Hundreds of jobs on the line as Birmingham’s night-time economy faces being ‘left behind’

Birmingham is in danger of being “left behind” by not implementing road closures to aid the night-time economy, according to organisations tasked with promoting the city centre economy.

Both Southside Business Improvement District (BID) and Colmore BID have expressed their disappointing with what they see as unneccessary red tape that is hampering efforts by the hospitality industry to bounceback from the Covid-19 lockdown.

However, after a series of statements and counter-statements made on social media, proposals to close a key road in Birmingham to create a temporary alfresco dining and drinking area have moved forward following a “positive” meeting between Southside BID and Birmingham City Council.

On Friday (7 August), representatives of the two organisations met to discuss the challenges of closing Hurst Street to allow hospitality businesses to maximise the space with additional tables and chairs to accommodate customers.

The City Council says the scheme will be delivered to include a Covid-19 risk assessment and other safety precautions including access for emergency vehicles as it involves a road closure.

Julia Robinson, Manager at Southside BID said: “We met with senior members at Birmingham City Council on Friday to try and overcome some of the barriers in place and we look forward to their timely support in ensuring that the proposed street closure and outside seating area for our bars and restaurants can go ahead. We hope to be able to share more positive news soon.”

Nicola Fleet-Milne, chair of Colmore BID, said: “We are deeply disappointed in the steps that Southside BID has been forced to take in order to push through its application to close Hurst Street and support the district’s night-time economy.

“Until now, the local authority and licencing departments have made it impossible for the proposed scheme to be effective for businesses in the area; hundreds of jobs are being put on the line due to declining footfall and diminishing capacity within venues. However, the scheme is now having the discussion it deserves and we hope Southside gets the result it wants.

“Like Southside, we have also been working on numerous public realm projects that will support our leisure and hospitality industry, however we are becoming increasingly frustrated at the prohibitive approach of Birmingham City Council.

“Derby, Nottingham and Liverpool, amongst others, have been quick to implement outdoor seating schemes, while Birmingham is left behind. Venues and the general public are turning to BIDs, demanding to know why we are not delivering similar projects. The reality is that we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, but have nothing yet to show due to the bureaucracy, lack of pragmatism and sluggish approach of our local authority.

“We implore Birmingham City Council and partners to look into the proposed schemes with a pragmatic view and as a matter of urgency. If they do not, many of our bars and restaurants may cease to exist, dramatically impacting the economic wellbeing of the entire city.”

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, said: “As a council we are committed to helping our businesses to recover from the impact of Covid-19 and that involves being flexible and understanding to the needs of businesses in order to best support them. In this instance, we listened to the challenges Southside businesses were facing and worked together to find a solution to protect and promote the area’s reputation as a social hub and hotspot for nightlife.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Southside BID – and other businesses across the city – as part of our ongoing commitment to support the city on its journey to economic recovery.”

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