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Visitor centre, Barr Beacon, artist's impression

Proposed Barr Beacon visitor centre

Black Country, Urban Park

By Ciar谩n Ryan

The Black Country has been shortlisted for a 拢50 million lottery grant that could kick-start a massive plan to "improve quality of life for over one million people". Have your say, below.

Click here for the latest news: Black Country as an Urban Park >

Acting as the Black Country Consortium (BCC), Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils are looking ahead.

Alan Goodman, Dartmouth Park

They've come up with the Black Country Study, a plan for the next 30 years. They're aiming to halt the decline caused by the loss of heavy industry and "restore the qualities that once made the Black Country great".

Part of this plan is the Black Country as Urban Park project. Which, according to its website, can make the Black Country "a dynamic and desirable place in which to live, work, invest and visit.

"As part of that vision [we're focusing] on sweeping environmental transformation of the region into an urban park which will rejuvenate the area and enrich people鈥檚 lives.

Green Bridge, artist impression

"This envisages improving the landscape along corridors, such as the waterways and canals, as well as creating a network of open spaces and wildlife habitats and providing better access to natural areas of 鈥榞reenspace鈥� 鈥� countryside, woodland and meadows."

Winner decided by TV vote

This 30 year Urban Park plan is massive in scope. To enable its first phase to be completed within the next five years, the Black Country Consortium applied for a 拢50 million Big Lottery Fund grant.

Now, the Black Country's bid is one of only six projects nationally to have been shortlisted. The BCC will find out in September 2007 whether it's through to the final round.

Stabilised Seven Sisters, artist impression

Stabilised Seven Sisters, Dudley

If their bid is selected in September, a televised public vote in December will decide who wins the single grant of between 拢25 million and 拢50 million.

The grant would go towards:

Improving Wren鈥檚 Nest National Reserve and Seven Sisters Mines in Dudley.
Creating a green space corridor from Walsall Arboretum to Dartmouth Park (linking Walsall and West Bromwich).
Improving the canals and waterways of Wolverhampton.
A Wildlife Trust Living Landscaping project, across the Black Country.

Walsall Arboretum, artist impression

Brief interview: Alan Goodman, planner

Alan Goodman, a senior town planner for Sandwell council, has been drumming up support for the Black Country's bid. I spoke to him at his Urban Park stall in Dartmouth Park on St George's Day.

Alan, if the Black Country did receive the 拢50 million, what would change?

Well, there would be a lot of work on the routes. We could start work on the Green Bridge Corridor between Walsall town centre and West Bromwich. It would be 12 miles long, going through Sandwell Valley and Dartmouth Park and would include a proposed new visitors centre on Barr Beacon.

We could restore the Seven Sisters mine in Dudley, and canals and waterway sites in Wolverhampton.

Why is this bid important to the Black Country?

This area has such a wealth of green space on its doorstep and it's vastly underused. Sandwell is bottom in the Midlands in terms of people taking 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. There's a lot of opportunities here to get visitors into the Black Country. We've got a lot to show-off about. We need a kick-start to help that happen.

Green Bridge Corridor, artist impression

Who are you bidding against?

We are up against some pretty stiff competition. The Eden project, a new visitors centre at Sherwood Forest, some works on the Somerset levels, SUSTRANS and their cycle routes. And a museum project down in Swindon.

What would you like us, the public, to do?

We want people to visit the website, www.blackcountryup.co.uk and register their support. When you see the People鈥檚 Millions programme we want you to vote for us (basically a bit like the 成人快手 Restoration programme) so that we can win this prize.

This area has got a lot of heritage, a lot of green spaces, a lot going for it. This is a great opportunity!

For more information please see the Black Country as Urban Park link on the right of this page >>

last updated: 24/10/07

Have Your Say

Can the Black Country as Urban Park plan improve our region? What do you think?

Rachel
I vote "YES" We should be given the grant to make improvements to the park. x

Martin Smith
No, i don't think it's agood idea because in dudley there are people who simple don;t care so it would be a waste of money! And the youths of the Wrens Nest & Priory Estate's will vanderlise all the hard work put in to this project. So i think it's a total and utter waste of 50 million pounds.

Gaynor Elliott
Oh most definately,when most of us struggle with the day to traffic problems what a fantastic way to chill out without haveing to travel far. Think of all that cabon footprint savings!

Claire
I'm not voting for it. Cause its not the black country. The Black Country was only Cradley Heath and a few other parts. How as Barr Beacon now become part of the Black Country. So no, let the money go to somewhere where the councillors haven't seen a good tourist enterprise and not moved boundaries every couple of years.

Pete Clarke
We need something/anything to stop the tidal-wave of apartments being over-developed in this area.

Rod
'a museum project down in Swindon'? It's the Science Museum creating the biggest museum development in Europe! In london you can see just 5% - at Inspired, you'll be able to see 92%. If you want to fight climate change, or find a cure for cancer, if you've ever flown in a aeroplane or had an x-ray you have to vote for the only project that's going to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers! No wonder they downplayed it in the article - there's just no competition!

Ivor Sperring
There are some lovely places in this area. It would be god to open access to some of these places so that they can be more widely enjoyed. Improved access for cyclits and walkers would be particularly advantageous. There is an astonishing amount of wild life to be seen on some of our canals.

susan e
Of course it will we need more woodland saving not less, every body needs to do as much as they can.We don.t want or need any more tower blocks or roads thank you.

Kevin L
Its a great idea, we now need the action..We also need to 'cap' all new domestic and commercial development (Building) to 'Brown Field' sites.

mike howard
50 million is a small amount to spread quite thinly around the projects mentioned. CONCENTRATE IT ON, SAY, CANAL IMPROVEMENTS AND EVENTS AND YOU MAY CAPTURE THE VOTES REQUIRED AND MAY SPARK USEAGE OF THE CANAL NETWORK FOR WALKING, CYCLING, WILDLIFE APPRECIATION AND BOATING BY PEOPLE OF THE AREA AND FROM THE REST OF THE UK. Increased use of the canals may then attract investment in museums and attractions which, in the Black Country are mostly on or near the canal network.

brian john shortland
Hickman Park Bilston was FAB with the Flower Show and Carnival. It needs resuracturing.

j.b.windmill
The only thing that can improve our region and indeed England itself, is a dramatic reduction in the population. England cannot sustain a population of 50,000,000. Extend the Green-Belt Areas?How do you do that, when every scrap of available land is having a house built on it!I'm all for using brown land and developing waste industrial ground, but every open space of more than 10 yards square seems to be having a block of apartments built on it, and what's more they appear to be sold and lived in in no time at all.

Sarah
I think this is a great idea. We really need to let everone else in the UK know how great Dudley and the Black Country is. Everyone needs to support the project rather than complaining about the other things that may annoy us where we live. Good luck. Hope we win.

John S
I live in Brierley Hill and have grown up in this area; if we are so interested in preserving our area and heritage, and rightly so we should be, why have we allowed the traditions of glass making and blowing to subside to little more than a visitors centre? The TRUE BLACK COUNTRY grew up from foundries and chimneys and mines; as Adenuf has said, Councils, (ha ha ha) have jumped on the band wagon to promote their own areas; they are wasting money left, right and centre and how much of this will actually be wasted? Brierley Hill baths was a good start; why not ask the community what they would like to see? I'm sure htey be interested to know its available!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Susan.M.Coppin
We badly need to restore pride back into the region.An excellent idea -good luck.

james cook
excellent

Andrew Sharratt
An excellent idea, which I hope very much we can win. I live in Dudley and have here and in the surrounding area all my life, I already know how much we have to offer and now it is time for everyone else to get a true understanding of what the black country is all about. One thing though, I dont understand why I havnt heard of this previously, we need to get this into the local public eye so that, as a community, we can push for a win. GREAT.

paul clemo
anything which stops sandwell council from building on these green sites would be helpful, they have been nibbling the edges for years.Whilst the lottery funding is going through perhaps they could start to bring (Wasn) Sandwell Valley back up to the standard it was 15 yrs ago, i do realise its supposed to be natural but it needs all the help it can get, they may even help out with the regeneration of the canals which they seem so interested in when projecting the area. best of luck to Alan Goodman I hope it goes ahead.

Natalie Lewis
Great idea, There is so much hidden potential in the Black Country and its good that the planners are thinking BIG!

adenuf
what more money pouring in to the likes of west brom etc.theres alot more past west brom....as for wolves being part of the black country ..what a laugh.. ha. ha..find your own heritage and latch onto it.....

GILLAIN HILL
WE REALLY NEED TO START CLEARING UP THE CLUTTERED AND RUBBISH STREWN CANALS AND OTHER WATERWAYS SO THAT BLACK COUNTRY PEOPLE COULD BE PROUD OF THE AREA AGAIN. WE ALSO NEED TO CREATE A LOT MORE PLACES FOR THE PUBLIC TO VISIT. I WOULD LOVE TO EXPLORE MY OWN BACKYARD MORE BUT THERE IS NEXT TO NOTHING TO SEE. WILDLIFE IS PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTANT BUT FOR A COUPLE OF PLACES. PLUS SETTING UP TRANSPORT TO THESE NEW SPOTS AS NOT EVERYONE OWNS A CAR!! MAYBE A METRO SYSTEM FOR THE REST OF THE BLACK COUNTRY AND NOT JUST THE PRIVILEGED FEW.

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