Too little green space in reservoir plan, say locals
CONCERNED residents have condemned plans to build on the edge of Edgbaston Reservoir nature reserve.
More than 1,000 people have now signed a petition calling for Birmingham City Council to “meaningfully engage” with users of the site about its future.
It follows news that the historic Tower Ballroom is to be demolished after the site was earmarked for homes by the council.
But residents have argued the 3,000-home target for the Greater Icknield area contained in the Birmingham Development Plan (BDP) is already due to be exceeded by existing developments.
They added two developments near to the reservoir have less than the minimum required amenity space according to the council’s planning guidance.
Reports to planning committee members stated residents could instead use the reservoir for recreation. The sites include the 260-home Hermetic Rubber Factory site at Icknield
Port Road and 752-home Soho Wharf development.
A candlelit vigil was recently held for the 150-year-old ballroom which the council says will be demolished imminently.
Campaigner Eva Bennett of ERCO (Edgbaston Reservoir For All) has written to Edgbaston MP Preet Gill, and said: “New residents are welcomed to the reservoir – it is a site that should remain fully accessible to the general public.
“So in the light of the increased footfall which will inevitably arise – why take space on the edge of the local nature reserve to build more homes? It makes no sense.
“For me it seems blindingly obvious
that the site of the Tower Ballroom, on the waterside at least, should be re-wilded to provide a little more green space for the general public to enjoy, especially in the face of the increasing population in Greater Icknield and beyond.”
Chris Vaughan, of Friends of Edgbaston Reservoir, who started the petition, said: “Circumstances have changed since the Edgbaston Reservoir Masterplan draft was issued – we need to talk about all the developments taking place. It would be good to have a talk with not just planning officials but council executives as to why they are still insisting they need all these developments when circumstances have changed.”
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson says there has been extensive public engagement around the plans for the reservoir.
They said: “The Tower Ballroom site is identified in the Birmingham Development Plan (adopted in 2017) for redevelopment to deliver muchneeded family housing with a mix of commercial and community uses.
“The Edgbaston Reservoir Masterplan builds on the policy allocation and sets a vision to provide highquality, affordable homes with ground floor uses to create activity and improve safety.
“Future development will be highly sustainable and respect the adjacent Local Nature Reserve. The masterplan provides clear guidance to protect and enhance the natural environment to ensure the reservoir can be enjoyed by future generations. The council has undertaken extensive public engagement on the masterplan.
“The second draft of the masterplan, in which the proposals for the Tower Ballroom site continue to be based on the BDP’s long-identified housing designation, will go out to public consultation in spring 2022.”