.
Claim 7: No assessment on impact on carers and those cared for
Misleading. The mitigation works aim to minimise the impact on all occupations. Our Traffic Demand Management strategy aims to encourage people who are able to take alternative routes or modes of transport to do so, and free-up space on the roads for people who do not have an alternative means of travel.
