3 September 2010 Last updated at 10:59 ET

Road closures by Cofton Park for Papal visit revealed

The restrictions around Cofton Park will be in place until the evening of Sunday 19 September

Ten thousand letters have been sent to residents living near a Birmingham park explaining traffic restrictions and road closures for the Papal visit.

The restrictions around Cofton Park - where the Pope will beatify a cardinal - run from 1800 BST on Saturday 18 September until 2000 BST the next day.

Letters have been sent to households within a mile radius of the park.

Birmingham City Council said any disruption was a small price to pay for such a prestigious visit.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a special Mass in the park on 19 September, in which Pope Benedict XVI will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Cardinal Newman, who founded Birmingham Oratory and was known for his work with poor people, died in 1890.

Councillor Alan Rudge, who is overseeing the Papal visit for the city council, said everything was being done to minimise disruption for residents.

He said: "It is an honour for our city that the Vatican has asked that this service to beatify Cardinal Newman takes place in Cofton Park near to where he spent much of his life.

"Measures will only be implemented when necessary - we will relax timings if at all possible.

"Restrictions are for the safety of people attending the event and to discourage people from outside the area travelling by car and causing further disruption to residents."

Admission to the park for the Papal mass will be by permit only

The roads which are subject to closure are immediately around Cofton Park - Lickey Road, Groveley Lane, Lowhill Lane, and parts of Bristol Road and Bristol Road South.

Traffic will be restricted around these roads but people living in these areas will be able to come and go on foot and by vehicle.

However, they are being advised to carry proof of residence such as a utility bill.

Workers going to their place of work have been advised to carry some form of ID such as a payslip or staff badge.

Other roads where residents will need vehicle passes are Knowle Close, Rednal Mill Drive, Toll House Road, Tinmeadow Crescent, Alford Close, St Columbus Drive, Bomers Field, Lickey Road and some addresses facing Groveley Lane.

The Mass is at the end of the Pope's four-day tour of the UK, the first Papal visit to the country since John Paul II's trip in 1982.