Philip Parkin

The council cabinet has agreed the development framework for Sutton Coldfield Town Centre, setting out the vision for its long-term regeneration. This is a signficant step forward for the town centre, and not just for local residents. As the largest suburban town centre in the city, it has a vital role to play in the regeneration of Birmingham and the wider region.

The document is also an excellent example of the importance of wide, public consultation, a point I made in the press last week:

I am extremely proud of the Sutton Town Centre Regeneration Framework which was approved by the Council Cabinet last week. To finally have in place a Supplementary Planning Document, which will guide future development in the town centre, represents a significant milestone for Sutton Coldfield. Right from the start we were determined to make sure that the views of residents would guide the framework, and Andrew Mitchell MP, as well as your councillors, ensured that the the six week statutory consultation period was doubled to three months so that everyone would have the opportunity to have their say. The exhibitions held at the Mall, and the library, were extremely well attended by members of the public and numerous meetings were held at neighbourhood fora and ward committees. And, of course, we were very lucky to have the whole process overseen by Elizabeth Allison, Chair of the Sutton Civic Society. This was particularly appropriate given our strong determination to preserve the historic legacy of the town. And the views of residents have clearly been taken into account in the finished document. A number of the original ideas remain, of course, because they were supported by the vast majority of the people who commented. However, the consultation has led to either changes or the strengthening of  many of the draft proposals.