‘Local listing’ means little

LOCAL listing is as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Alongside other influential groups – Birmingham Civic Society and the Twentieth Century Society – Brutiful Birmingham objected to the Smallbrook Queensway plans because the Ringway Centre is a historic asset and locally listed.

Last week we had three minutes at the planning committee to argue that the plans damaged the integrity of the building and that its Grade B local listing should be taken seriously. Now we are even more convinced that the local listing process in Birmingham needs revision.

Councillors are free to state their own opinions when speaking in favour of an applications, comments like: “I don’t like concrete” (Councillor Henley) or “It’s horrendous. it’s a god-awful building... Concrete is not suitable. I am glad it will be joining all the others in the dust,” (Councillor Moore).

It’s a good job they don’t have responsibility for the Pantheon in Rome, a good part of which is concrete.

These are personal opinions. Isn’t it their task to represent the people of Birmingham and to listen to the opinions of their own experts? In a planning committee that unanimously agreed these applications, who was representing the thousands of our followers who are now horrified by this decision?

The local listing process is as relevant to other periods of our city’s history – but is in urgent need of massive overhaul starting with a thorough review of our heritage assets.

In this cash-strapped city, Brutiful Birmingham, The Civic Society, the Twentieth Century Society and the Birmingham Modernists can help with identifying the best examples of the 20th century – I am sure that the Victorian Society would offer the same for the buildings that they represent. Mary Keating, Brutiful Birmingham