City powerless to save best post-war buildings Council leader says only Historic England can call for listing
BIRMINGHAM’S post-war architecture cannot be saved without Historic England’s commitment to list buildings which are too hard to modernise, according to the leader of the city council.
John Clancy was responding to a letter from The Birmingham Civic Society and other architectural campaigners (printed in last week’s Post) which called for urgent action to save the best of the Second City’s finest modernist buildings.
The controversial debate over what is worth saving of post-war design was reignited in recent years after the council’s decision to demolish the old Central Library, designed by renowned architect John Madin.
After its loss campaigners created the Brutiful Birmingham group, in a bid to retain the best of the last few modernist buildings in the city.
The Post has published a series of columns by the group in recent weeks and another today.
Now in a letter to chairman of the Birmingham Civic society, Gavin Orton, Council Leader Clancy revealed the council was powerless to stop their redevelopment because most of the post war buildings were unlisted.
Mr Clancy wrote: “Most of the post war buildings in the city are neither listed or within a conservation area and therefore retaining them, due to their historical and architectural merit, is not a material consideration unless they are locally listed.
“That said, without one of the former designations (listing or being within a conservation area) the submission of a prior notification application for demolition cannot be resisted, and this remains their greatest threat.
“Such a notice does not take into account any matters other than the process of demolition.
“Regrettably, without the commitment of Historic England to list these buildings, there can be no guarantee over their future.
“As you know, this debate has been held at the Birmingham’s Conservation and Heritage Panel and is partly the reason why a request has been made for that panel to meet with a representative of Historic England’s ‘Designations Team’.
“It is anticipated that such a meeting will be held in the New Year.”
But he added: “Without listing status the challenge to retain Birmingham’s post war architectural legacy will be difficult as much of it will likely be the subject of redevelopment proposals in the future.”
Mr Clancy said that the nature of the buildings’ decay – with the likes of embedded asbestos and failing structures – made it very difficult to convince developers to restore them.
However, he added: “It should be noted that the city council does take its post war architecture seriously, and though difficult decisions have had to be made, ‘Certificates of Immunity from Listing’ have already be issued on a number of key buildings from this period.”
In recent months Brutiful Birmingham has revealed its list of post-war architecture in the city that it claims is under threat.
One of its major concerns is the Ringway Centre in Smallbrook Queensway, which is the subject of an application to partly demolish and reclad it.
In last week’s Post, the Civic Society and other campaigners called for “an appropriate approach as to how the council, developers, architects and the broader construction industry can work with these buildings as the city goes through a period of growth.”
They added: “We cannot leave our best modernist buildings without any statutory protection and at the mercy of developers or the ‘mindset’ that we should complete the ‘cleansing’ that Cllr Barry Henley has recently suggested (‘Birmingham’s better off without its tatty 1960s Brutalist office blocks says city planner’).
“We are in danger of sweeping away an important part of our built heritage - very much as Birmingham was quick to do with its Victorian buildings.
“We need a city that reflects, embraces and takes pride in all periods of our history.”
Without listing status the challenge to retain Birmingham’s post war architectural legacy will be difficult John Clancy