March

Luxury hotel 'to rival Claridge's'

City planning chiefs awarded the green light to a long-overdue renovation of Birmingham's landmark Methodist Central Hall this month.

And they boldly claimed a quality hotel in such an iconic location could rival London's famous Claridge's.

The 115-year-old hall, a long-time occupant of various ‘at risk' registers, will undergo a £35 million renovation which will include a 147-bed ‘Dream' hotel, ground floor shops, restaurants and a basement nightclub.

The grade II*-listed building's exterior will be spruced up, three storeys added to the roof and its striking central organ will be restored so it can become a central feature in a mezzanine bar overlooking a gastro hall.

Birmingham International Marathon scrapped

Runners in the city were left disappointed after it was announced the Birmingham International Marathon would be scrapped after just one year.

The inaugural event, held in October 2017, attracted more than 10,000 runners to the city but organiser Great Run decided to postpone the 2018 race with no indication of if or when it would return.

Great Run said the various roadworks had prevented it from designing an "iconic course" after "robust" feedback from participants had suggested they did not enjoy the 2017 route, which involved running the same section twice.

"We just couldn't put together a course to show off the best of the city," Great Run spokesman David Hart said.

Boris Bikes on their way to the city

A bike-sharing scheme to bring 5,000 cycles to the streets of Birmingham and the West Midlands was unveiled this month.

The bikes are available to hire at a range of public places including railway stations and public squares in an initiative similar to London's Santander Cycles - commonly known as 'Boris Bikes'.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street announced Nextbike had won the five-year contract to run the scheme with Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton the first recipients of the new bikes.

It is also expected to create 50 jobs in the region, including van drivers and mechanics, via Walsall-based charity Steps to Work which encourages young people and the long-term unemployed back into employment.

A new bike hire scheme has been introduced in the West Midlands
A new bike hire scheme has been introduced in the West Midlands

Grayling 'absolutely committed' to Moseley train service

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said he was "absolutely committed" to getting passenger trains running through south Birmingham suburbs during a visit to the city.

He met rail and transport chiefs in Moseley - one of the beneficiaries of the new service - and vowed to help restore the much-needed route as soon as possible.

A hot topic of debate for decades now, bringing commuter services between Kings Heath, Moseley and the city centre has been a pledged of West Midlands Mayor Andy Street who has previously vowed to have the service up and running in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Camp Hill line runs through this part of Birmingham but is predominantly used by freight with a few passenger services.

April

PM promises £70m for Alexander Stadium

The 2022 Commonwealth Games received a major boost in April after Prime Minister Theresa May announced a £70 million investment into Alexander Stadium.

The 40-year-old venue, in Perry Barr, will be the focal point of the Games, hosting all the track and field events.

Alexander Stadium's capacity is set to increase from 12,700 to 40,000 and it will retain 20,000 permanent seats after the event.

The news came just days ahead of the official handover from Gold Coast as host of the 2018 Games which also saw a spectacular dance routine in Victoria Square beamed out to a billion people across the world.

Artist's impression of how Alexander Stadium will look for the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Artist's impression of how Alexander Stadium will look for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Davenports abandons Jewellery Quarter bar plan

A long-running plan to open a bar in the former Jewellery Quarter police station was finally abandoned.

Legendary brewery Davenports said it was concentrating all of its efforts on its new bar, restaurant and hotel in the old HSBC branch in Moseley.

It first announced its plans for the police station in January 2016 to open what was heralded at the time as the company's first new bar launch in more than 30 years.

A company spokesman blamed “protracted complexities” in its investments combined with wanting to concentrate their efforts on the one site which the brewery felt had the greatest potential.

Toll of violence against paramedics revealed

A major investigation published this month exposed the horrendous violence and abuse West Midlands Ambulance Service staff have to endure.

Trade union GMB said they had been bitten, stabbed and spat at, with 1,597 violent attacks on West Midlands ambulance workers since 2012.

Examples of attacks reported by the union’s members included having blood spat at them by intravenous drug users, broken bones, attempts to hit them with cars and racist and sexual abuse.

The union revealed the shocking figures ahead of a crunch vote by MPs on tougher sentences for attacks on emergency workers.

Anti-terror chief keeps pension despite dismissal for losing secret papers

A senior counter terror chief found guilty of gross misconduct after losing top secret documents was sacked just days before he was due to retire.

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, former head of the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, was dismissed without notice at a disciplinary hearing.

But he was allowed to retire with a full pension and his £215,000 lump sum as the hearing into his dismissal took place after April 6 - understood to be the date his pension became active.

A previous hearing had been due to be held on March 29 but was postponed just hours before for a judicial review.

Review of the Year 2018 - Round Up

January and February

May and June

July and August

September and October

November and December