Not yet the end of this particular Eden it would appear!

The bungalow, with the evocative name of ‘Eden End’, number 100 Smirrells Road situated at the corner with Kedleston Road, did not reach its reserve price (which we understand to have been £375,000) at the auction held last week and so has not yet fallen into the hands of developers.

Further good news for the area came on Thursday when the City Council’s Planning Committee rejected yet another application to demolish the bungalow at the end of Harewood Close and erect massive residential blocks on the site in what is still a locally important environmental green oasis.

We are at present strenuously resisting a planning proposal to erect more flats between Scribers Lane and Baldwins Lane and, of course, there remain other significant development threats. While profit driven developers will never consider heritage or environment you would have thought that they would have noticed the number of unsold flats in several parts of Hall Green. There are now many of these in both long established and new developments.

Overall, sustained vigilance by everyone in Hall Green along with concerted efforts continue to be needed to preserve our area and its many minor Edens.

Residents will be all too familiar with the increasing number of so called ‘Development Opportunities’ that beset us in Hall Green and which we continue do our utmost to resist. Current building threats that we are fighting include sites in or near Baldwins Lane, Scribers Lane and Harewood Close. There is continual sniffing around throughout our area by agents and those seeking to profit from dense construction on our green areas, frequently mature gardens.

One of the latest possibilities is likely to be number 100 Smirrells Road. This is the large bungalow situated on the attractive site at the corner of Smirrells Road and Kedleston Road.

As can be seen in the photograph, there is a good deal of greenery surrounding the bungalow, and the site has an area of over one third of an acre. An interesting hedge, mostly of holly, surrounds the bungalow and there are some good trees. Hedges are difficult to protect unless, as in the case of our medieval hedges, historic reasons can be cited. We are exploring this possibility.

There is an ironic aspect to the sale of 100 Smirrells Road. This is the name of the bungalow. It is called ‘Eden End’. Perhaps not boding well for the site itself, we must sustain our efforts to ensure that this will not prove to have wider significance for Hall Green, which, as a highly attractive mature suburb, has many of its very own little Edens. Long may they remain so.

The recently established Hall Green Preservation Group has been very busy over the past month and has set up several subgroups of enthusiastic and public spirited volunteers covering houses; gardens, the environment and trees; pubs, social establishments and schools; unusual and mixed styles. A historical thread would also be followed.

A meeting of all the HGPG sub-groups recently held at Hall Green Library was shown some of the very wide range of resources on local history, records, maps and photographs that are looked after by the library staff and to which interested residents can be given access.

All this will be very important not only in recognising what we still have in Hall Green as well as what used to be but, crucially, for building cases to fight for and protect all of the important remaining parts of our unique local heritage.

As well as the continuing threats from would-be property developers sniffing around in several locations in our area, an early concern is the condition of one of the bridges in the Dingles, by the ‘whirl-hole’ as well as the central path itself.

Hall Green Preservation Group is undoubtedly the best hope that we have to ensure that disasters such as the demolition of the locally listed and historic Highfield House (now, alas, underway) are never allowed to happen again.

The Inaugural Meeting of Hall Green Preservation Group was held on March 20^th 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 (20^th 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.

Michael Wilkes (as Vice Chair and still stiff from a lengthy litter pick in the Dingles in the morning!) and Paula Smith took part in the Annual General Meeting of The Shire Country Park Friends on Sunday afternoon on 30^th March. The Friends have had a very productive year and there were very informative presentations at the AGM from committee members representing Priory Fields, The Dingles, Moseley Bog, Greet Mill Meadows and Burbury Brickworks.

The Shire, extending for about four miles along the River Cole and with satellite areas, is one of the most interesting and varied country parks in the midlands. It takes its name from associations with JRR Tolkien and has an intriguing cultural, industrial and agricultural history. It has a wide variety of habitats and wildlife (including around 80 species (some rare) of birds, rare heathland, and a wide range of plants that include meadow flowers and orchids). Ancient agricultural use leaves traces at various points. The outstanding ridge and furrow field in the Dingles probably dates from the 11^th century. There is evidence of agricultural use in Anglo Saxon times in Priory Fields and there are Bronze Age burnt mounds in Moseley Bog.

The four main pools are at Priory Fields (described as a Mill Pool but made as a fish pond - the once nearby mill was a windmill), Trittiford pool (the original name of which was Titterford, meaning ‘place of small birds’) the Mill Pool at Sarehole and the pool at one end of Moseley Bog (originally a garden feature). The bog itself (the probable basis of the Old Forest in Tolkien’s works) was once a feeder pool to Sarehole Mill.

An open-air performance area (a grassed mini-amphitheatre) in a natural setting - the Withywindle Arena - is being prepared by volunteers near to historic Sarehole Mill (withy is an old word for willow). Members of TSCP Friends have also taken part in three weekend litter picks recently to leave the park looking its best. With so little open space in Hall Green, we should make the most of this lovely and historic green environment on the edge of our area.

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 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 winter wild creatures need our help to survive, especially with the destruction of their natural habitats by back garden developments, smaller and tidier gardens, more hazardous roads etc. Even hedgehogs are now an endangered species. They are nocturnal, so if you see one in the day, it is probably in need of care. Hedgehogs often have late litters but if the babies don’t weigh 600 grams by September, they’re unlikely to survive hibernation. But don’t make the kindly mistake of putting out bread and milk for hedgehogs - they cannot digest the lactose found in cow’s milk.

Wild birds need to eat up to half their bodyweight daily in order to survive. Foods with a high fat content such as suet or cheese help them keep warm. Birds also need help at this time of year with nesting / roosting materials. If you’ve a dog, empty its grooming brush outside. Birds need to dig deeper for food and have no natural cover from predators in trees and shrubs, so consider putting a bell on your cat. Foxes often find food in bin bags but are prone to mange and skin diseases. A winter fox should have a thick coat and is mainly nocturnal. If you see a thin fox in the day, it may need help.

For advice or practical help in caring for wildlife, or if you have any queries about other animals, fish or birds, contact Councillor Jackie Hawthorn at:

Jackie.hawthorn@birmingham.gov.uk (phone 303-4204)

or

Jenny Hawthorn at: Jenny.hawthorn@blueyonder.co.uk