Our response to proposals for Steelhouse Square

Filed under: Consultation

This is our group response to the proposals to remove traffic from part of Steelhouse Lane to create a square. The consultation closes on Friday 16 May 2025. If you would like to support our response, you can respond to the consultation with a link to this page.

We welcome the creation of more public space in the city centre and firmly support the aims of this proposal.

As part of the wider package of connectivity measures, it provides a route between the South Birmingham cycling spine on Hill Street and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, along with access to the A34 mobility lane.

It also reclaims an underutilised city centre street for people.

We have some suggestions for the proposed design, which could improve its utility as a new public square and the experience of pedestrians and cyclists.

We would also like to take a moment to reflect on the presentation of the consultation. More work needs to be done in terms of how schemes are pitched. No upfront knowledge of the Birmingham Transport Plan should be assumed. Leeds City Council is a good example of how we would like to see schemes pitched in future and we have previously made submissions about consultation via scrutiny’s active travel inquiry.

Proposed design

Filtering the top section of Steelhouse Lane and turning it into a public square is a fantastic idea. Adding more trees to the city centre can only be a good thing.

The design balances many competing needs, including servicing access to the ‘Multistory Building’, which is a good example of what can be achieved within the limits that access needs impose on new schemes.

Potential issues

We feel, however, that there are flaws with the proposed design that could be addressed:

The square lacks a focal point

There is no discernible centre or focal point, making it a place to pass through rather than dwell. This feels like a missed opportunity, especially with the number of office workers in the surrounding buildings, which could also be used for city centre trail events like the recent Light Festival.

Conflict between pedestrians and cyclists

While it is commendable that there is limited use of shared paths, by having the cycle path pass through the centre of the main thoroughfare section of the square, this could cause conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists. It also stops short of the Queensway, requiring an area of shared space with pedestrians.

Crossing point on Printing House Street

The proposed Toucan crossing does not seem visible, intuitive or direct. It is offset from both the most obvious pedestrian route and the cycle lane.

No contraflow cycle movement to join the A34 cycle lane

Allowing contraflow cycling features heavily in other British cities and a staple of the cycle network in The Netherlands. Unfortunately in Birmingham, this can be a rare design feature in new proposals. In this instance, it prevents those using the cycle lane from having a short link down a low traffic street to join the A34 cycle lane.

Need for legible cycle routes with signage

It is important that people understand the broader destinations possible using cycle infrastructure. We have already stated that this enables several new routes through the city centre and it is important that cycling directional signage helps people to navigate the complexities of the city centre.

Possible solutions

1. The section of the square behind the kerbed edge on Colmore Circus Queensway seems a natural place to introduce a focal point for the square, such as the possible inclusion of public artwork/sculpture.
   
2. Relocating the cycle lane a matter of metres would create a larger pedestrian pathway to Steelhouse Lane, significantly reducing the potential for conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, extending it to end by the Toucan crossing on the Queensway, or even extending it to the Queensway itself, would make it much more visible to cyclists, encouraging use.
   
3. By moving the Toucan crossing closer to the corner on Printing House Street/Steelhouse Lane, it would make it directly visible to pedestrians walking through the square, as well as aligning the cycle crossing section with the cycle lane.
   
   Further possible design improvements include planting additional trees south of the Toucan crossing on Colmore Circus Queensway, increasing the size of the public square, whilst also providing additional space for cycle stands.
   
4. Ensure that directional signage with destinations and travel time is installed between Hill Street and the A34 cycle route, to provide a legible through-route throughout all phases of the Snow Hill Accessibility and Improvements Programme.

Conclusion

We fully approve of the idea of creating a new public square on Steelhouse Lane, it would be a great addition to the city centre realm. We believe that the design could be improved, and have provided some options for that.