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High-speed rail

Historic Digbeth markets ‘at risk of going out of business’

Traders warn cost of moving to out-of-town site would force many to close

By:
Published October 16, 2012, in Politics


Birmingham’s historic Digbeth markets are at risk of going out of business if the city council insists on pushing forward with a controversial relocation plan, traders have warned.

Wholesale Markets stallholders claim they would be unable to afford “significantly higher” rents at a new purpose-built site.

An independent survey into traders’ views found widespread “cynicism and mistrust” of the council’s motives going back many years, according to polling company QA Research.

The council is consulting the future of the Wholesale Markets site, which it owns, after plans to move to a £140 million development at Witton collapsed last year.

Key members of the council’s controlling Labour group are sympathetic to traders’ wishes, but have warned that

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Is HS2 heading for the buffers?

Birmingham will lose jobs and wealth if Government gets cold feet over high speed rail

By:
Published May 7, 2012, in Politics


The avant-garde exterior of the approved redev...

New Street Station redevelopment

With the Tories and Lib Dems taking a trouncing at the local elections and Birmingham voting against a mayor, it is understandable that the likelihood of a rather important Government U-turn has somewhat slipped under the radar.

But it seems probable that the Queen’s Speech opening the new session of Parliament will be minus a previously announced commitment to bring forward a bill paving the way for the first phase of the HS2 high speed rail line from London to Birmingham.

The hybrid legislation required to secure planning permission for the £17 billion project is to be delayed for at least a year, according to reports.

However, given the political pressure heaped on the Prime Minister as a result of Labour’s sweeping local government victories, there are plenty of reasons for supposing that

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