PJA was appointed by the West Midlands Alliance to prepare a Stations as Places Opportunities Prospectus for a number of stations, including Longbridge Station, University Station and Selly Oak Station.
The Stations as Places programme aims to promote local railway stations as community ‘hubs’ rather than simply access points onto the rail network. The vision is to develop local railway stations as an asset highly valued within the community, contributing to economic growth and acting as a hub for creativity, heritage and social amenity.
The Opportunity Prospectus was prepared to set out the economic, social and geographic landscape of the area around the stations and highlighted some of the opportunities for commercial development, partnership working, inward investment and community regeneration.
PJA developed a ‘Last Mile’ concept plan to consider other land uses in the surrounding area and set out what the priorities should be in terms of integration of sustainable transport modes and station facilities. Key local stakeholders were identified through initial consultation and auditing of the local area. Engagement focused on improving access to rail services and how Stations as Places can unlock development potential and enhance existing connectivity for residents and the local economy.
PJA held a virtual community workshop with a number of Stakeholders including the Local Planning Authority, local businesses, political stakeholders and residents groups. This gave the community a great opportunity to put forward their views on the station issues and opportunities.
PJA developed a strategy of short, medium and long term goals, in consultation with users and local businesses. The action plan was developed with mode shift targets to provide a focus for the Stations as Place prospectus, as a way of measuring whether future schemes have a positive impact on sustainable travel.
