#365daysofbiking Up the junction:
December 1st – Out without my camera, I crossed Streets Corner junction which is still subject to protracted works for junction improvements. It’s nearing completion, however, and the thing is taking shape now.
Massively delayed by issues with gas mains underneath, resurfacing should take place this week and hopefully it may all be open properly for Christmas.
April 4th – I’d had to call into Aldridge after working late and returned via Streets Corner. I noted that the old wall to the 60s shopping precinct on the corner had gone, and excavations were underway.
This is the preparatory work for the next stage of local junction improvements work which will see this entire junction remodelled with new signals, slip roads and crossings.
Peaceful now in the gathering dusk, but a summer of inconvenience and holdups for motorists seems to be on the cards…
Shire Oak has been massively improved, however, so it’ll be worth it in the end.
September 15th – A bad day in many ways, when not much seemed to go to plan. It wasn’t very bad, just loads of minor irritations – and the weather; occasionally sunny and deceptively warm, but at other times almost painfully chilly, as if winter’s fingers were starting to get their grip on things.
The first tinges of the oncoming cold and dark are always the hardest, and this year they’ve come a lot sooner that I expected – but we have kind of got used to Indian summers in recent years, so perhaps this is a return to normal.
I came back from work in heavy, intemperate traffic having to make a call near Streets Corner, and all the while the skies to the south were showing evil intent.
When I got home, mercifully before the rain came – I realised how glad I was to be back.
Some days, home is the best place to be.
December 30th – I had to go up to Walsall Wood all day. The weather – in complete contrast to the day before – was dreadful. More heavy rains and high winds, as if we haven’t endured enough.
I finally got down to it and called in where I had to after darkness fell. When I arrived, the rain had been soft and drizzly, but when I emerged, it was heavy and harsh once more.
Glistening in electric light, it did at least look beautiful.
May 26th – Around the corner, the new housing development at Streets Corner is looking very nice. Replacing homes that had been derelict for a decade or more, this new build project has been a long time coming, but I like this modern townhouses a lot. I like the materials used, and the pleasant, traditional approach.
So much better than what was here before, and much more aesthetically pleasing than I expected.
October 20th – Oh my goodness this is clever, but I’ve given up trying to think of a way to explain it – it’s just best to take a look yourselves.
The Co-operative store at Streets Corner in Walsall Wood seems very popular, and the new build has been a generally welcome addition to the local amenities. In the same building, there are two other retail units, still to be occupied. They looked blank for a while, then some time ago, so clever person came up with this.
Behind the windows, images of the inside of a store have been arranged at angles and flat on, to look like aisles in a store. Because of the angles, as you move past, they give a remarkable convincing three-dimension effect.
A reader pointed this out to me ages ago and I’ve struggled to find a way to represent it. It’s a really neat optical illusion, and works best at night.
I take my hat off to the designer…
June 5th – I returned via Walsall Wood, and checked out the site of the recently demolished St. John’s School, where building work on a new development has now started and is progressing well.
Further on, on the Brownhills Road opposite Walsall Wood School, the site of the long-derelict terraces finally seems to be seeing some action. The ‘sold’ sign has gone, and someone has been surveying judging from the datum marker on the opposite pavement. Utility marks on the other pavement suggest someone is planning on digging there.
I heard reports earlier in the week that there were people milling around on site with drawings and surveyor’s kit.
Hopefully soon, this long vacant site will see some positive movement.
April 30th – I returned from work late, in the evening, just before dark. I stopped at the Co-op in Walsall Wood for some groceries, and then noticed that the land where the derelict terraces was, opposite Walsall Wood School, has now been sold.
Planning permission was obtained for a new development here a couple of years ago, the eyesore abandoned homes here demolished, and then, surprisingly, the site was put up for sale again.
Hopefully, this might see the end of a long period of dereliction for this site – which would be ideal for housing, it has to be said. I think this could be one to watch in coming weeks.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 