Jewellery Quarter regeneration office closed as work starts on Hylton Street
Jan 29 2010 By Graeme Brown
She said: “It seems that instead of cutting 30 per cent of their spending on the area they are cutting closer to 100 per cent. At the Jewellery Quarter Association AGM in November Coun Summerfield pledged that the council was still in league with the Jewellery Quarter and would always support it.
“He said they intended to carry on and support the bid for the World Heritage site, but these plans are not going to help us with that.”
She added: “They have pledged help but without someone here we don’t see how they can help properly.
“If Andy Munro is at Alpha House then he will spend most of his time walking there and back. I think it is stupid. We would have found somewhere around here if they had consulted with us. The council has a lot of properties in the Jewellery Quarter that are empty.”
Fiona Toye, chair of the Jewellery Industry Business Support Strategy and chief executive of Toye Kenning & Spencer, said Mr Munro and his team have made a significant contribution to the area and it was crucial work continued.
She added: “To reach our full potential we need the city council’s support and have been pleased to have it to date.
“Being based in the quarter, Andy Munro and his team have helped us bring together the quarter’s stakeholders, improve the environment and introduce and sustain valuable regeneration initiatives.
“But we are not naive. As with other authorities across the country Birmingham City Council has some difficult decisions to make. We believe though there are alternatives to the chosen route and so are asking the city council to explore the options with us so we can retain valuable support where it can make the biggest difference, in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter itself.”
Coun Summerfield said: “Birmingham City Council remains as committed as ever to the future development of the Jewellery Quarter, and it is in order to protect this commitment that we have taken the decision to re-organise how we deliver our support on the ground.
“By incorporating the administrative and back office functions which support our work in the area back within our city centre regeneration teams, we can make significant savings – not least on rents, which will enable us to guarantee ongoing spending where it is needed most.
“In the current economic climate, and with council budgets not immune to the pressures these create, I believe this approach is the best way forward to develop the Jewellery Quarter through projects such as the £1.5 million Golden Square development, our on-going support for the Design Incubation Centre and many other projects.
“Direct support to businesses in the area will continue through a dedicated manager, while we are exploring options for locations where we can share accommodation in order to maintain a public facing information desk.”
