The Rowley Regis Town Deal Board met on 10 December 2024 to discuss the reallocation of funds originally intended for the Blackheath Bus Interchange scheme and to receive an update on the project.

Blackheath Bus Interchange

The Board were scheduled to receive an update on the Project Adjustment Request that has been submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in relation to the Blackheath Bus Interchange.

Towns Fund Grant re-allocation Round 2

The Board was scheduled to consider their response to the underspend on the Blackheath Bus Interchange project.

Due to the scheme's reduced cost of £2,901,895, there was £844,105.00 of grant funding that the board had to reallocate to other projects in the Town Deal.

At the meeting on 15 November 2024, the Board allocated some of the funding to two projects, leaving £394,105.00 to allocate.

The two projects that received funding at the previous meeting were:

• Cradley Heath Skills Centre
• Britannia Park Greenspace Improvements

The Board were scheduled to consider two further expressions of interest in the remaining funding.

Britannia Park Greenspace Improvements

Sandwell Council's Parks and Greenspace Service Area requested a further £170,000 to deliver several work packages in Britannia Park:

• New signage at each entrance point (Rowley Village, The Ross and Macmillan Road)
• Ecological signs throughout the park
• Substantial cutting back of overgrown shrubs, trees and bushes to create a more welcoming and open entrance point at The Ross
• Pruning back some trees and an improved entrance gateway at Macmillan Road
• Installation of a trip rail to separate the top car park and the grassed area to prevent vehicles accessing greenspace.
• Drainage channels inserted into two sports areas, which will also be sand slitted
• The removal of approximately 35 Lombardy Poplar Trees located at the rear of properties along Macmillan Road and any other tree species that have been deemed at risk from the Tree survey undertaken in 2022. For every tree removed, 2 trees will be planted subject to funding.

The report considered by the board included this justification for the work:

Nearby residents have previously raised safety concerns regarding the Lombardy Poplar Trees that are at the rear of their properties and risks when branches fall in their garden. The EOI also includes proposals to address feedback reported in surveys, this includes the removal of trees as suggested in the Tree Survey undertaken in September 2022 which is to fell to the ground a number of trees deemed at risk within the next three years (2022-202) and improvements to increase the Green Flag Score (Sandwell Open Space Assessment Final Report September 2024) of which would be to install signage and to create more welcoming entrance points.

The Board were also scheduled to consider a request for funding to create a community orchard, which was decided against in the report, as the results of ground testing surveys revealed contamination:

Upon investigation it was confirmed that the area proposed has some localised contamination. Further discussions have been held with Lead Engineer (Geotechnics) at Sandwell Council who has advised the threshold criteria for human health especially for produce are more stringent. It has been advised the existing material is deemed unsuitable for growing of produce for human consumption.

The report set out the impact the additional funding would have on the project:

• Enable the project to achieve a Green Flag score of 66%
• Improve usability of the football pitches, reducing waterlogging ensuring the pitch can be used more frequently even in wet weather.
• Create a safer and more enjoyable playing surface at the pitches
• Create a more attractive entrance that invites more visitors to use the park.
• Reduce the perception of neglect, encouraging a sense of pride and ownership amongst residents.
• Enhance the overall beauty of the space.
• Improve natural light for adjacent homes.
• Reduce risks from falling branches and mitigates concerns about structural damage to properties.
• Resolve long-standing issues for residents, enhancing goodwill toward park management.

Canal Network Connectivity

The Canal and River Trust submitted an expression of interest requesting £394,000 to improve the towpath through the Netherton Tunnel.

Three options were presented to the board:

1. Repairing approximately 1,000 metres of the eastern towpath with centrack or similar material.
2. Resurface approximately 500m of the towpath with concrete, which would have a knock-on beneficial effect on the rest of the tunnel as it would allow for drainage. The Canal and River Trust would then seek further funding to repair the rest of the towpath in future years.
3. Only replace and repair the damaged and missing handrails on the eastern side of the walkway, at an estimated cost of £130,000.

The report included this justification for the work:

The towpath and handrail repairs would plug a missing link and offer a continuous improved towpath running for around 10km between Oldbury town centre and Old Hill station. At the moment the towpath is in poor condition, waterproof footwear is necessary and members of the public are put off from using the tunnel.

The Canal and River Trust also confirmed their intention to resurface 130 metres of towpath at the northern end of the tunnel and 200 metres at the southern end as match funding for the project.

All of the options would improve the connectivity benefits of the towpath improvements that have already taken place thanks to £2.3m of Town Deal funding.

The Canal and River Trust also presented the Board with the results of a survey of 323 local people that was carried out following the recent towpath improvements in Rowley Regis, which found that:

• 50% of current users have increased their frequency of use. 87% report visiting at least weekly compared with 67% before changes.
• Just 38% of towpath users agree that they could have just as easily have gone elsewhere for activities done on towpath. This suggests that for the remaining 62%, the benefits gained from towpath usage would not be easily replaced if it was not available.
• 48% of users state that the activity they do on the towpath is of moderate or vigorous intensity and 51% agree that the activities they did mad them feel out of breath. These levels are sufficient to provide physical health benefits.
• 68% of users are motivated to use the towpath by physical health reasons.
• 75% of users stated that the physical health benefits they feel they get from the towpath have increased since it re-opened.
• 55% of users are motivated to use the towpath by wellbeing reasons, most commonly to find peace and quiet (48%) and/or to relax and unwind (43%).
• 78% of users strongly agreed that they felt cheerful and in good spirits after visiting the towpath and 80% felt calm and relaxed.
• 75% of users and 34% of local residents stated that the wellbeing benefits they feel they get from towpath have increased since it re-opened.
• 38% of users are motivated to use the towpath by the desire to enjoy scenery or wildlife.
• 76% of users strongly agreed that they felt closer to nature after visiting the towpath.
• 55% of users and 24% of local residents stated that the amount they notice nature and wildlife while walking on the towpath has increased since it re-opened.

The Board were asked to consider whether they would prefer to fund one of the options for improving the towpath, or whether they would prefer to explore installing lighting in the tunnel, or fully renovating both towpaths.

The installation of lighting was not included in the Canal and River Trust's proposals:

Installation of lighting does not form part of this proposal as the design and engineering complexities associated with a lighting scheme are not realistic within the timescale. The cost of a lighting installation would also be well in excess of the funds currently available. If there however is interest from the Board we would be very keen to commission a lighting feasibility study.

Rowley Regis Connected

The Board were informed that the Rowley Regis Connected project team had indicated that if required, the remaining Town Deal funding could be utilised to upgrade pedestrian paths as part of the project. Further discussions would need to take place to identify priority routes in need of repair, with Highways confirming costs. One option that was suggested was to repair the pathway from Wrights Lane to Totnal Bridge.

The Board were advised by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to prioritise reallocating the underspend to the existing projects, because new project proposals might not receive approval.