Planning row over centre rumbles on
THE saga over plans to convert part of an old correctional school into homes has taken another twist.
Birmingham City Council’s planning committee has refused the latest application to turn the remainder of the Martineau Centre, in Balden Road, Harborne, into housing.
The clock tower building and surrounding site has been subject to five sets of proposals since it closed down in 2012.
But controversy surrounds a promise to retain part of it for a community room.
Persimmon Homes, as part of its original plans for more than 120 properties, agreed to provide it to secure planning permission from the council.
But since then it has sold the building to Luxury Homes which has argued the condition to keep the community space is ‘unlawful’ and was only ever a goodwill gesture by Persimmon.
Earlier this year the committee turned down application to convert it town houses.
The developer has now lodged an appeal against the decision.
And it tried to gain permission again with a new scheme to convert part of the building into seven homes removing the community space from the proposal.
But council officers feared planning Luxury’s into ten this would simply result in the space becoming ‘mothballed’. The committee backed their recommendation to refuse permission.
Cllr Gareth Moore said: “It is disappointing to see the applicant seems to continue to refuse in many ways to provide a community room which was a key part of the original plans. If they put more effort into that then perhaps we could move forward.”
Around 25 residents had lodged objection to the latest plans.