Michael Wilkes

The loss of Highfield House has been a massive blow to the residents of Hall Green. But directly as a result of that, a new group has been brought together to ensure that the loss of historic buildings is not such an easy ride for grasping developers and compliant planners.

In Hall Green our heritage is vitally important to us and we will fight to protect it. This goes for other parts of the city too - as our courageous colleagues in Moseley have shown.

The new body is to be called the Hall Green Preservation Group. HGPG had its inaugural meeting on 20th March at Hall Green Library. Many local people turned out and signed up to the principal of a preservation group that is to be proactive rather than reactive. All of your Focus team have signed up. If you are interested in taking part, contact Councillor Paula Smith on 0121-778-6679 or Councillor Michael Wilkes on 0121-777-2462 or email Michael directly from here.

We will work hard, side by side with residents to protect all the history we have left in and near Hall Green so future generations can enjoy the environment, both built and natural, that we have today.

The costs of energy are taking increasing chunks out of family incomes. Since privatisation, the power companies have ruthlessly exploited their position. They hike costs for low energy users even more than their huge headline increases - up to 50% more. This is effectively a standing charge with the first kilowatts being priced even higher than the rest.

“People on modest fixed incomes are being hit hard,” said Councillor Michael Wilkes. “Pensioners, other modest energy users and those trying to do their bit for the environment should be aided not penalised. And with the likes of BT increasing their take from those who don’t want to hand over their bank details and rising ‘line rentals’ - another standing charge - the problem is made worse. These anti-social money grabbers would be brought to book by a government worth its salt.”

Just a few weeks after the first of the public demonstrations of support for retaining Highfield House, bitterness was tinged with sadness for local residents as the Planning Committee voted to approve the application to build flats and houses at 187 Highfield Road and demolish the historic house. “The committee should be ashamed of themselves,” said Councillor Michael Wilkes. “Nobody wants this apart from the developers, planning officers (who again recommended approval) and those councillors who voted for it. If I never see another planning officer in Hall Green it will be too soon,” he continued.

“Despite passionate appeals from Liberal Democrat members, who all voted against, the Conservatives, belying their name, all voted in favour, two Labour members voted in favour and the rest of them abstained. In our view, members have a moral duty to support the public interest. If they do not, what is the purpose of being an elected representative?” Ward colleague Councillor Paula Smith said: “Local people fought very hard to preserve this house. It is a very sad sign of the times that we see yet more of our history thrown away for the sake of profit”. Cllr Jackie Hawthorn commented: “There are those in positions of power who have learnt nothing from the mistakes of the 1960s. The decision is lamentable.”

Your councillors are now setting up the Hall Green Preservation Group that will seek to protect and list all our remaining historic buildings so that the tragedy of Highfield House will never be repeated. This is essential. A malign circus has developed. A locally significant property, long cared for, is sold for ‘development’ either because the owners die and offspring don’t have the same values or, as with Highfield House, the managers of a Housing Association do not hold to traditional values. First the garden is destroyed with trees cut down - in the case of Highfield House a stand of poplars and a rare variety of apple of Victorian vintage - and a proper environmental assessment rendered impossible. The condition of the property then rapidly and mysteriously deteriorates - one can only wonder how. Meanwhile the target besotted Government threatens penalties for failure to grant planning approvals at a rate of knots and continues to ensure that the law, weak as it is, is biased in favour of developers. Planning officers, fearful of possible legal costs of standing up for the community and heedless of the extent of public feeling, disregard their own conservation advice and recommend approval. Local listing, with its feeble penalties, is seen to be worthless. The majority of members on the Planning Committee then, perhaps after crocodile tears, lamely comply and reward the developer with approval. Yet another building - in the present case, Highfield House with a unique and intriguing history - is then torn down to be replaced by yet more high density flats and housing.

Despite the clear moral obligation on elected members to fight for their constituents, Lib-Dem Councillors striving to cut through this malign circle are said to be ‘stirring it up’ or, as in a nearby ward, are even threatened with the Standards Committee for exposing another case of startling deterioration suffered by a historic building. “It is not just our history that is being lost but our very identity as communities,” said Councillor Wilkes. “We must show this up for what it is and marshal our communities in defiance”. The associated file, HighHous.pdf, 

highhous.pdf

is a slide show in Adobe Acrobat format and has pictures of the interior of Highfield House just 18 months ago. We could weep for that which was lost.

It’s known that properties are sometimes code marked by gang members, often posing as salesmen or representatives, as a way of tipping off fellow criminals of times when a property is empty or where insufficient security may make them vulnerable. A break-in could subsequently occur. Following reports of a house apparently being marked in this way in Tixall Road, local residents may wish to be vigilant.

Councillor Jackie Hawthorn advises: “Have a look around doorways, exterior brickwork and porches for suspicious markings. These may take the form of an arrow, a circle, a wavy line or such like. Check the pavement outside your property too. It should be obvious if marks have been put there by the Council or utility firms. A wire brush should get rid of markings on brickwork or the pavement. Take particular care with your porches and windows. We want our houses to be inviting - but to the right sort of people!”

Residents of long standing may recall the ominous ring of this title. But spirits were high when 32 local residents assembled outside Highfield House at 6-45 a.m. one February morning. The occasion was to take part in a live radio broadcast to make clear the public support for the retention of Highfield House.

The house was in very good condition some 18 months ago but, since it has been in the ownership of developers / speculators the once lovely garden has been devastated and the house itself has been allowed to decline. Based on items and photos supplied by several people, Michael Wilkes produced a slide show of the house (if you would like a copy email Michael as Michael.Wilkes@birmingham.gov.uk - it is a 1mb file). “Neglect of a locally listed building is tantamount to vandalism and should not be rewarded with permission to demolish and develop for a maximum haul of money” said Councillor Wilkes. “It shows what can happen when a good house falls into the wrong hands. I spoke at the Planning Committee and submitted five pages of arguments as to why the application should be refused and Councillor Paula Smith worked tirelessly organising the campaign to save the house”.

As ever, the dice are loaded against the general public when it comes to profitable development. Successive governments have done nothing to change this situation and the present lot have made it even worse with their obsession with targets. Hall Green Focus believes that the only target that should count is the preservation of the character of communities. There is nothing wrong with a fair profit (given the point reached we would accept build on the site that preserved the structure of the house) and this could have been done had the will - and or appropriate legislation -been there.

The Birmingham Tolkien Group (BTG) which is chaired by Councillor Michael Wilkes continues to work hard to make the most of JRR Tolkien’s close connection with Birmingham and Hall Green in particular. The international popularity of Tolkien remains very high, and in February Michael officially welcomed a group of visitors from Poland who were being shown round Tolkien sites in Birmingham.

Naturally, their first port of call was Sarehole Mill and our picture shows Michael with some members of the visiting party. Volunteers from the Tolkien Weekend group guided the visitors throughout the day, which was very successful and much appreciated.

This year’s Tolkien weekend at Sarehole Mill will be on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May and will include a special performance from Shire Productions, the Hall Green based drama group.

In a letter to the Birmingham Post recently I wrote about the question of flouridation: It appears that the Health Secretary wants to see flouride added to all drinking water in the UK. The Government is also talking about consultation. I hope that this is a sincere intention because fundamental issues are raised.

There is evidence (although it can be exaggerated) that flouridation has some impact on dental health, especially amongst those who don’t look after their teeth. Those who do may benefit less, and decay rates have been improving across countries whether they add flouride or not. There is a downside in terms of flourosis (mottled teeth) and some research suggests possible links to hip fractures and bladder cancer.

In Birmingham flouride has been added since the 1960s. I do not recall having a choice in the matter. Certainly there is none now since filters do not remove flouride - a fact not often stated on the box.

The flouride issue is one example of population dosing, others being under consideration. I am concerned about this not simply on grounds of individual freedom (think also of the loss of same in our surveillance society) but also because, while health experts are usually right at least when they agree, when they are wrong the price can be very high indeed.

If there is a genuine debate (rather than the closely managed and selective ‘consultation’ we saw with hospital closures) then I for one would welcome this. But will those of us already flouridated be given a choice? I somehow doubt it. As, I assume, we are not likely to have a referendum then at least there should be a professional and independent opinion poll that would carry a measure of public trust.

There’s growing concern (but no action from the Government) about the way that members of the public are used as profit fodder by banks and privatised utilities. Having had a bit of a read, I wrote recently in The Birmingham Post:

In a compelling novel, The Historian, a surprising number of librarians turn out to be vampires (rest at ease Cllr Whitby, this isn’t about intentions for Centenary Square). Few would turn to this mild profession to find bloodsuckers, there being a richly populated necropolis of bankers, power companies, fuel firms and telecomm providers. BT clearly has the contagion with its recent hike in charges for those, typically thrifty and older people, who do not wish to be drawn into direct debit.

The corporate ethics and social responsibilities of yesteryear are but a memory and national government similarly usurps its citizens - security of data about individuals is discarded for petty cost cutting. So where are we to find the vampire slayers? Enter the unlikely (potential) heroes in the form of local Government.

We need not resort to garlic or even Christian icons and, in taking the brakes off devolution, we could avoid a stake through our global city’s innocent local heart. We must ensure that our services put the ordinary people first, bemused and exploited as they are, and we should restore former services such as a Municipal Bank that would offer a simple and trustworthy alternative to the financial creatures of the night. Oh for the days when we also had our own water, gas, buses and a visible police force. Now there’s a line-up that would ward off the bloodsuckers.