Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Plans to build two blocks of apartments have been branded a "serious threat" to Birmingham’s Gay Village.

Image source, Claridge Architects

The scheme, for a six to 14-storey complex across a pair of L-shaped buildings on the car park at Pershore Street and Skinner Lane, failed to gain planning consent from Birmingham City Council on Thursday.

The authority’s planning committee deferred a decision on the application to further analyse the possible impact of noise on nearby nightclubs on the new residents.

The major concern is that the future occupants would inevitably complain about the level of noise from venues such as The Village Inn and the Nightingale Club, prompting fears it would lead the council to impose measures that appease residents.

A man is due in court charged with murder after a van driver was killed in a crash with a car.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Daniel Blount, 31, was fatally injured in the crash on Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, on 25 April.

Andre Thomas, 25, of Cradley Croft, Handsworth, is charged with murder and is also accused of wounding two other men with intent.

He is due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court today.

About 40 firefighters tackle a fire in West Bromwich, which has damaged more than half the building.

A teenager has been selected to represent Great Britain as a marathon-swimmer in this Summer’s European Championships in Glasgow.

Hector Pardoe, who trains with the Ellesmere College Titans elite programme, originally took up swimming competitively as a member of Whitchurch Wasps Swimming Club at the age of six.

Image source, Ellesmere College

The 17-year-old was a silver medallist at this year’s Great North Swim in Lake Windermere.

The eight-strong team, which includes Jazz Carlin, will be taking to the open water at Loch Lomond in August.

BBC Radio 5 live

The chief executive of Citroen has called for "clarity" in the Brexit process.

Linda Jackson started her career at Jaguar in Coventry 40 years ago, and has just been named as the most influential British woman in the car industry by Autocar magazine.

Image source, Getty Images

What does she make of the Brexit process so far?

"We still need clarity, it is not totally certain to us what's going to happen."

On other matters, will the Citroen 2CV ever come back?

"No," she says. It was a great car but "you need to look to the future" she told Five Live's Wake Up to Money.

Robyn Rainbow has opened her house to the public in the hope of encouraging community cohesion

BBC News Travel

Both lanes have now opened on the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent after the earlier crash involving four vehicles.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Emily Lloyd

A new statue of Lord Hill could be incorporated into the multimillion-pound revamp of Shropshire Council’s headquarters.

Image source, Shropshire Council

The leader of the Conservative-run authority Peter Nutting says discussions have already taken place to look at extending the £18m scheme.

Repairs to the 200-year-old statue, which sits on top of a 133ft (40.5m) pillar outside the building, took place in 2013 after stonework started to fall.

At that time a public vote supported replacing the 17ft structure.

Coventry Observer

Some of the main stories on the Coventry Observer website today are:

• Serial burglar stole bank card to buy McDonalds, external
• Man seeking radical treatment for his disease launches urgent fundraising appeal, external
• Coventry City legend Ernie Hunt dies, external

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is heading to court today for permission to evict travellers.

Image source, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

It says it first told the group on Station Walks of its intention to move them, external on Tuesday.

The authority says it's one of several unauthorised camps set up on council-owned land in recent weeks.

A Hereford mechanic is going to attempt a world record this weekend, by running the fastest ever half marathon whilst wearing a blindfold.

Darren Gibbons, who is 34, and his friend and guide Christian Mason need to run faster than two hours at the Swansea Half Marathon on Sunday to break the existing record.

They're raising funds for St Michael's Hospice.

Creditors vote today on whether to accept House of Fraser's plans to close more than half its stores, including six sites across the West Midlands.

Image source, Google

Stores in Birmingham, Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Telford, Worcester and the Beatties store in Wolverhampton are all earmarked for closure.

The department store chain wants to shut 31 of its 59 shops and impose huge rent cuts on 10 others.

The A500 in Stoke-on-Trent is currently blocked after a crash involving several vehicles.

Police say they're at the scene and working to open a lane.

Firefighters are also attempting to free a small dog, which they say is trapped in one of the cars.

We'll bring you more on that as we get it.

BBC Sport

Wasps fly-half Danny Cirpriani says he's excited to make his first start for England in 10 years

He'll face South Africa in the third and final test in Cape Town on Saturday.

The 30-year-old, who's moving to Gloucester next season, said he's tried to move on from earlier disappointment in his career and "become a better person".

West Midlands Police has launched a review of pay and terms and conditions for its civilian staff.

The force, the biggest outside London, says the work its 3,000 staff do has changed over the last 13 years, so now's a good time to look at what they pay people.

Police roles vary from forensics, to support staff, cyber crime investigation, firearms and counter terrorism.

The review is expected to last up to 18 months.

Reusable bags, bottles and containers are the key to success for these buyers in Birmingham.

Coventry Live
Coventry Live

Some of the main stories on the Coventry Live website today:

• Children in council care in Coventry continues to rise, external
• Councillor blames neighbouring cities for black cab and Uber tensions in city, external
• The first of the Coventry 'motor city' jobs are now up for grabs, external

A stranded boat is going to be removed today from a section of the Shropshire Union Canal, which collapsed in March.

Image source, TONY DUNMORE

The incident caused water to drain into the River Wheelock, near Middlewich, and the canal and towpath were closed for repair work.

Now, the Canal and River Trust says the boat at the breach is going to be lifted out so repair work can then begin on the breach.

Centuries from Sean Dickson and Joe Denly help put Kent in control against Warwickshire at Tunbridge Wells.

A former election candidate who praised Hitler on a website blog is expected to be sentenced for stirring up racial hatred.

Barbara Fielding-Morriss, a self-confessed white supremacist and anti-Semite, stood as an independent in Stoke-on-Trent in June's election.

She described Adolf Hitler as a good man and wished Great Britain to be "white only".

She was found guilty of three charges at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, and cleared of one other yesterday.