Andrew Mitchell MP has backed Sutton Coldfield’s bid for funds from the second tranche of the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The Government’s Levelling Up fund provides a key opportunity to advance the Sutton Coldfield Town Masterplan and the highway re-modelling works part of the plan which are currently unfunded.

The proposed works contained in the Masterplan meet the relevant criteria in terms of Government priorities and fully accord with the City Council’s own planning and transportation policies.

Securing Levelling Up funding would play a significant part in moving the Masterplan forward and the advanced state of the proposals means that a bid for funding from the Government is relatively straightforward.

The Town Centre Masterplan and recently completed Interdependency Plan identify two projects as key enablers of future work: Urban Streets and Brassington Avenue. The former discusses Queen Street and Victoria Road as the “backbone of the improved transport network [creating] simple two-way urban streets” while the latter downgrades Brassington Avenue to “prioritise bus movement to the new bus interchange”.

These two linked highway work projects play a pivotal role in unlocking the potential future location of the bus interchange on Brassington Avenue and enabling future projects, such as changes to the Red Rose site, Gracechurch Shopping Centre and public realm on Parade.

Birmingham City Council’s support and commitment to the bid will be crucial for it to stand any chance of success.

Andrew Mitchell said, “I have written to the Leader of Birmingham City Council to ask for his support for Sutton Coldfield’s bid for Levelling Up funding. Our Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council is fully behind the bid and we have the support of our West Midlands Mayor Andy Street. I have impressed on Ministers the importance of this scheme, which requires the support both of Birmingham City Council and the local MP to achieve success.

The Leader of Birmingham City Council Ian Ward has said that the City Council is fully supportive of maximising opportunities from the Levelling Up Fund. A working group is now looking in detail at the bid and the necessary steps that need to be taken before we can apply for funding from the second tranche of the Levelling Up Fund.

I am confident that we have a good chance of securing Government funding to help progress our Town Centre masterplan and I have offered my full support to the team working on the bid.”

Simon Ward, Leader of the Town Council and Chairman of The Town Centre Regeneration Partnership said “I welcome this support and commitment from Andrew and Birmingham City Council to the ambitious plans for our Town Centre. Securing funding from both public and private sector sources is clearly critical and I look forward to progressing this work alongside them.”