What have we been told so far?

On 19 June 2023, Cllrs Albert Bore and Kath Hartley wrote to residents stating that St. Joseph was being recommended as a redevelopment partner for the regeneration of central Ladywood.

Like the other communications they sent in 2019, this letter did not explicitly state that they planned to demolish existing homes. Some of the 2019 leaflets discussed refurbishing existing properties and constructing new homes, but there was no mention of demolitions.

The letter from Cllrs Bore and Hartley included the Birmingham City Council logo and the St Joseph logo. We can presume that the councillors were therefore writing to their constituents as representatives of the council and the developer, on the council’s and developer’s behalf.

Although some representatives of Birmingham City Council have made statements both at the initial ward forum meeting and through other channels, as far as we know, the City Council itself has not yet written to local residents and other interested parties (eg workers or private landlords) to let them know the basics of the plan. In particular:

• There is a map showing which phase each street is in. This information was not included in the letters sent to residents; many residents have only discovered their phase by asking their neighbours.
• There is also a general provisional timeline for the development (page 26/section F1 of the full business case). So far, neither the developer nor the council have provided this in writing to residents.
• We have not been told exactly when the next consultation will be (some meetings might be taking place in September), nor what form it will take. Residents turned away from the ward forum meeting on 20 July were told that there would be another meeting on Wednesday 26 July, but this was cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, with the cancellation only being announced via mailing lists and websites that many residents would not regularly check; some residents turned up without knowing that this had been cancelled.
• Although the council and developer gave partial answers to some questions about potential rehousing policies at the meeting on 20 July, many details have not yet been clarified nor confirmed in writing, and, as far as we are aware, no frequently-asked-questions or equivalent documentation has been provided on the council’s website for those excluded from the meeting (please correct us below if this has now changed!). The initial letter pointed residents to the Central Birmingham Framework page, but as of 29 July, this page had not been updated since 25 May, and it does not include any of the more detailed information the council now has.

We don’t yet know how many of our neighbours and other community members remain unaware of the council’s plans for central Ladywood, although the news is still coming as an unpleasant surprise to many.