Livery Street for so long a backwater of the city centre is being given a new lease of life in a £100,000 project with the installation of new lighting in the area using the latest in environmentally sustainable white lighting. This will complement plans by the region’s Transport Authority Centro to make improvements to pedestrian access between Snow Hill Station, city centre bus stops and Livery Street in the Jewellery Quarter.

The work is being funded primarily through the council’s Big City Plan (£75,000), which seeks to improve ‘connectivity’ between and to key areas of the city, while Centro is also contributing £26,000.

Among the sites set to benefit most from the lighting proposals will be a brand new hostel, Hatters Hostel, catering for the international visitor market which has just opened in the historic listed Vaughton Works building on Livery Street, which was previously home to the makers of the original F.A. Cup.

In line with the city-wide Lighting Strategy the proposals will be developed to the highest possible environmental standards, promoting not only greater access, but also safety and visibility for visitors, residents and businesses alike.

Councillor Neville Summerfield, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said, “Projects from the Big City Plan Initiatives programme, such as the Livery Street lighting, are already making significant improvements to the Jewellery Quarter, enhancing the quality of the local environment, developing the local economy, as well as providing a safer environment for local people and visitors.”

Councillor Len Gregory, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Street Services, said, “The route from the City Centre to Livery Street and St Paul’s Square is another important gateway into the Jewellery Quarter and with the opening of the Hostel it is important that visitors to the area feel safe. Incidentally we are thrilled that an award winning independent Hostel chain, Hatters Hostel, has chosen such an historic location and it will be a real asset to the Quarter having been described as the ‘Hotel Du Vin’ of the Hostel world!”

Chairman of Centro, Gary Clarke said: “Encouraging people to travel using green and healthy modes like walking and cycling to connect to public transport is a key part of Centro’s policy, and to do this we need to make pedestrian routes as attractive and safe as possible.
 
“I am very pleased that, by working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, we have been able to significantly improve the street lighting along Livery Street and its adjoining roads – really enhancing the local environment by providing lighter and brighter access to local bus stops in the area and up into Birmingham city centre to public transport interchanges like Snow Hill station and Colmore Row.”