£25m city centre revamp would bring the Floozie back to life

A £25 million revamp of Birmingham city centre's streets and squares, including bringing the famous "Floozie in the Jacuzzi" fountain in Victoria Square back to life, has been proposed ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The plans will be discussed by the city council's cabinet on 29 October.

What is planned

The proposals include renewing 40,000 square metres of public space, repairing and restoring The River fountain in Victoria Square, and extending the pedestrian area around the square. Paving, lighting columns, CCTV and street furniture will be replaced, and security measures will be improved at 19 locations in the city centre.

The work would be carried out in two phases. The first would cover Victoria Square, Colmore Row, Waterloo Street, New Street, Ethel Street, Lower Temple Street and Temple Street. The second would cover areas around Bennetts Hill, Temple Row, High Street, Union Street, Union Passage, Warwick Passage and Needless Alley.

Better security

The programme includes permanent barriers to stop hostile vehicles, as part of a wider safety and security strategy for the city centre. They will be built into the street scene, replacing temporary measures that have been in place for several years.

A world-class welcome

More than a million tickets will be sold for Commonwealth Games events in 2022, and around 447,000 extra visitors are expected in the city during the Games, according to analysis produced for the bid.

Council leader Ian Ward said the city centre already welcomed more than 42 million people a year. "Following the regeneration works around Centenary Square and Paradise, it's now time for us to revitalise the business and retail areas," he said.

"Birmingham 2022 provides us with an opportunity to bring forward these improvements and these exciting plans will ensure we can offer a world-class welcome to all for the Commonwealth Games - and beyond."

How it will be paid for

£5 million has already been secured from the government's Transforming Cities Fund. A further £5 million is being sought from the public realm budget within the £778 million Commonwealth Games investment confirmed earlier this year. Money raised by the city's Clean Air Zone has also been identified as a source of funding.

The Floozie

The River, better known to generations of Brummies as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi, is one of the city's best-loved pieces of public art. The large bronze figure of a woman reclining in a pool of water was installed in Victoria Square in the early 1990s, when the square was redesigned and pedestrianised.

The fountain has not run for some time, and in recent years the pool has been filled with plants rather than water. Many residents will be pleased to hear that the council hopes to see the water flowing again.

The plans come after the reopening of Centenary Square in July and the completion of the first buildings at Paradise, and are designed to spread that improvement into the heart of the shopping and business district.