Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG) 54-57 Allison Street Digbeth B5 5TH Tel: 0121 678 8851 Email: esag@bvsc.org

Want to get involved in Eastside?

Digbeth and Deritend have gone through many reincarnations. All sorts of people from all walks of life have been involved here one way or another.

Because this has been a cheap area to rent space, it has given rise to some of the more interesting but lesser known activities of Birmingham: countless small businesses - manufacturers, media, architects, distribution, food wholesale and many more - artists' workshops and collectives; a community building run by the local Friends of the Earth group, a well-known piano business, a Polish Community Centre, a car breaking yard with a roof garden - and many unique and independent pubs, shops and cafes.

It is now going through a huge regeneration process led by Birmingham City Council, and many new developments are slowly emerging. Click here for the official Eastside website to learn more.

The Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG) has set up a project to get people involved in the Eastside regeneration. We feel that regeneration should be people-centred and should involve ALL stakeholders in an area.

If you live, work, socialise, study or otherwise get involved in what happens here; whether you love it, hate it or somewhere in between, you have the opportunity and the right to be involved in what happens here.

"Community involvement in planning should not be a reactive, tick-box, process. It should enable the local community to say what sort of place they want to live in at a stage when this can make a difference. Effective community involvement requires an approach which… enables communities to put forward ideas and suggestions and participate in developing proposals and options. It is not sufficient to invite them to simply comment once these have been worked-up."
- Community Involvement in Planning: The Government's Objectives

Digbeth is not smart, it's not prestigious, and it has its faults, but it has its own worth and its own character.

Much of Digbeth's traditional economic activity is locally based, which means that the money generated often remains circulating locally amongst local employees, suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. Digbeth's seemingly insignificant economic activity therefore has much more of an impact on the city's wealth, character and wellbeing than many people think.

What would you like to see in Eastside?

What should development be like?

What sorts of jobs, houses, facilities and businesses should be available here?

Should Eastside be like Brindley Place, Barcelona, or Digbeth?

What are your connections with Digbeth and Deritend?

What do you like about it?

What don't you like about it?

Do you want to get involved?

Tell us what you think….

To get more involved:

1. Get in touch with the Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group, who although mainly volunteers can help with the forming of a residents' and workers' group for Eastside and with useful information

2. Get in touch with the City Council's Eastside Team directly to find out what the plans are for the area

3. See the Participation chapter of ESAG's Eastside Sustainability Vision for more on how local participation should work.

Telephone: 0121 678 8834
Email: esag@bvsc.org
Post: Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group, The Warehouse, Allison Street, Digbeth, B5 5TH

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(C) 2006 Eastside Sustainability Advisory Group (ESAG)
Last updated: 28th April 2006