Swan Shopping Centre

The Swan Shopping Centre is the local shopping centre for South Yardley in Birmingham, England.

With its landmark high rise building it stands on the A45 Coventry Road at its intersection with the A4040 Outer Ring Road (also the Birmingham Outer Circle Number 11 bus route), known as Swan Island. It consists of a predominantly 1960s structure after the previous shopping centre was burned down. The previous shopping centre stood on the site of "The Swan Inn" which also was burned down. The Swan Inn was situated in a location in which it received a successful trade as many coaches and trade wagons passed it as they travelled from the southeast of the country into Birmingham. In 1731, Nicholas Rothwell of Warwick established a coach business which transported people from the inn to London via Warwick, Aylesbury and Banbury. At present, numerous coach companies use the shopping centre as a stop.

The Swan Inn also became a popular venue for public displays including James Brindley who outlined the results of a survey he had undertaken for the cutting of a navigable canal between Birmingham and the Black Country coalfields.

The current shopping centre was constructed with Bakeman House, a block of flats, above which currently houses mainly elderly tenants. The council has started to re-clad the external frontages of the flats, spending £3milion, and is installing new double glazing. The tenants have been told the works will take up to nine months. Scaffolding has been erected and clad with plastic. The majority of the building is of a concrete exterior however the entrance block at the multi-storey car park is clad in corrugated steel painted a dark orange.

At Christmas, lights are placed around the building.

There are proposals for the centre to be redeveloped into a modern structure whilst retaining the tower block above. There will also be a petrol station located on the structure and the main road, Church Road, will be widened into a dual carriageway. The site opposite the shopping centre will be occupied by a Tesco supermarket; however for Tesco to receive planning permission, they must pay an allocated sum of money towards the development of the Swan. There will be a new indoor market constructed. A construction date has not been set.

The shopping centre formerly had over 80 shops and businesses, however this has been reduced to seven shops. One shop is to relocate to Acocks Green in the near future.

In May 2008, the local Yardley Forum were told by Tesco's agents GVA Grimleys representatives it was expected that the commencement date for the new centre would be 2010. Though dates have been given and passed by it would seem there are no statutory problems to be overcome now. There may still be completion of two compulsory purchases but the main problem is being caused by the refurbishment of Bakeman House. Roadworks are not expected to be started until December 2008 when Bakeman House refurbishment is expected to be completed.

External links

* [http://80.86.36.120/vault/XDDocStore_5/0178470_FINAL.Church%20Road.Swan%20Centre.C0292306FUL.pdf Planning application for redevelopment (pdf)]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.asp?sheetid=8831&ox=1749&oy=902&zm=1&czm=1&x=186&y=459 1890 Ordnance Survey map of the Swan area] - Swan Inn can clearly be seen on the map.

The latest Birmingham City Council web page for the Yardley area gives an opening date for the Tesco store as Nov 2010. The works to Bakeman Hose, the flats, look well on the way to completion but as yet no work has been undertaken on the proposed roadworks by Tesco. The area involved has in the park been fenced off by a flimsy wire and stake fence to show the bit now owned by Tesco. As at 18/09/08.