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The £10 million revamp of Birmingham’s famous Centenary Square has been put on hold following scathing criticism from city planners.

A network of 43 lighting columns were described as obstructive and overbearing, proposals to alter the Hall of Memory called unnecessary and fears that a fountain feature would end up neglected and broken like the Floozie in Jacuzzi and other council-owned water features.

Planning committee member cllr Gareth Moore (Cons, Erdington) said: “It’s just a few trees, over sized street lights and a paddling pool. That’s all it is for £10.4 million, I’ve seen more interesting dishwater. It seems very cluttered, very claustrophobic.”

Committee members could not understand how the square, with so many large lighting columns, would accommodate large outdoor events, the big wheel, concerts and ice rink, or the large lorries and cranes needed to set them up.

(Image: Graeme Massie Architects)

Cllr Barry Henley (Lab, Brandwood) echoed the view that there was little to gain from the works and that left alone it will feel more like a square once the ‘elegant’ HSBC building work is completed.

“It does strike me as a waste of money and a pointless exercise. We’d be better off employing a block paving contractor to level it out,” he added.

There were also concerns raised about the loss of a historic London Plane tree installed in Broad Street in 1876 and the impact of Metro tram extension work due to take place over the next three years.

Such was the weight of criticism that, in a highly unusual move, planning committee chairman Mike Sharpe (Lab, Tyburn) intervened saying he too has reservations and suggested while joking ‘this will probably get me shot’ that the planning application to be put on hold to allow further discussions with architects and council leadership to see if the design could be improved.

The committee had earlier heard that the contentious proposal to reinstall a set of paving slabs dedicated to Birmingham’s Victoria Cross heroes in a new access ramp to the historic Hall of Memory had been dropped. As a result of this and other amendments to proposals for Birmingham’s premier war memorial heritage watchdog Historic England had withdrawn its objections.

The design was created by Edinburgh-based practice Graeme Massie Architects which won a competition in 2015 to redesign and revamp the popular square in front of the Library of Birmingham.

Talks will now take place before the planning application is brought back to the committee on August 18 for a final decision.

Watch below: Redesign of Centenary Square