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Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022

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i passed through perry barr again yesterday and its hard to see how the area will be finished in time but time will tell...also noticed that the pub the 7th trap was in the middle of demolition

lyn
 
I travelled by bus through Perry Barr by bus on Monday, first time in several years. The congestion was a pain. I remember as a child watching the flyover, the flats on Birchfield Road and the underpass being built in the mid-sixties. Apologies for being negative but I really do think Birmingham City Council has made a huge blunder with this Commonwealth Games vanity project. If any councillors read this thread, here's a reminder of what successful town planning infrastructure looks like...

Perry Barr Flyover.jpg
 
Apparently someone told me if your coming from the direction of College Road, and carry on into Perry Barr pass the Greyhound stadium you can now turn right there, and go into Perry Barr one stop.

Why on earth they took down the flyover I have no idea, not sure what it achieved.
Everyone I know avoids Perry Barr if they can.
Coming of the M6 and connecting with the A34 at peak times is also a nightmare even before construction of the games began.

The back up traffic you can imagine arriving at Alexander Stadium from any direction will be horrendous.
Have thought about renting our driveway out, thought being the operative word, not doing.
 
I heard the other day that the Athletes' Village at Perry Barr was cancelled, because it would not have been ready on time and that they will now be housed in three campus villages at The NEC Hotel, Warwick University and Birmingham University. The pandemic was predictably blamed for the delay. So much for demolishing the Birmingham City University buildings and the relatively new flats alongside them, to make way for a centrally located Athletes' Village!

1652181613798.png 1652181855849.png 1652181906096.png
 
john i travel through perry barr quite a lot and i am pretty certain work was continuing on the athletes village for most of the pandemic....my feeling is its just an excuse for running behind time and of course it has all gone massively over budget....

lyn
 
Astoness said:
john i travel through perry barr quite a lot and i am pretty certain work was continuing on the athletes village for most of the pandemic....my feeling is its just an excuse for running behind time and of course it has all gone massively over budget....

lyn
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The Decision to scrap the athletes village was made in 2020 as far as I knew. Housing is still being built and continued for local residents.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-53751630

Its a shame but it is better than the embarrassment of housing not being ready.
 
Getting closer now... I worked at Birmingham Poly/ UCE/BCU in the now demolished Baker Building (the big red striped, then repainted blue striped block) but moved to the city centre campus five years ago, retiring last year. Not been to Perry Barr since they demolished the flyover. The official games site is here. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/Birmingham2022
I am not a Birmingham resident, but I sincerely hope the city isn't left with a debt like Sheffield World Student Games which they are still paying off. As the student village won't be built at Perry Barr, I hope they will build some housing. IMI Kynoch site is probably unsuited for housing as it will have been massively contaminated. Fond memories of the Wellhead Tavern. Perry Barr deserves more than a sparkling railway station built for a few weeks but a well planned legacy.
 
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much obliged ell ive been watching the demo for quite a while now..just trust that the entire region around there is tarted up as it truly is a shame to achieve 6500 top notch competitors in addition to every one of the onlookers to this area for what it's worth at the moment...i will take some different photographs one week from now to feature this...there was discussion of the wellhead path transport terminal being destroyed also however this could simply be talesa
 
rosie said:
I have just discovered that there is no proper car park at Sandwell Aquatic Centre. Everyone will be expected to walk, cycle or go by bus. (Good luck with that!!) Parking restrictions will be in place for residents too. There will be selected coach access.
Sandwell Aquatics Centre Frequently Asked Questions | Sandwell Council
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Thanks Rosie, it looks a fabulous pool. Be interesting to see how the public transport works out when the Games are a memory and people want to take their kids to the pool. I was fortunate in having Thimblemill Baths at the bottom of my road. I see they and Langley will close. Of course the purpose of this Aquatic Centre is an elite swimming venue and I can see that athletes will be able to train and compete there in future years. What they call Legacy though is more imponderable.
 
As with football, lots of money wasted on providing facilities for professional athletes or those who hope to soon turn professional, while transport, sporting, leisure, and other facilities take second place. All as a means of polishing the self-opinion of councilors and politicians
 
Stokkie said:
Thanks Rosie, it looks a fabulous pool. Be interesting to see how the public transport works out when the Games are a memory and people want to take their kids to the pool. I was fortunate in having Thimblemill Baths at the bottom of my road. I see they and Langley will close. Of course the purpose of this Aquatic Centre is an elite swimming venue and I can see that athletes will be able to train and compete there in future years. What they call Legacy though is more imponderable.
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Sounds well thought out. Just like Sheffield, access by public transport only.
 
I'm sure that the games themselves will be a sporting success. And as a former BCU man, I'm proud of the student designed medals at the School of Jewellery and delighted that a firm in the Jewellery Quarter manufactured them. So I wouldn't want to leave a negative impression.
 
i love sport ..have played it and watch it a lot have done since i was little but while the games maybe a success the cost has been rising steadily including a massive deficit of money...not to mention the chaos to the general public...what i find sad is that the proposed olympic village which would have housed officials and world athletes was shelved so unless i have got this wrong all this work that has been going on is only to get to the alexandra stadium...the last i heard at a cost of £778 million....sorry but i am still of the opinion that this amount of money could have been better spent to help the people of birmingham...young and old...

lyn
 
MWS said:
The £778m was the cost for the whole games which according to the bbc article below included the athletes village at £350m (then). Alexandra Stadium upgrade was £70m and Sandwell Aquatics Centre £60m.

www.bbc.co.uk

Birmingham 2022 Games to cost £778m

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will cost £778m, slightly above initial estimates, the government announces.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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plus the £25 million shortfall post 105
 
Sandwell MBC say that the cost of the Aquatics Centre will be £73 million. The sources of the funding are complex, but at this point they say that Sandwell Council will contribute £23 million.
https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/info/20...ll_aquatics_centre_frequently_asked_questions

Sport England has announced £1,441,897 of new funding for the Black Country, including Sandwell Council, which will receive upwards of £800,000, as part of its wider investment into the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/news/ar...untry_to_build_2022_commonwealth_games_legacy
 
Astoness said:
i love sport ..have played it and watch it a lot have done since i was little but while the games maybe a success the cost has been rising steadily including a massive deficit of money...not to mention the chaos to the general public...what i find sad is that the proposed olympic village which would have housed officials and world athletes was shelved so unless i have got this wrong all this work that has been going on is only to get to the alexandra stadium...the last i heard at a cost of £778 million....sorry but i am still of the opinion that this amount of money could have been better spent to help the people of birmingham...young and old...

lyn
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Yes Lyn, I assume that when they decided that the proposed olympic village could not be completed on time they would concentrated on making the route to the stadium unimpeded. Of course this is a national prestige project and this sort of money would never have been spent on helping the people of Birmingham or Sandwell. Derek
 
The route to the stadium unimpeded for a COUPLE OF WEEKS , and, if the London Olympics are a guide, more for the parasitic officials and the athletes than the general public. And it is the general public who are those that will eventually largely pay the bills
 
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