Work continues on the Selly Oak New Road

birmingham.gov have provided another update on the progress of the Selly Oak New Road.

The following works are due to take place from Saturday 3 May 2008

• Preparation for surfacing will be taking place to footpaths.
• Placing service and signal ducts in footpaths of new road
• Drainage works from attenuation tank units to the Bourn Brook.
• Kerbs and trimming sub-base to tie-in with Hospital Link Road Section 1.
• Exposing existing ducts on West side of existing bridge and installing support.
• Constructing ramp for diverting Northbound traffic out of new island.
• Commence demolition of West side of existing bridge

I'm not entirely sure what most of this means - nor does it give any real indication of whether the work is progressing on schedule - but still, it's good to know that those attenuation tank units are being looked at!

There appears to be quite a lack of information, blog posts or even images on the web relating to the development of the Selly Oak New Road so if anyone has anything interesting to add, or fancies going out and taking some photos, then please do, and let me know.

(Here are all the previous posts on this subject.)

I'm moving

This week, assuming all goes to plan, I will be moving out of Birmingham B29.

It's not really a deliberate or planned move.

Initially I thought I was going to be moving within the B29 area... but then I also thought I would be moving with my girlfriend, rather than us going our separate ways.

How wrong you can be.

So, the upshot is that I will be moving to B13, within a short walk from the centre of Moseley.

It will certainly make attending the fantastic Moseley Folk Festival even easier than usual!

However, the problem is what to do with this site.

I could continue representing B29 on the web, after all I have spent enough years living in the year to understand what is going on and present a useful view.

On the other hand, shouldn't Birmingham B29 be represented by someone who actually lives and breathes the air every day, who walks the streets and receives the enticing Selly Oak and Northfield council leaflets through the door?

What do you think?

Anyone interested in taking on B29? Anyone think that it doesn't really matter? I really would be interested in any thoughts you have.

Selly Oak New Road

Another brief update from birmingham.gov on the progress of the Selly Oak New Road:

The following works are due to take place from Monday 4 February 2008:

• Importing and rolling fill material for new road and roundabout.
• Work on north wing wall for the first section of new canal bridge, Harborne Lane.
• Waterproofing, back of wall drainage and backfilling to back of walls.
• Placing gully connections.
• Site clearance and excavation to east pavement will be taking place.
• Work on retaining wall next to B&Q.
• Excavating lagoon and stockpiling arisings.
• Tree clearance to the environmental works off Arosa Drive
  

Both carriageways are restricted to one lane working, which may cause disruption for motorists and pedestrians.

If you need further information please contact either George Underhill on 07977 437305 or Dave Greenaway on 07766 923287.

Here are all the previous posts on this subject.

Check neighbourhood problems near you

I've mentioned Fix My Street (previously called Neighbourhood Fix It) on my personal blog before and thought that it might be useful to also mention it on here.

To find out what's bugging the people who live in B29, what the council is doing about these problems, or to report one of your own, use the box below.

Enter a nearby UK postcode, or street name & area

You can also subscribe to customisable alerts.

Selly Oak Relief Road (from Flickr)

(photo by kate&drew)

Selly Oak New Road (update)

Another brief update from birmingham.gov on the progress of the Selly Oak New Road:

The following works are due to take place from Saturday 15 December:

• Importing and rolling fill material for new road and roundabout
• Steelfix and shutter to walls for the first section of new canal bridge, Harborne Lane
• Placing gulleys

Please note that the location of these works means traffic flows will not be affected

Here are all the previous posts on this subject.

Royal Mail Delivery Office, Selly Oak

Property in B29

Despite warnings of a slowdown in house price growth in 2008 there are undoubtedly plenty of people out there looking to buy and sell so here's a couple of particularly useful links for anyone buying or selling in B29.

extate.co.uk has a handy link to property available to buy in B29.

rightmove.co.uk has a similar link to properties currently available to buy in B29.

They also have a useful guide to house prices in the area based on sales in the last two years. A screen grab is below showing the headline information.

Gumtree - classified ads on the web

Have you ever tried the Gumtree website? No? Then you probably should.



Essentially an online collection of the type of ads that you'll find in a local newspaper, or on the noticeboard of a local post office (if it hasn't been closed down).

A quick search for 'B29' reveals mostly what you would expect from a residential area dominated by student housing - lots and lots of available flat/house shares and accommodation related ads.

However, don't dismiss the site too soon if this isn't your thing as, sifting between the accommodation options, you might just find a bargain such as this Ikea bookcase and CD rack or can you help out this person searching for spare jam jars?

Probably a bit late for most of you that are reading this, but the Gumtree Birmingham Community are organising a Meet Up tomorrow at the Sunflower Lounge... in their own words:

Hi to all Birmingham friends of Gumtree!

Exciting news from the Gumtree camp – we are hosting a Meet Up for the Birmingham Gumtree community.

This is our way to say thank you to the Gumtree community and a chance to meet the team behind the UK's biggest classified site.

The fun starts at 6pm when we will be putting our card behind the bar (Until it runs out so get there fast!) and there will also be a karaoke competition with some fantastic Gumtree merchandise to win.

Come along to have a laugh, make new friends and celebrate being part of Gumtree Birmingham. Friends, colleagues and family all welcome.

Date: Thursday 8th November
Time: 6pm-11pm
Location: The Sunflower Lounge, Smallbrook Queensway, B5 4EG

Hope to see lots of you there!

The Gumtree team

Work on Selly Oak New Road begins

Following my post last month on the proposals for the Selly Oak New Road it would appear that, as promised, work has now begun.

This from birmingham.gov, updated on 25th October:

Phase 1A of the scheme includes for the widening of Harborne Lane, reconstruction of Harborne Lane bridge, the construction of a new roundabout at Harborne Lane / Selly Oak New Road, construction of new carriageway across the old Birmingham Battery site and flood compensation works.

The following works are due to take place from Monday 29 October:

• Importing and rolling fill
• Drainage works
• Trial holes in footpaths

Please note that the location of these works means traffic flows will not be affected

If you need further information please contact either George Underhill on 07977 437305 or Dave Greenaway on 07766 923287.