Digbeth rail plans divide access gains from cultural risk

By Daniel Okafor

After six years of construction, Birmingham’s new tram route still has not reached Digbeth, Harry Shaw said. He wrote in response to a 3 November report on clubbers fighting to save the district and Britain’s nightlife. Shaw noted the temporary traffic lights and a promised connection that had not arrived.

Shaw said Digbeth was hard to reach except for National Express coaches. During Covid, people were told the new tramline would simplify access. It remained unfinished after six years of construction and temporary traffic lights. He called for a joined-up approach to urban planning so future decisions did not undo earlier progress.

Martin Price-Phillips, who spends much of his time in Digbeth, offered a broader case for the area. He pointed to new television and film studios, refurbished streets, residential flats, a new tram route and better bus services. Price-Phillips said the investment is making Digbeth more attractive to visit and live in, while access continues to improve.

Price-Phillips described the route as “mothballed until connecting tracks can be laid across HS2’s Curzon Street site.” He said its wholesale street redesigns produced a painful construction period and fueled distrust among businesses.

Price-Phillips said the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance has brought forward early, heavy-handed designs for a project half a century in the making. The proposals would demolish too many buildings, including many that businesses currently lease from Network Rail.

He said owners need certainty about their premises, but the early plans also need enough scope to change; businesses would complain if proposals became too advanced to alter.

Price-Phillips called the rail project transformational for Birmingham and beyond because it would remove capacity constraints at New Street station. It would also restore the cross-city line to a 10-minute frequency. He described that commuter route as one of the busiest outside London.

What did stakeholder engagement expose?

Price-Phillips said Network Rail mismanaged its stakeholder engagement, with some businesses learning about proposals through X. He nevertheless believed the rail agency was now listening.

Price-Phillips wrote that Birmingham City Council set conditions for the scheme that formalised businesses’ concerns. The mayor recently took political oversight of one of the main organisations promoting the hub, he wrote. Price-Phillips called for a pause and fresh designs at the next consultation.

What could Digbeth lose?

Shaw warned that by the time the tram opens, it may only carry passengers past remaining interesting sites demolished to accelerate train-line updates. He said Digbeth’s small units and great nights out face the risk of losing the places that sustain them.

Why does Digbeth matter to Birmingham’s music?

Janette Brown opposed demolishing Digbeth and said it has served as Birmingham’s mecca for many styles of music for about 200 years, with its offerings evolving over time. She cited the Victorian-era London museum music hall and Digbeth civic hall. The latter hosted a flourishing 1960s folk scene and performances by the Cure and the B-52s.

Brown said the Irish centre celebrated 50 years of traditional tunes. A terrace house on Cheapside gave birth to classics such as Girls on Film and Rio, she wrote.

Brown described these places as venues where people enjoyed and created music in an industrial hub next to Birmingham city centre. She said their international successes placed Birmingham on the musical map.

Brown said Digbeth is now enjoying a strong party scene. She expects it to evolve into another kind of culturally driven venue that draws mass celebrations to an area where music remains deeply rooted. In her view, “A transport hub does not fit the remit.”

Can access and culture coexist?

Taken together, the letters set three tests for the revised rail plan. Price-Phillips wants faster cross-city rail and certainty for affected businesses. Brown wants a transport programme that respects a music ecosystem built over generations. Shaw wants the promised tram to arrive without sacrificing the places that made Digbeth worth visiting.

None of the three letters cited a cost estimate, timetable or final list of buildings to be demolished. Their immediate decision point is the fresh design Price-Phillips expects at the next consultation. That consultation will test whether the rail hub can expand capacity around New Street while protecting the venues on which Digbeth’s cultural and business life depend.