60-573: Ashmore Park is a large housing estate in Wednesfield , England. It has been part of the city of Wolverhampton , West Midlands since 1966, when the majority of Wednesfield was incorporated into Wolverhampton. It forms part of the Wednesfield North ward of the City of Wolverhampton council . The estate consists predominantly of council-built houses , flats and bungalows from the 1950s. Ashmore Park
120-564: A panel building constructed of pre-fabricated, pre-stressed concrete , such as those extant in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and elsewhere in the world. Large housing estates of concrete panel buildings (paneláks) now dominate the streets of Prague , Bratislava and other towns. The largest housing estate in Central Europe and Slovakia can be found in Petržalka (population about 130,000),
180-789: A cluster of high-rise buildings, often with its own shopping centre or market in the case of larger developments. Mei Foo Sun Chuen , built by Mobil , is the earliest (1965) and largest (99 blocks) example of its kind. Since the mid-1990s, private developers have been incorporating leisure facilities including clubhouse facilities, namely swimming pools, tennis courts and function rooms in their more up-market developments. The most recent examples would also have cinemas, dance studios, cigar-rooms. Uniform high-rise developments may form 'wall effect ( Chinese : 屏風效應 )', adversely affecting air circulation, causing some controversy. In-fill developments will tend to be done by smaller developers with less capital. These will be smaller in scale, and less prone to
240-466: A co-ordinating role, tendering bus services and funding concessionary fares and infrastructure such as bus stations. West Midlands Travel faced its first major deregulation challenge in March 1987 when London Regional Transport (LRT) pulled out of its 'London Liner' London to Birmingham express coach service. Operated jointly by both LRT's London Coaches subsidiary and WMT's Central Coachways subsidiary using
300-521: A fleet of MCW Metroliner coaches, following London Coaches' withdrawal, Central Coachways continued to run the service as its sole operator from the end of March. The company invested in a heavy rebranding campaign in 1988 that saw the introduction of a new silver, blue and red livery to the bus fleet, new uniforms, and the purchase of 150 new MCW Metrobus double-decker buses . After 18 months of deregulation, WMT announced in October 1988 that it had made
360-575: A fleet of over 1,600 buses and coaches from eight garages in Acocks Green , Birmingham Central ( Digbeth ), Perry Barr , Yardley Wood , Pensnett , Walsall , West Bromwich and Wolverhampton . Perry Barr is the newest location, having opened in December 2022. The site, housing infrastructure for charging a fleet of electric buses and a bus driving simulator as well as featuring 150 solar panels, environmentally-friendly heating systems and water recycling for
420-523: A grey and red colour scheme; some buses are given special colour schemes for select services such as the 8/X8, 9, 16, 50 and 82/87. Drivers on Platinum services are issued with suit-style uniforms. Deliveries of the first Platinum buses began in 2015, with 58 Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs from a larger order of 171 buses delivered with Platinum branding. These were initially deployed on services 900 and 957, since renumbered X1 and X2, before being rolled out onto services 934, 935, 936, 997 and X51 later in
480-691: A low-floor Spectra, managed to bring their bus out into service a few hours ahead of TWM, making them the first low-floor double-decker operators in the United Kingdom. 20 more Spectras would later be delivered to TWM to upgrade West Midlands bus route 50 during 1998. Alternatively-fuelled buses were first introduced to the Travel West Midlands fleet in 1997, with 14 Alexander Ultra bodied Volvo B10Ls fuelled by compressed natural gas being launched on route 529, serving Walsall and Wolverhampton via Willenhall . These Ultras were supplied as part of
540-514: A means of producing public housing leading to monotenure estates full of council houses often known as "council estates". The latter can refer to higher end tract housing for the middle class and even upper middle class . The problems incurred by the early attempts at high density tower-block housing turned people away from this style of living. The resulting demand for land has seen many towns and cities increase in size for relatively moderate increases in population. This has been largely at
600-561: A part of the Slovak capital of Bratislava. In Britain and Ireland , housing estates have become prevalent since the Second World War , as a more affluent population demanded larger and more widely spaced houses coupled with the increase of car usage for which terraced streets were unsuitable. Housing estates were produced by either local authorities (more recently, housing associations ) or by private developers. The former tended to be
660-904: A partnership supported by the Energy Saving Trust between TWM, Volvo Bus and British Gas , the latter of whom constructed CNG refuelling points at Walsall garage for the buses. In February 2020, National Express announced its intention to operate a completely zero-emission bus fleet by 2030, pledging it would not buy another diesel-powered bus and only purchase zero-emissions vehicles for its West Midlands, Coventry and Dundee operations from 2020 onwards. The company's first nine BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery electric buses began operation on 5 July 2020, with 20 hydrogen fuel cell -powered Wright StreetDeck Hydroliner buses following in late 2021. By 2024, over 200 BYD Enviro400EVs had been ordered for delivery to National Express West Midlands. Further hydrogen-powered buses are set to enter
SECTION 10
#1733086206649720-424: A profit of over £217 million (equivalent to £736,983,000 in 2023), retained 97% of its pre-deregulation bus network and had recorded a 5% drop in passengers compared to before deregulation; the latter, however, would increase to a drop of 10% by 1989, resulting in fare rises and cutbacks in its bus network. Despite pressure from the central government, including both a threat to be split under Section 61 of
780-409: A secondary school, Coppice Performing Arts School , serves the estate, with three primary schools: Oak Meadow Primary School, Corpus Christi Catholic School, and St. Alban's Primary School. At the heart of the estate is a large green park consisting of a children's play area and several sports facilities, including a skate park, multi-sports pitch, BMX track, and bowling green. The park is also home to
840-497: A total of over 230 people below and above ground. Ordnance Survey mapping shows the colliery linked by a mineral tramway to a basin on the Wyrley and Essington Canal . The land was owned by the Duke of Cleveland . A reminder of the area's mining history arose in 2019 when melting snow revealed a shaft near a children's playground. The Coal Authority carried out work to seal the shaft and compact
900-462: A tract of land by one builder and controlled by one management." In the United Kingdom , the term is quite broad and can include anything from high-rise government-subsidised housing right through to more upmarket, developer-led suburban tract housing . Such estates are usually designed to minimise through-traffic flows and provide recreational space in the form of parks and greens. The use of
960-777: Is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States and the United Kingdom , they often consist of single family detached , semi-detached ("duplex") or terraced homes, with separate ownership of each dwelling unit . Building density depends on local planning norms. In major Asian cities, such as Hong Kong , Kuala Lumpur , Shanghai , Shenzhen , Singapore , Seoul , Taipei , and Tokyo , an estate may range from detached houses to high-density tower blocks with or without commercial facilities; in Europe and America, these may take
1020-593: The Metro's Line One extension as 'Metro's Little Sister'. Following the awarding of the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Birmingham in 2016, it was announced that the Sprint network would expand with theee cross-city bus routes linking Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Walsall with Birmingham City Centre. These services are to be operated by National Express West Midlands; it was originally envisaged that this route would be operated by 24 Van Hool ExquiCity articulated buses in time for
1080-412: The communist era because the construction of large housing estates was an important part of building plans in communist countries in Europe. They can be located in suburban and urban areas . Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance. A housing development is "often erected on
1140-574: The Commonwealth Games, however it was later announced in 2019 that construction of infrastructure related to the Sprint articulated buses would be delayed until after the Commonwealth Games. Phase 1 of the Sprint network was completed in May 2022, with bus lanes and priority junctions being introduced on commuter corridors on the A34 and A45 roads . As of June 2024, National Express West Midlands operates
1200-978: The Mobico Group's bus operations. Launched in 2014 using a converted Mercedes-Benz O405N single-deck bus, this scheme was upgraded in 2024 with the conversion of an Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC for use as the group Health Bus; featuring two in-built consultation rooms and a waiting room, the bus is operated by a health coach and a health coordinator, providing physical health checks to employees for their body mass index , body and fat, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose levels. NXWM previously operated five travel shops located in Dudley , Coventry Pool Meadow bus station , West Bromwich bus station , Birmingham, Corporation Street and Walsall bus station . All offices sold all types of Travelcards, National Express coach tickets and assist customers with information and route planning. The travel shop at Wolverhampton bus station
1260-499: The NXWM fleet following funding from the Department for Transport . A total of 124 hydrogen buses are due to enter service by 2024, which will give Birmingham the largest hydrogen bus fleet in Europe. National Express West Midlands are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Mobico Group's 'Health Bus', an employee benefit scheme free to use for all employees that travels across
SECTION 20
#17330862066491320-729: The National Express Group in April. In September 1996, WMT was rebranded to Travel West Midlands . This was followed in November 1997 with the sale of TWM's Central Coachways arm to the Flights Travel Group. In November 2002, Travel West Midlands' Coventry services were separated from the main TWM operation and rebranded to Travel Coventry . In February 2008, as part of a rebranding of all National Express subsidiaries, Travel West Midlands
1380-557: The Platinum Fleet is no longer providing free Wi-Fi. The reasoning for this is that despite pulling in an average of 600,000 passengers daily, only 1% (~6000 a day) used the Wi-Fi provided. The Sprint cross-city bus rapid transit service was first announced in July 2014, initially taking the form of a single service linking Birmingham city centre and Quinton via Hagley Road , connecting with
1440-516: The Platinum brand. The Platinum range of buses is a premium brand which offers passengers extra legroom, high backed seats, next stop announcements (on supported services), free Wi-Fi and USB charging on a select series of routes in the West Midlands. The Platinum brand uses Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMCs , Alexander Dennis Enviro400EVs and Wright StreetDeck Hydroliners , which are usually painted in
1500-718: The Transport Act 1985 to force its sale and government funding for the Midland Metro tram project being lost if the company was not sold, West Midlands Travel remained in public ownership under the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority. Plans for a management buyout through an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP) were first submitted to the WMPTA in June 1989 by WMT's management and employees in response to
1560-817: The United States include tract housing , apartment complexes , and public housing . National Express West Midlands National Express West Midlands (NXWM) is bus operator in the West Midlands of England. It is a subsidiary of Mobico Group (formerly National Express Group) and is the largest bus operator in the region, as well as one of the single largest in Britain. NXWM operates services in Birmingham , Dudley , Sandwell , Walsall , Wolverhampton and Solihull , as well as express services from Birmingham to areas such as Cofton Hackett , Bromsgrove , and formerly to
1620-495: The Wednesfield Aces and Wednesfield Dragons cycle speedway teams. The park was built on top of a slag heap left over from mining activity in the area. There are two main shopping areas, known locally as the "top" and "bottom" shops due to their geographic location. The "bottom shop" precinct houses a mix of local and independent businesses and underwent an extensive facelift during the early 2000s that included work to preserve
1680-575: The ages of 60 and 74. The neighbourhood is not ethnically diverse, with 97.4% of its residents classified as Caucasian; the largest ethnic minority group is Black Caribbean, representing just 0.9% of the population. 54.5% of the 2,968 households in the neighbourhood were owner-occupied, while 39.4% of homes were council houses. Ashmore Park had an unemployment rate of 7.1%, ranking above the Wolverhampton average of 5.3%. Of those identified as economically inactive, 24.4% were retired. And of all households in
1740-437: The car park with the public house, whilst the bookmakers previously there moved to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct. [1] [2] The nearest train stations to Ashmore Park are Bloxwich North, Bloxwich, and Wolverhampton. Several bus services serve Ashmore Park, including the 57, 59, and 69 lines. The 59 bus, which is operated by National Express West Midlands , runs the most frequent service. It provides regular access to
1800-586: The city of Coventry (now operated by National Express Coventry ). In August 1986, prior to the deregulation of bus services , West Midlands Travel (WMT) was formed out the bus operations of the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive . The PTE ceased to be a bus operator as a result of the Transport Act 1985 , but both the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority and successor organisation Transport for West Midlands retain
1860-800: The corresponding name of the depot the bus was based from, forming combinations such as WM Buses Acocks Green, amid moves by senior management to use the West Midlands Travel name as a holding company ahead of a possible floatation of WMT on the London Stock Exchange . In March 1995, the National Express Group purchased West Midlands Travel from employee ownership for £85 million (equivalent to £592,467,000 in 2023), with over 5,000 employee shareholders of WMT receiving windfall gains averaging £30,000 (equivalent to £73,000 in 2023). Operations were subsequently merged into
Ashmore Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-511: The day (Monday-Saturday) and hourly during the day on Sunday. Similar to the 69 bus the 57 bus service, operated by Diamond West Midlands (Rotala), serves the lower zone of the estate. It runs from Wolverhampton to Bilston via Heath Town, Park Village, Wednesfield , Wood End, Lyndale Park, and Willenhall. Hourly service operates during the daytime, Monday-Saturday. Housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex , housing development , subdivision or community )
1980-665: The delivery of 72 more Enviro400 MMCs, some of which would be delivered to National Express Coventry for the city's first Platinum services, and the West Midlands buses operating on routes connecting Stourbridge , Druids Heath and Chelmsley Wood with central Birmingham. National Express West Midlands' first zero-emissions Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV buses were built to Platinum specification, and entered service in July 2020 on route 6 from Birmingham to Solihull via Shirley . The fuel cell electric Wright StreetDeck Hydroliner FCEVs that followed entered service on route 51 from Birmingham to Walsall via Perry Barr. As of January 2024,
2040-440: The different housing types will have their distinctive characteristics, density ranges, number of units, and floors. Due to dense population and government control of land use, Hong Kong 's most common residential housing form is the highrise housing estate, which may be publicly owned, privately owned, or semi-private. Due to the real-estate developers oligopoly (sometimes called real estate hegemony, Chinese : 地產霸權 ) in
2100-523: The estate from Wolverhampton via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital and Wednesfield roughly every six minutes during the day (Monday-Saturday) and every 12 minutes in the evenings, on Sundays, and bank holidays. The 69 bus, also operated by National Express West Midlands , provides service to the lower zone of the estate between Wolverhampton and Walsall via Heath Town, New Cross Hospital, Wood End, Coppice Farm, New Invention, Beechdale, and Reedswood Retail Park. This service operates every 30 minutes during
2160-417: The estate: The True Briton, The Ashmore Inn and Corpus Christi Social Club. In 2014 more than 350 members of the local community signed a petition to save The Ashmore Inn public house from being closed and turned into a retail store. The petition succeeded in having The Ashmore Inn listed as an Asset of Community Value. In 2016 a Coop Food convenience store and Tanning Salon were opened on adjacent land sharing
2220-412: The estates. They may vary in scale, and are usually located in the remote or less accessible parts of the territory, but urban expansion has put some of them in the heart of the urban area. Although some units are destined exclusively for rental, some of the flats within each development are earmarked for sale at prices that are lower than for private developments. Private housing estates usually feature
2280-525: The examiners. West Midlands Travel also made a number of acquisitions during its employee ownership. In 1990, WMT partly owned minibus operator Merry Hill Motors, and that same year, WMT purchased a fleet of new Alexander bodied Scania N113 double-decker buses to compete with Your Bus of Alcester ; Your Bus would later be acquired by WMT in 1993. Retained as subsidiary companies of WMT, these operators were later rebranded to Travel Merry Hill and Travel Your Bus respectively before being absorbed into
2340-471: The expense of rural and greenfield land . Recently, there has been some effort to address this problem by banning the development of out-of-town commercial developments and encouraging the reuse of brownfield or previously developed sites for residential building. Nevertheless, the demand for housing continues to rise, and in the UK at least has precipitated a significant housing crisis. Forms of housing estates in
2400-641: The filling material. 1,500 homes were initially planned for Ashmore Park by Wednesfield Urban District Council in 1954 as part of Staffordshire County Council's overspill housing scheme for Wolverhampton. The first house was opened on 16 June 1955 by the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council, Alderman A G B Owen and it was reported that 6,500 people would be housed in 1,750 homes. A shopping precinct and dwellings were opened by Cannock constituency MP Jennie Lee in September 1958. The Dean of Wolverhampton probably used
2460-490: The form of town housing, high-rise housing projects, or the older-style rows of terraced houses associated with the Industrial Revolution , detached or semi-detached houses with small plots of land around them forming gardens, and are frequently without commercial facilities and such. In Central and Eastern Europe , living in housing estates is a common way of living. Most of these housing estates originated during
Ashmore Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-401: The historic moat site. In 2014 a revamped community centre opened called The Hub at Ashmore Park with many facilities for the local community to use. The library which was located next to the "bottom shops" shopping precinct was closed and merged into the hub, whilst many other libraries were closed or had reduced opening hours in Wolverhampton. There are two public houses and a social club on
2580-438: The homestead in his role as Dean (landlord) of Ashmore Park. The original farmhouse was removed when a new one was built in the early 19th century. In 1957 authorities demolished that farmhouse and built a library near its site. According to the 2001 United Kingdom census , Ashmore Park had a total population of 6,734. Of these, 27.6% of its residents were between the ages of 25 and 44 years old, while 24.3% reported being between
2640-564: The introduction of bus franchising and further hydrogen buses on the NXWM network. Previously garages in Stourbridge , Dudley , Merry Hill (part of Travel Merry Hill), Harts Hill, Sutton Coldfield , Hockley , Cotteridge , Selly Oak , Wolverhampton (Cleveland Road), Washwood Heath and Quinton have been operated. The Dudley garage closed on 28 August 1993 to make way for the Dudley Southern By-Pass (which opened in 1999) and
2700-491: The main Travel West Midlands operation by 2001. A further competitor purchased by WMT in August 1993 was Metrowest Omnibus of Dudley, which was also retained as a separate subsidiary of WMT after founding director Keith Danks left the company a month prior. In April 1994, West Midlands Travel made its first out-of-area acquisition by purchasing former London Buses subsidiary Westlink from its employee owners, followed in October by
2760-552: The neighbourhood, only 11.1% were not considered deprived at all, while 7.2% were overcrowded. Christianity is the area's predominant religion, with 81.6% of the population identifying as Christian. 9.4% of residents reported that they did not have a religious affinity. The estate was served by Ashmore Park County Primary School and Danesfield Primary School. The two merged in 1983 to form Danesmore Primary, but this closed in February 1993. Both schools have since been demolished. Today
2820-525: The original WMT headquarters located in a building on Summer Lane, Birmingham that was shared with Centro . Bordesley Green garage closed in 2022 following the sale of the land in and around the depot for redevelopment, resulting in the head office relocating to the National Express Group headquarters in Digbeth, and Walsall bus garage was sold to the West Midlands Combined Authority ahead of
2880-677: The prosperous face of Pakistan. Gated communities in Pakistan are targeted towards upper middle class and upper class, and are mostly immune from problems of law enforcement. Forms of housing estates may vary in the Czech Republic and Slovakia . During the communist era of Czechoslovakia , a construction of large housing estates ( Czech : sídliště , Slovak : sídlisko ) was an important part of building plans. The government wanted to provide large quantities of fast and affordable housing and to slash costs by employing uniform designs over
2940-644: The purchase two Essex-based companies from the Lynton Group: County Bus & Coach , a bus operator formed from the split of London Country North East that consisted of over 240 vehicles, as well as Sampson Coaches. Westlink was sold by WMT to fellow former London Buses subsidiary London United a year later, while County Bus & Coach was later sold to the Cowie Group . West Midlands Travel underwent another rebrand during 1994. Buses had their West Midlands Travel fleetnames replaced with "WM Buses" and
3000-603: The splitting threat, which were approved by the PTA and submitted to Minister of State for Transport Michael Portillo in early 1990; after a competing bid by Stagecoach Group owner Brian Souter to buy WMT for £85 million (equivalent to £230,493,000 in 2023) was rejected by ths PTA, the ESOP offer was finally approved in December 1991, with WMT sold to its management and employees for £70 million (equivalent to £189,818,000 in 2023). In November 1992, West Midlands Travel
3060-439: The term may have arisen from an area of housing being built on what had been a country estate as towns and cities expanded in and after the 19th century. It was in use by 1901. Reduction of the phrase to mere "estate" is common in the United Kingdom and Ireland (especially when preceded by the specific estate name), but not in the United States. There are several different housing types utilized by housing developers. Each of
SECTION 50
#17330862066493120-416: The territory, and the economies of scale of mass developments, there is the tendency of new private tower block developments with 10 to over 100 towers, ranging from 30 to 70 stories high. Public housing provides affordable homes for those on low incomes, with rents which are heavily subsidised , financed by financial activities such as rents and charges collected from car parks and shops within or near
3180-531: The three bus washes on site, replaces the 90-year-old original Perry Bar garage, which was deemed unsuitable for modernisation and housing charging infrastructure. Prior to the construction of the new Perry Barr garage, Bordesley Green garage was the newest location, having opened in 2005. Bordesley Green was also the headquarters for National Express West Midlands, which replaced a freehold office site in St Paul's Square that WMT moved to in 1994; this office replaced
3240-676: The wall effect. Given the security situation and power shortages in South Asia, 'gated communities' with self-generated energy and modern amenities (24-hour armed security, schools, hospitals, a fire department, retail shopping, restaurants and entertainment centres ) such as Bahria Town and DHA have been developed in all major Pakistani cities. Bahria Town is the largest private housing society in Asia . Bahria has been featured by international magazines and news agencies such as GlobalPost , Newsweek , Los Angeles Times and Emirates 24/7 , referred to as
3300-504: The whole country. They also sought to foster a "collectivist nature" in people. People living in these housing estates can either usually own their apartments or rent them, usually through a private landlord. There's usually a mix of social classes in these housing estates. Most buildings in Czech and Slovak housing estates are so called " paneláks ", a colloquial term in Czech and Slovak for
3360-531: The year. The Platinum brand would be extended out into the Black Country in 2016 with the delivery of a further 96 Platinum Enviro400 MMCs resulting in Platinum buses being cascaded from Birmingham Central garage to Pensnett for the Merry Hill to Birmingham X10 service, and then would expand to Harborne in December 2017 with the delivery of 38 new buses. The Platinum brand would further expand again in 2018 with
3420-478: Was initially one of the wooded estates Lady Wulfruna transferred to St. Peter's Fold to allow the park to generate income and food. A moat-surrounded farmhouse was built here sometime during the mid-14th century. Three-quarters of the moat still exists today in the "bottom shops" precinct. A plaque placed by Wolverhampton Civic Society and Ashmore Park Community Association on The Hub Community Centre states Ashmore Park Colliery operated from 1875 to 1948 and employed
3480-588: Was ordered to have its entire fleet of over 1,800 buses given MOT tests by July 1993 after 108 fleet vehicles were found by the Vehicle Inspectorate to be poorly maintained, with faults including faulty brakes, broken lights and bell pushes, oil leaks, and damaged passenger seating. In an examination of 343 WMT fleet vehicles, inspectors immediately prohibited 66 from running services and marked 42 as being in need of repair; twelve WMT buses found to have faults so serious that they were classified as "neglected" by
3540-496: Was renamed National Express West Midlands, with the adopted red and white livery being the sixth livery to be used by the company. The Travel Coventry operation was also rebranded as National Express Coventry . National Express West Midlands aimed for their whole fleet to be low floor by March 2010, a goal that was achieved in July of that year with the withdrawal of the final MCW Metrobuses in public service at Acocks Green garage. In 2015, National Express West Midlands launched
3600-466: Was replaced, along with the former Travel Merry Hill depot, by a depot at Pensnett . In July 2010, Lea Hall depot closed. On 4 February 1998, Travel West Midlands were poised to become the first bus operator in the United Kingdom to operate a double-decker low-floor bus in service, with Birmingham Central garage having taken delivery of one of two Optare Spectra bodied DAF DB250LFs in October 1997. However, Abus of Bristol , who had also bought
#648351