Birmingham needs a city centre park to improve the health and quality of life for citizens.

Greener Birmingham, a coalition of campaign groups, are calling for more parks and open spaces to accompany the great swathe of new buildings filling the city centre skyline.

And, through the CityPark4Brum campaign, they have set their sites on the new Smithfield Development, on the former site of the wholesale markets, as the ideal place to put a park.

Currently the outline plan for the wide open site contains a small park area at the Barford Street end as well as some green roofs, but Greener Birmingham argues the land given over for the park should be much, much larger - if not the entire site.

They say that with thousands of new homes being planned and built, particularly in Digbeth, Highgate and the Southside of the city centre a park is much needed to make the area both more desirable place to live and encourage healthy and happy lifestlyes.

Let's hope this summer will see a repeat of people sitting in the sun in St Phillips Churchyard
Pigeon Park isn't big enough say Greener Birmingham

Georgia Stokes of the Greener Birmingham Coalition said: “Birmingham overall is a very green city but there is not equal access to green space and the city centre is almost completely a concrete jungle.

"On a hot day you have to arrive early at St Phillips or Brindley Place to find a patch of grass to sit on to eat lunch, or the shade of a tree to relax in.

“Planning for developments such as Smithfield , Icknield Port Loop , Digbeth and other sites must take a different approach to make these sites greener and connect them to each other.

"Imagine being able to walk from one side of the city centre to the other along a tree-lined green corridor listening to bird song. This is not only possible but essential for our city.

A CGI of plans for Birmingham Smithfield, on the giant Wholesale Markets site in Birmingham
A CGI of plans for Birmingham Smithfield, on the giant Wholesale Markets site in Birmingham

"We are all happier and healthier when we have regular access to green space. Businesses would benefit as employees are more productive when they spend their lunch break in nature, and more visitors will come to our city. Economically, it’s a no-brainer.”

Birmingham has 571 parks, but very little green space in the city centre. St Phillips Cathedral grounds, known as Pigeon Park, is frequently rammed with office workers taking lunch breaks during the hot spells.

Among groups linked to Greener Birmingham are The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, the Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, Birmingham Botanical Society and the Birmingham Trees for Life campaign.

More than 6,500 people have already signed the CityPark4Brum petition and it will be handed to both Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.

Jim Tucker, leader of CityPark4Brum says: “There is plenty of evidence that creating more green space in cities make sense as it improves health, reduces air pollution and brings communities together.

"This is our last chance to create a signature park right in the heart of our great city, one that creates a lasting legacy for generations to come as Birmingham continues to grow. "

"A city can’t expand without also increasing and improving its green and open space provision."

Developers have plans for more than 5,000 apartments within the A4540 middle ring road. These include large developments at Icknield Port Loop in Ladywood, the Connaught Square site in Digbeth and the Barratts Homes site on Bristol Street .

The open letter from Greener Birmingham

Dear Birmingham,

Birmingham is a city built on its civic voice and civic pride. The Victorians left us what is now seen as one of Europe’s greenest cities, with 571 parks it is internationally recognised in the same league as Singapore and San Francisco (as UK’s only Biophilic city)!

Another opportunity beckons: The Commonwealth Games 2022, with a promise of a green legacy, for the city and the region.

So the signatories of this letter want to know- where are the Green Champions? The success of the city seems to be being measured in cranes and concrete; in the face of global evidence that points to the most successful cities also being the greenest.

The people of Birmingham vote with their feet and their voice daily- in this hot weather the few green places that exist (St Phillips, Brindley Place) are full to capacity with people seeking a place to enjoy the sun, and the shade, for their lunch break.

When budget cuts threatened parks budgets the public opposition was the highest of any single issue.

Spending time in nature is good for us, we know from evidence spending a little time in nature every day can help to reduce depression, obesity, increase recovery from illness and extend our life.

In fact, living within 1km of green space reduces the risk of 15 major illnesses. We are also more productive and likely to take fewer sick days when we have access to nature or can view green space from our place of work.

Birmingham is not alone in having the paradoxical situation of becoming more densely populated with increasing social isolation. This of course leads to widening health inequalities and social costs due to the deadly triad of inactivity, obesity and unhappiness.

Those in our poorest districts live ten years less and develop chronic disease 17 years earlier than those in the most affluent.

Cities, including Birmingham, must change and quickly and make sure the benefits are felt by everyone not reinforce social isolation.

View from the Kids' Park in Eastside City Park
View from the Kids' Park in Eastside City Park

What the cranes and concrete represent is an unprecedented opportunity to create a green heart of our city that will benefit all of us who live and work here, and attract more visitors; and more investment.

The sites of HS2, metro extensions, the rebuilding of the Smithfield market area, Digbeth regeneration, HSBC offices, Icknield Port Loop and many more are currently planned in isolation with little consideration for the overall green space including the vital connecting corridors such as hedge lined pathways, tree lined avenues, green canal tow paths and rivers that allow people and wildlife to travel through our city.

We know the people of Birmingham value our green spaces. More than 6,000 people have signed the CityPark4Brum petition calling for a much larger park to be included in the Smithfield redevelopment plan.

The Greener Birmingham Coalition, a grouping of individuals, organisations and community groups working together to protect and improve the green spaces of our city, is calling for a new way of planning city centre developments.

All developments should include nature and green spaces from the early planning stages recognising that people want to live and work close to nature. These sites must all be viewed as connected with planners making sure there are green routes between them all enabling people to walk and cycle easily through the city centre, and wildlife to come back to central Birmingham.

Crucially, the people who live and work here should be permanently engaged in how the city is shaped. Greener Birmingham call on city leaders to commit to a People’s Summit on Nature as a response to the Government’s Year of Green Action in 2019.

We hope to work with city leaders and planners together to make sure Birmingham provides a natural, healthy environment for people and wildlife; and a naturally healthy economy.