Ladywood Unite | In Solidarity with Druids Heath

Ladywood Unite stands in solidarity with Druids Heath. On Thursday 23 October, Birmingham City Council Councillors will vote on proposals to demolish over 1,800 homes and displace people who love their homes and don’t want to leave. The plans will have major negative impact on the provision of social housing and on the local community. The council have consistently ignored and sidelined residents views.

What happens on Thursday is a signal for what will happen in Ladywood. We all deserve better. It does not have to be like this!!!!

TAKE ACTION – JOIN THE EMERGENCY PROTEST. EMAIL MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE IN YOUR LOCAL AREA. WATCH HOW THE PLANNING COMMITTEE VOTES.

EMERGENCY PROTEST

THURSDAY 23 OCT – 10:30AM – COUNCIL HOUSE VICTORIA SQUARE B1 1BB

Protest the planning application for Druids Heath, which has always been a warning for what happens to Ladywood.

MASS DEMOLITION OF AROUND 1,800 HOMES PROPOSED – RESIDENTS WANT TO STAY, BUT NO GUARANTEE THEY CAN

NET LOSS OF AROUND 800 AFFORDABLE HOMES – REMOVING THE KINDS OF HOMES THAT OUR CITY DESPERATELY NEEDS

WATCH HOW THE POLITICIANS VOTE: https://birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1023785

DO YOU HAVE A COUNCILLOR ON THE PLANNING COMMITTEE? EMAIL THEM – ADDRESSES & EMAIL TEMPLATE BELOW

Kingstanding clifton.welch@birmingham.gov.uk

Sheldon colin.f.green@birmingham.gov.uk

Sutton Walmley & Minworth david.barrie@birmingham.gov.uk

Erdington gareth.moore@birmingham.gov.uk

Stockland Green jane.e.jones@birmingham.gov.uk

Nechells lee.marsham@birmingham.gov.uk

Birchfield mahmood.hussain@birmingham.gov.uk

Harborne martin.j.brooks@birmingham.gov.uk

Aston mumtaz.x.hussain@birmingham.gov.uk

Billesley Ward phil.davis@birmingham.gov.uk

Sparkhill rashad.x.mahmood@birmingham.gov.uk

Holyhead rinkal.shergill@birmingham.gov.uk  

Small Heath saqib.x.khan@birmingham.gov.uk

Bordesley & Highgate yvonne.mosquito@birmingham.gov.uk

Castle Vale ray.goodwin@birmingham.gov.uk

The council will vote on Thursday for the demolition of over 1800 homes, of which 1234 affordable and predominantly social rent, in Druids Heath – the proposal will aim to build 3500 houses of which only 400 “affordable housing”, this is a net loss of more than 800 affordable housing in the area.

Below you can send to your councillor if they either sit in the planning committee that will make decision (see list) or if they don’t to put pressure on their respective parties – this vote will determine the directions of development in the city, as also other regenerations including in Ladywood move forward – please feel free to share across other chats, and with friends and colleagues

Dear Councillor [ADD NAME]

I am writing as a constituent and a concerned resident of Birmingham.

I wish to express my concern about the upcoming decision on the Druids Heath regeneration, which will be made next week at the Planning Committee.

The regeneration is likely to have a major negative impact on the provision of social housing and on the local community, as indicated in the reports to committee and in the independent report by Plowman Craven submitted with the planning application.

The proposal involves demolishing 1,818 homes, of which 1,234 affordable, predominantly social rent. While the construction of approximately 3,500 new homes will technically increase the city’s housing stock, it offers no guarantees against displacement or the worsening of housing conditions.

At present, Birmingham City Council has committed to delivering only 400 “affordable” homes — which represents a net loss of 834 affordable houses.

I recognise that existing housing conditions need improvement — there are currently 250 vacant properties on the estate, and only 16% of the council stock meets the decency standard — but the current proposal, as outlined in the planning application, risks the permanent relocation of the existing community, exacerbating hardship in an area that has long been marginalised. The proposed mitigations focus primarily on the built environment rather than on the community that currently lives there.

While many residents agree that improvement is necessary, it should not come at the cost of displacement and further marginalisation.

The consultation carried out by BCC and its partners has also failed to address key concerns expressed by residents, particularly around affordability and displacement. The documents produced by BCC — including the Residents’ Charter and the You Said, We Did report — do not provide sufficient evidence that residents’ feedback was conscientiously considered in the development of the masterplan. For example, the You Said, We Did document states that BCC contacted approximately 1,570 affected households but does not specify how many people actually participated in the consultation. Residents’ responses are presented mostly as percentages, which appear to be derived from surveys rather than from the variety of engagement methods that BCC claimed to have undertaken over recent months.

As Birmingham City Council is itself the applicant for the Druids Heath regeneration, this provides an opportunity for councillors to engage in a genuine discussion about the merits of the proposal in its current form, and to reject it should it fail to demonstrate clear social value for the existing community.

We are now at a watershed moment that will shape the future of the Druids Heath community — and possibly the city as a whole, as other regeneration projects move forward. As a resident, I remain deeply concerned about the direction of urban development in our beloved city.

Sincerely, 

[Your name]