Meetings of the Kings Heath Residents’ Forum management committee take place on the first Wednesday of each month. The dates for the next six months are:
Meetings start at 7pm and take place at Whitesmiths Croft Community Centre, Silver Street, Kings Heath.
The organisers of the annual Kings Heath Street Festival announced on 10 July 2017 that it is to move from York Road to the the Parade car park in front of the old Kingsway cinema. A statement issued by the organisers explained that the move is necessary because ‘all events that take place on council land must conform to a set of new anti-terror safety guidelines’.
These guidelines are reported to require:
The result, according to the statement, would be that ‘any activity on York Road would have to take place inside a ‘caged event space’ on the carriageway only. The pavements would have to remain outside of the security fencing to allow right of way to residents and business owners’. The statement went on to explain that the organisers had decided that this would be impractical.
There was a strong and sustained reaction against the plans on social media but the chair of the organising group, Kings Heath Business Improvement District (BID) board, said, ‘We understand that the decision to move the event has proved unpopular with some members of the public, however our number one priority is public safety’.
On 13 July 2017, the organisers issued a new statement. This said that the decision had been put on hold for 7 days ‘to allow plans for Kings Heath Street Festival to return its traditional home on York Road’. While some people on social media have taken this to mean that the Festival is definitely going to take place in York Road, the statement also says there is to be a ‘period of grace [to] re-address the possibility of a Festival on York Road’.
It appears, therefore, that the location has not yet been confirmed as York Road. A further announcement is expected soon.
UPDATED 3 August 2017. A statement issued by the organisers on 2 August announced that the 2017 Festival has been cancelled. The full statement can be read here.
Peacock Road, Kings Heath, held its annual Big Lunch on Sunday 18th June. The party commemorated the lives of Jo Cox MP and Peacock Road resident George Singh who sadly died earlier this year.
The organiser of the event wrote: ‘The children had a great time playing in the road which was closed off for the afternoon. Parents could relax too, knowing their children could scoot around in a car-free area. The glorious weather helped us all to have a lovely party, sharing food and conversation with our neighbours.’
Did you hold a Big Lunch party? Let us know about your parties and spread the word. The Big Lunch and the Great Get Together help people to get to know their neighbours and bring communities together.
The organiser of the Peacock Road Big Lunch thanked Amey for supplying the road barriers this year and for the last two years for their party.
There has been a long history of traffic problems on School Road, mainly caused by inconsiderate, often dangerous, drivers. It now looks as if some relief may be on the way for local residents.
In November 2016, local people set up a Facebook page to begin gathering evidence to present to Birmingham City Council (BCC). The aim was to get action to protect local residents, particularly pedestrians.
The area of greatest concern is the stretch from the roundabout near Kings Heath Primary School down School Road itself. There are frequent reports of cars mounting the pavement to pass other cars, even forcing pedestrians to get out of the way. In some cases, residents report that drivers ignore the presence of small children, so keen are they to get past as fast as they can.
Comments on the group’s Facebook page detailed incidents in which
With the support of Councillor Claire Spencer and Councillor Lisa Trickett, the group has been putting pressure on BCC to find a long-term solution to the problems. In January 2017, residents were told that BCC was going to undertake a formal traffic survey on School Road. In addition, money had been set aside to try to come up with a solution to the problems. This was followed in March 2017 with news that a budget of up to £40,000 had been allocated.
Now a set of proposals is being put out for consultation. They will be sent to residents of School Road while anybody else who wishes to comment will be able to do so. It is understood that, at present, the proposal is to make School Road one-way from the roundabout near Kings Heath Primary School to Blenheim Road.
Councillor Spencer will be in the area of School Road on Sunday 25 June 2017 gathering information.
The School Road Traffic Issues Facebook page can be found here
The Design Out Crime team from WM Police is emphasising the need to take care of belongings during the hot weather.
Their point is that thieves will grab any opportunity. In hot weather, they can get into a house through an open window when the owner is away or in the back garden. And if we’re enjoying a barbecue in the back garden, we probably won’t realise that somebody has got in through an open front window.
Unfortunately, they might not even need to get in. If laptops, phones, car keys and so on are left within reach of an open window or door, they can be stolen very quickly.
So the message from the Police is to make sure that our doors and windows are shut and locked if we’re not in the house. It may mean that the house is hotter than we’d like when we get back but better to be too hot than to lose valuables.
It’s also worth remembering that garden sheds often contain all the tools a thief needs to break in. Steps, ladders, spades that can be used as crowbars – the possibilities mean that sheds must be locked. If ladders have to be left outside, they need to be chained to a fixed point.
There’s more information here
When it comes to cars, always check that the doors really are locked after using the remote locking fob. And always lock the car, even if it’s only being left for a few minutes. For example, when paying for fuel, lock the car before going to pay. Finally, as always, lock items such as satnavs, handbags, laptop bags and so on out of sight.
There’s more advice here.
One point worth remembering is that this isn’t a campaign by the Police to make us all worried about theft. It’s more about taking care as we do in most areas of life. When we’re crossing the road, for example, we check to make sure we’re not going to get hit by a car. Now we’re being asked to be just as careful about our houses and cars.
Residents heading for the M6, Erdington or Castle Bromwich along the A38(M) Aston Expressway are likely to hit trouble after 7 July 2017.
The biggest problem is likely to be caused by the closure at weekends of the A38(M) Aston Expressway.
The road will be COMPLETELY CLOSED from 8pm on Fridays to 6 am on Mondays for 7 consecutive weekends.
This means that it won’t be possible to use the A38(M) Aston Expressway to get to the M6 on Friday evenings, Saturdays or Sundays. The weekend closures will start on Friday 14 July and apply on every weekend until Monday 28 August. During those weekends, drivers won’t be able to leave the M6 at Junction 6.
In addition, major roadworks on the A38(M) Aston Expressway will cause restrictions and road closures for several weeks. The closures will start on 7 July and will include:
Full details can be found here
Kings Heath Neighbourhoods Forum 