Preservation Group
The Inaugural Meeting of Hall Green Preservation Group was held on March 20th at Hall Green Library. Michael Wilkes, Paula Smith and 30 residents attended. In a lively and constructive meeting, many valuable contributions were made. The formation of HGPG was seen as highly desirable after the Planning Committee’s appalling decision that will lead to the loss of Highfield House and its replacement with a dense modern development including flats. Maximum protection should be sought for all remaining buildings of interest in and near Hall Green. In addition to the statutorily listed Sarehole Mill and the Church of the Ascension, these included: The Bulls Head (Stratford Road, around 1840); the Friends Meeting House (Hamlet Road); the late Victorian semis (‘the Hamlets’) in Hamlet Road and Fox Hollies Road; the former farm workers’ cottages in Paradise Lane and Cambrai House.
HGPG activities should extend beyond our ward to cover buildings of importance to the area. Amongst examples nearby buildings were: 264 Wake Green Road, the childhood home of JRR Tolkien; ‘Millmead’ in Wake Green Road (20th century but may have been built using medieval materials); The Chalet (and Tudor barn) in Green Road; the Charles Lane Trust Alms Houses in Fox Hollies Road; the Foster Trust residential bungalows in Gracewell Road. It was noted that a small area includes Tolkien’s house, Millmead, the bungalows, the Chalet and Sarehole Mill making the area of particular value.
The meeting was advised that all pubs and churches in Hall Green had a degree of protection (the extent of this should be clarified) and that buildings earlier than 1840 apparently carried automatic statutory protection. Clarification of such protection was needed and the date may change. The meeting agreed to extend the reach of preservation to wider elements of our built and natural environment. Suggestions included: Four Arches bridge in the Dingles; the ‘middle path’ in the Dingles (arguably of great antiquity); the medieval hedges in Webb Lane, Paradise Lane, Robin Hood Lane and Scribers Lane. In liaison with The Shire Country Park Friends, the preservation group would also keep a close eye on elements of The Shire Country Park, which includes historic Moseley Bog with its Bronze Age burnt mounds as well as its Tolkien connections.
It was also noted that Hall Green had two interesting railway stations - Hall Green and Yardley Wood. Hall Green station would reach its centenary this year (for which a celebration will be organised in the summer) as would Yardley Wood (which may already be protected to some extent).
It was agreed that a comprehensive list should be made and, following the realisation that Local Listing carried trivial penalties and was easily overcome by developers and apparently little regarded by some planning officers, the precise nature of any apparent protection should be thoroughly investigated. It was noted with regret that there seemed to be little will in the Planning Department to support residents in their preservation efforts or even to enforce existing regulations.
It was noted with disappointment that Sarehole Mill had not been awarded capital funding from the Council for the de-silting of the mill pool. It was also noted that if funding was not found in the near future, milling would cease and that Birmingham would then have only one working water mill. It was suggested that if the flow of water was sufficient the mill could make its own electricity, adding to green credentials.
The rules covering Conservation Areas should be examined. Hall Green had one such area (Miall Road and part of School Road). Other areas could possibly be identified but so much building work and alterations were going on that essential features were being lost. This applied to the terraced farm worker cottages in Paradise Lane. The meeting noted that the materials of which a building was constructed could be of considerable interest. Apparently, little could be made of this at present since the materials belong to the owner who may do as they please.
An insidious process of ‘manufactured dereliction’ could be discerned. Developers first destroy the garden of a mature property. Then the property itself declines rapidly for reasons on which the meeting could only speculate. The claim is then made that there is nothing worth preserving and planning permission follows. In this way, the distinctive character of an area is lost. Gardens should therefore get early protection and that whatever force the Mature Suburbs Policy may have should be rigorously applied.
HGPG committee and sub-groups will draw up a full list, identify priorities, establish the nature of the various forms of protection and outline pro-active and reactive courses of action. Many people volunteered to be active within the group and a register of contact details was taken. People would be kept informed and there would be general meetings from time to time.
