Longbridge

Longbridge

Longbridge Technology Park – Innovation Centre (March 2010)
Longbridge
Longbridge shown within the West Midlands
Population 25,410 (2011 Ward)[1]
• Density 36.2 per ha
OS grid reference SP015775
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BIRMINGHAM
Postcode district B31
Dialling code 0121
Police West Midlands
Fire West Midlands
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
UK Parliament

Longbridge is an area of south-west Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield Kings Norton.

Situation

Longbridge is surrounded by Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Rubery, Rednal, Bromsgrove, Northfield, Kings Heath and Kings Norton. Longbridge is in close proximity to and can be viewed from the Lickey Hills.

Longbridge plant

Main article: Longbridge plant

Since 1906, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars. The factory became dormant, and some parts of the older sections of the site were demolished after MG Rover fell into administration in April 2005. The plant was one of the main employers of the local population and the resultant layoffs caused local decline. The company, renamed MG Motor (owned by MG Rover's would-be partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) resumed full MG TF sports car production within a small portion of the factory in August 2008 and in late 2010 started final assembly of the MG6. The remaining disused sections of the factory were demolished on 4 August 2006.

Regeneration

The demolition of the Longbridge plant left behind a large amount of disused brownfield land. The site was bought by regeneration firm St. Modwen Properties. A shopping complex was constructed along with many new homes and a retirement complex. Concerns that the area's history would be completely erased were met with the addition of plaques set into the concrete walkway running parallel to the River Rea that give a brief history of the Longbridge Plant and its operators; principally, the Austin Motor Company.

Politics

Richard Burden (Labour) is Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield and as part of the Ward of Longbridge And West Heath, Longbridge is represented on Birmingham City Council by Debbie Clancy (Conservative Party (UK)) and Brett O'Reilly (Labour Party (UK)) who was very narrowly elected in the 2018 Birmingham City Council election.

Population

The 2001 Population Census recorded that there were 30,964 people living in Longbridge with a population density of 3,789 people per km² compared with 3,649 people per km² for Birmingham. Longbridge has a small ethnic minority population: only 6.8% (2,117) of the ward's population consists of ethnic minorities, unlike more centralised areas such as Aston, Handsworth and Small Heath.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Birmingham Ward population 2011". Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  • "The Great Park development".
  • "Councillors Advice Bureaux - Longbridge Ward".
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