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Brumagem News Archive: November 2009

News Stories: November 2009

30.11.09 Man Dragged from Burning Car in Nechells: A 34-year-old male driver, who crashed his Audi A6 at the junction of Plume Street and Holborn Hill in Nechells, was dragged from the burning wreckage by a passer-by at around 12.30am this morning. The driver, who suffered head injuries, was taken to hospital.

29.11.09: Is there a High Death Rate at Selly Oak and QE Hospitals?: The Dr. Foster Intelligence Hospital Guide has reported that patients under the care of the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust scored 111 on the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio in 2008-09. The normal score is 100 which suggests that patients being treated by the Trust, which operates Selly Oak Hospital and the QE in Edgbaston, have an additional 11% risk of mortality. The Trust dispute these findings on the basis that the method used to calculate mortality rates is flawed.

28.11.09 Protest Against Academies outside the ICC: The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust has been holding its annual conference at the ICC this weekend. The academy system is opposed by the Anti-Academies Alliance who staged a protest outside the ICC. They believe that the private sponsors who run these schools are taking public money without sufficient accountability. There are currently three city academies in Birmingham: St Albans in Highgate, Heartlands High in Nechells and Shenley Court in Selly Oak. Academies are also planned for Harborne Hill, Sheldon Heath and College High in Erdington.

28.11.09 Ronald Macdonald House opens on Aston Expressway: The Ronald Macdonald charity, which supports families with children in hospital, has opened a purpose-built seven-storey accommodation block on St Mary's Row in the Gun Quarter. The facility includes 60 ensuite bedrooms and a kitchen, lounge, dining room, and play areas. It is intended for the families of children who are being treated at the nearby Birmingham Children's Hospital.

27.11.09: Will New Central Library be another Eyesore?: The design of the new central library in Centenary Square has been approved amidst some controversy since the ten-storey glass-fronted structure will be covered in circular metal hoops that are supposed to symbolise Birmingham's industrial heritage. However, this innovative, if rather daring design, could clash with the neighbouring neo-classical Baskerville House and Hall of Memory.

27.11.09: Lyndhurst Revamp Underway: The regeneration of the Lyndhurst Housing Estate in Erdington continued today with the demolition of the Lyndhurst Pub and Star Members club. Two tower blocks will also be demolished in addition to the 300 homes that have already been cleared. They will be replaced by 600 new homes, a youth centre, health centre and park.

27.11.09: Woman Hurt in Edgbaston Bus Crash: A female passenger was injured after her bus collided with a car at the junction of Gillot Road and Portland Road in the Rotton Park area of Edgbaston. The woman, who broke her hip, was taken to City Hospital in Winson Green.

27.11.09: Domestic Abuse Rife in Birmingham: Research conducted by Birmingham City Council has revealed that around one-fifth of all children in Birmingham live in fear of domestic violence and abusive relationships at home. However, the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board has only one officer responsible for coordinating action against all domestic violence including assaults on children.

26.11.09: Dog Impaled on Gate in Quinton: A stray collie cross was found impaled on a gate on Glyn Farm Road in Quinton. The dog was rescued by the RSPCA and is being treated at their animal hospital in Barnes Hill.

26.11.09: When will Nat West Tower be replaced?: According to the current timetable submitted by British Land to the City Council, the Nat West Tower at the corner of Newhall Street and Colmore Row should be demolished in 2010 and replaced with a 35-storey office block by 2013. However, this timetable may have to be revised because of the recession.

26.11.09 Lea Village Teenager Jailed for Bank Robbery: A 19-year-old man from Lea Village has been jailed for two and a half years for attacking a bank security guard from whom he stole £25,000 cash. The robbery took place outside the Lea Village branch of Lloyds TSB on 22 October. The teenager lived opposite the bank and hit the security guard with a stick on the back of his legs, seizing a money case as he collapsed. However, the robber was easily caught when he ran back to his own house with the cash.

25.11.09 Twentieth Anniversary of the Birmingham Big Sleep Out: The twentieth annual Birmingham Big Sleep Out will be held on Heath Mill Lane in Digbeth on 4 December. The event is organised by the homeless charity, Saint Basil's, who hope to attract 500 participants and raise £35,000. Harvey Nicholls will serve rolls and hot drinks until midnight and breakfast at 5am.

25.11.09 11 year-old hit by car in Lea Village: An 11 year-old girl was hit by a car in the Lea Village area of Kitts Green at around 4pm yesterday. The girl, who was treated at Heartlands Hospital, suffered only minor injuries.

25.11.09: Brilliantly Birmingham Jewellery Festival to open Shop at the Pavilions: The Brilliantly Birmingham Contemporary Jewellery Festival will open a shop at the Pavilions retail mall in the city centre on 5 December. Designers based in the Jewellery Quarter will sell their stock at the shop in the weeks before Christmas. The festival, which is now in its tenth year, will continue until 28 February 2010. The programme includes a trade fair and ten year retrospective at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

24.11.09 MG6 will be built at Longbridge: The MG6 has been unveiled at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China. Saloon and hatchback versions will be built at the MG plant in Longbridge where the two-seater MGTF is currently assembled. Production will begin in 2010. The MG6 was developed and engineered in the UK. However, the MG brand is now owned by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation.

24.11.09 Hit And Run in Cotteridge: A passing fire crew found an injured motorcyclist lying on the Pershore Road in Cotteridge yesterday at around 7pm. It is thought that the injured man was knocked off his bike after colliding with a van that did not stop. The motorcyclist, who sustained back and leg injuries, was taken to Selly Oak Hospital.

23.11.09 Birmingham Central Library to be demolished: Birmingham Central Library has been refused listed status by the Culture Minister Margaret Hodge. It must be demolished within five years. This ruling will enable the regeneration of Paradise Circus and the greater integration of Centenary Square and Victoria Square. A new library is currently being built in Centenary Square.

23.11.09 Newsagent stabbed in Lozells: A 56-year-old newsagent was stabbed at his shop on Lozells Road at around 7am on 16 November. The attack appears to be entirely random. The victim was stabbed from behind when unlocking his shop but was not robbed and his assailant, a hooded youth, ran off immediately after the assault. The wound was only minor. At first, the victim thought he had merely been punched.

22.11.09 Will Hershey Take Over Cadbury?: The United States confectionary giant Hershey is expected to make a £10.3 billion bid for Cadbury. Its rival Kraft has already made a £9.8 billlion offer. Hershey, which is based in Pennsylvania, already manufactures some Cadbury products on license. Are jobs at Cadbury's in Bournville at risk?

21.11.09: Is Spraying Graffiti really organised crime?: A 19-year-old male from Ashbrook Road in Stirchley has been convicted of criminal damage at Birmingham Crown Court. Apparently he sprayed graffiti with the tags "Bler", "Yea" and "Yes" and coordinated a graffiti gang known as "TFC". British Transport Police wanted to classify TFC as an Organised Crime Group because of the damage caused to railway property. The defendant's tags also appeared on buses and buildings across the city. He was, however, spared prison.

21.11.09 Any jobs at new Tesco Store in Hodge Hill: The new Tesco store on Bromford Lane in Hodge Hill will open in February 2010. The two-storey flagship store will include a cafe and 400-space car park. It is expected that 250 jobs will eventually be created but competition is fierce with up to 27 applicants for each of the 90 vacancies recently advertised.

21.11.09: Gun Toting Teenies dodge Police in Aston: Two black male youths were seen openly firing a semi-automatic pistol on Witton Road in Aston at 9.30pm on 13th October. The teenagers were chased by police but managed to get away. It appears that they were randomly shooting the pistol without any obvious target.

20.11.09 Could Digbeth High Street become a Permanent Events Arena: Digbeth High Street could be transformed into a permanent events arena capable of holding up to 50,000 as opposed to the 20,000 capacity available at Millennium Square where 60 music fans were injured last Saturday.

20.11.09: Planning Permission granted for new Hotel in Eastside: Planning permission has been granted for a new 204-room hotel at City Park Gate in Eastside. The hotel will contain a restaurant, bar, terrace, gym and conference facilities. The glazed aluminium and zinc design will incorporate a sloping facade that will climb to 16 storeys above City Park. The hotel will be the flagship of the Northamptonshire-based La Tour chain.

20.11.09: Police seize over £200,000 cash in Stechford attic: Police have seized over £200,000 that was hidden in the attic of a house in Stechford. The occupants, a male and female, both aged 41, have been arrested on suspicion of money-laundering.

20.11.09: Woman sentenced to 20 years for the attempted murder of Digbeth transvestite: A 29-year-old Brazilian woman has been sentenced to twenty years imprisonment for attempted murder at Birmingham Crown Court after dowsing a 25-year-old transvestite with petrol and setting fire to him at his flat in Digbeth on 9th December 2008. The victim suffered 70% burns and is permanently disfigured. The attack occurred after an argument about a missing laptop and handbag.

19.11.09: Manslaughter Trial following Death in West Heath Pub Brawl: A 21-year-old man is on trial for the manslaughter of a 46-year-old man who died in a brawl outside the Fordrough pub in West Heath on 20 March 2009. The defendant is alleged to have caused the death of the victim by throwing the last punch in a brawl which at one stage involved up to 20 men. Update 21.11.09: Defendant cleared because of inconsistent medical evidence regarding cause of death.

19.11.09: Three on Trial for Murder of Sex Offender in Small Heath: Two men aged 30 and 23, and a woman aged 20, are on trial at Birmingham Crown Court for the murder of a 49-year-old man who was living in a hostel on Mansell Road in Small Heath. The victim, who had Huntingdon's disease, was on the Sex Offenders Register. He suffered head injuries after being attacked on 25 January 2009 and died three weeks later.

19.11.09: Nursery Nurse on Trial for Murder in Great Barr: A 30-year-old nursery nurse is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court for allegedly stabbing her boyfriend in the heart at their home on Tideswell Road in the Perry Beeches area of Great Barr on 1st April 2009. The prosecution allege that the woman, who faces alternative charges of murder and manslaughter, killed her boyfriend because she thought he was about to leave her. The couple had been together for around 12 months. Update 28.11.09: The defendant was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years.

18.11.09: Lager Seized from City Centre Wholesaler: HM Customs & Excise has seized over 32,000 cans of lager from a city centre wholesaler on which duty of around £50,000 appears not to have been paid.

18.11.09: GCSE results improve but Birmingham Kids still behind in Maths and English: GCSE results show that 72.4% of Birmingham schoolchildren achieved at least five passes at grades A*-C. This is better than the national average of 70%. However, only 47.5% of pupils could count Maths and English amongst their 5+ GCSE passes at grades A*-C . This is below the national average of 49.7%, but a substantial improvement on the 45.4% success rate achieved in 2008.

18.11.09 Is Birmingham International one of the worst railway stations in the UK?: Local business leaders have complained that Birmingham International railway Station, which opened in 1976 to serve Birmingham Airport and the NEC, does not feature amongst a list of the worst stations in the UK that urgently require refurbishment. New investment could transform the station from a soulless park-and-ride into a major gateway suitable for an international city.

17.11.09: Police Constable receives award for work in Ladywood: A 42-year-old police constable has received a Community Crime Fighter Award from Gordon Brown for his contribution in reducing crime on the Waterworks Estate off Monument Road in Rotton Park/Ladywood. Forty crack houses have been closed on this estate in the past ten years and the level of prostitution has been greatly reduced.

17.11.09: Student Sold Phantom Rolexes on E-Bay: A 24-year-old male student from Cannon Hill Road in Balsall Heath, who sold two non-existent Rolexes on E-Bay for £1300, has pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud at Birmingham Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered to pay £1302 compensation and perform 240 hours unpaid community service.

17.11.09: Ear Bitten Off by Thug outside Sheldon Bonfire Party: A 44-year old man lost his ear outside the Midland Co-op social club on Barrows Lane in Sheldon at around 7.30pm on November 7. The man was attending a bonfire party at the club which he left in order to search for friends. He was then attacked without provocation by another unidentified man who was standing in the queue outside. His entire left ear was bitten off and could not be saved by surgeons at Selly Oak Hospital.

16.11.09: Shard End Drugs Dealer Grew Cannabis in Airing Cupboad: A 26-year-old male drugs dealer who cultivated cannabis in the airing cupboard of his home on Turnley Road has been given a 12 month suspended sentence. He was a low-level dealer who had grown three crops in 25 weeks with the intention of making around £1600 per crop.

16.11.09: Student dies of Stab Wound in Bournbrook:  A 19-year-old student, who attended the University of Birmingham, died of a single stab wound at a house on Alton Road in Bournbrook on Friday 13 November. Police were called to the house at around 6.30pm.

15.11.09: Staffordshire Bull Terrier Stolen from Van at Custard Factory: A one-year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier has been stolen from a van parked on Heath Mill Lane outside the Custard Factory in Deritend. The theft happened at around 1am.

15.11.09: Sixty music fans injured at Millennium Point: At least 60 music fans were injured at Millennium Point yesterday after a security fence was breached by a crowd who had been locked out of a free open-air concert. Birmingham City Council had organised the concert to celebrate the switching-on of the Christmas Lights. There was already a capacity crowd of 20,000 in the square when the gates were shut at 1.30pm, leaving another 7,000 locked-out. The fence was breached after boy band JLS had performed their set. Around 60 were injured in the crush. The rest of the concert was cancelled.

14.11.09: Jewellery Quarter Retailers given two-way police radios: The police have issued tow-way radios to shopkeepers in the Jewellery Quarter in order to better coordinate patrols and reduce retail crime.

14.11.09: Fatal Car Crash on Salisbury Road Moseley: A car crashed into a wall on Salisbury Road in Moseley Village at around 4am. The male driver and three male passengers died at the scene.

13/11/09: Road Traffic Accident on Suffolk Street Queensway: A car crashed in the tunnel that carries Suffolk Street Queensway beneath the city centre at around 6am.

13/11/09: Perry Barr Drugs Dealer Jailed: A 29-year-old male drugs dealer from Perry Barr has been jailed for five and a half years after being twice caught with large quantities of drugs. On the first occasion in January 2009, the man was arrested at his home on Leslie Road where police discovered heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of around £3,000. He was bailed by a judge and rearrested during a second raid in April 2009 after heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of £2,500 was thrown from the window of his bail address on Willmore Road.

12/11/09 Council spending cuts could reach 30%: The Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council has warned of spending cuts of up to 30% over the next two years. Central government is expected to reduce grants to Birmingham City Council by 5% from 2011 whilst loan repayments in respect of equal pay settlements, the improvement of council housing, the construction of a new library and the regeneration of New Street Station could account for 20% of council tax receipts by 2012.

12/11/09 When will Birmingham Airport be extended? The planned four hundred metre extension of the runway at Birmingham Airport could be delayed for seven years due to the credit crunch. The airport board has requested government intervention. The extension will enable long-haul traffic to use the airport.

11/11/09 Retirement Village opens in New Oscott: A retirement village containing 260 apartments will shortly open in New Oscott. The village will create 80 new jobs.

11/11/09: RTA on Heartlands Parkway Saltley: There was a serious road traffic accident involving the collision of two vehicles on Heartlands Parkway at 1.30am

11/11/09: Lasan Restaurant awarded Best Curry House UK: The Lasan restaurant in the Jewellery Quarter has been crowned Best Curry House in Britain by Gordon Ramsey on F Word.

11/11/09: Machete Homocide Small Heath: A man has been convicted of manslaughter for killing his father with a machete on Bordesley Green Road in December 2008.

10/11/09: GR Cafe Bar loses license: The GR Cafe Bar on Smallbrook Queensway has lost its license after violent incidents occurred in or immediately outside the bar in October.

10/11/09: Redevelopment of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has started: An extensive redevelopment programme has started at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield. The work will involve the construction of a new entrance and outpatients department. Additional parking will also be provided.

10/11/09: New Stores and Restaurant at the Mailbox: Stationers Papeterie and the boutique All Saints are new retail stores at the Mailbox. Their arrival will offset the loss of the stationers Parchment and the boutique Emma Somerset which closed earlier this year. The French restaurant chain Cote will also open an outlet at the Mailbox. Cote was named Best Value Restaurant UK 2009 by the Good Food Guide.

9/11/09: Man found dead in burning shed in Handsworth A rough sleeper has been found dead in a burning shed at the back of a terraced house on Mostyn Road in Handsworth.

9/11/09: When will the V Building be built? The 175-metre V Building is the first phase of Arena Central, the intended regeneration of the former Central Television studios on Broad Street. The developers have asked for planning permission to be extended for a further ten years because of the property slump. The planning committee have offered a five year extension.

9/11/09: 70-year old killed in road traffic accident in Moseley. A seventy year old woman was killed after a collision with a truck at the junction of Alcester Road and Salisbury Road in Moseley.

8/11/09: Will Kraft take over Cadbury? It is thought that the American food giant Kraft is preparing a hostile bid for the confectioners Cadbury. The Cadbury board rejected a 10.2 billion pound bid in September on the basis that it undervalued the company which recently posted an 11.2% increase in half-year profits. Kraft has said that it would retain and invest in the Cadbury plant at Bournville which is one of the largest private employers in Birmingham.

7/11/09: Violence at GR Cafe Bar. Police complain to licensing committee that several violent incidents, including two stabbings and a twenty-man brawl, occurred in or immediately outside the GR Cafe Bar on Smallbrook Queensway in October. The bar, which attracts a mainly young clientele, could be closed down.

7/11/09: Birmingham Wheel returns: An Observation Wheel will be installed on Centenary Square in early December and will remain until February. The wheel will contain 42 heated pods and provide stunning views of the city centre.

6/11/09: Richmond Primary Care Centre opens on Bordesley Green East. The centre contains a new medical practice created from the merger of four GP practices and contains dentistry, podiatry, physiotheraphy and health visitor departments.

6/11/09: Hilltop Municipal Golf Course will close and be replaced by a cycling centre with race circuits, a velodrome, a BMX track and a stunt cycle park. However, the golf course will be a public park for at least one year until funding is available.

6/11/09: New swimming pool approved for Harborne. The twenty-five metre pool will form part of a new two storey leisure centre that will also be equipped with a teaching pool, fitness suite, aerobics studio and gym. The complex should be completed by Spring 2012.

6/11/09: 58-year old woman mugged as she got out of her car in Shenley Fields Road.

6/11/09: Over 100,000 smuggled cigarettes seized from a shop in Handsworth The haul includes branded cigarettes on which duty was not paid, non-branded cigarettes manufactured for the black market and rolling tobacco.