Land next to beauty spot is cleared

ALMOST two acres of land have been cleared next to one of Birmingham’s greenest wonders – Moseley Bog.

The beauty spot was the inspiration for the Middle-earth envisaged by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien, who spent a key part of his childhood living just 100 yards away.

While the Moseley Bog website describes itself as “nature’s paradise”, the land next door is currently being prepared for an extra care development that will have 27 one-bed and 45 two-bedroom apartments, some of which will have private patios and balconies.

The Michael Blanning Housing Trust Association is behind the three-storey, U-shaped block which, thanks to the lie of the land, is set to include under-croft parking with room for 72 cars.

The site has been barren for ten years since the last of three properties there was demolished.

There have been plans for decades to redevelop the land with sheltered housing in mind and permission for the current scheme was granted almost three years ago.