The idea behind this document is that it sets a plan for Birmingham City Council to work towards, until 2026.   Birmingham people and Birmingham organisations are being asked for their opinions.  The closing date is 11.59 pm tonight – slightly extended.    Why bother?  Are the Council really going to do what we want them to do?  We retain a degree of healthy cynicism.  However, as we see it, the Council will have more justification for doing something we don’t want it to do if we have not made our views known.   Once policies are enshrined in the strategy, and if the  Council can show there was little opposition to a policy,  it will become harder to oppose its implementation in the future.  On the other hand, if enough people call for a particular strategy, and always depending upon budgetary costs, this may make implementation more likely.  We are, in principal, supporting the Smart Route Plan for Acocks Green, though pointing out the particular way in which Acocks Green people would like this to be adopted. (Removing the dual carriageway on the Warwick Road in Acocks Green is our first priority.)

We are also pressing, ideally, for a Conservation Area for Acocks Green.  However, failing that, it would not be particularly costly to formally designate Acocks Green a ‘Mature Suburb’.  We have been experiencing a very worrying number of threats to important old buildings, trees and green spaces in Acocks Green in recent years.  There is also a threat of higher density housing.  This appears not likely to affect ‘Mature Suburbs’ in the same way though, although other non formally designated ‘Mature Suburb’  areas are then likely to experience more high density building.   Mature Suburb status could also help protect Acocks Green’s buildings green spaces and trees  in the future, so it is something we are particularly calling for.

Our ‘take’ on the Core Strategy’ is in our submission here  Birmingham Core Strategy – Our Comments If you live in Acocks Green, and think you might want to support these policies our document will also give guidance on the areas to go to for comment.

For comments on the main policies for Acocks Green (8) East Birmingham (E4) Please see our cutting from the site below.  Note we have commented on three other areas too.   (Our comments are registered and will appear on the site shortly, but the team is currently innudated.)

To begin the comments process go to here

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44 Flint Green Road New Door and Original Door Compared

Focus Group members were saddned to notice, that the doors to both 42 and 44 Flint Green Road have been replaced.  The result is a disappointing cheapening and vulgarising of the appearance of the houses.  The original green door, seen on the right  would have been a solid, heavy, Victorian front door, made with high quality Victorian ‘pitch’ pine: dense, slow grown, pine which was used for front doors, ships and other places where a durable wood was required.  It has six panels with proper architrive mouldings around each panel and original brass door furniture.  A door like this would have been made by a craftsman, to fit this house.  It must have had many layers of paint, but it would always have been smoothly painted with no trace of the original wood underneath.

The new door may look superficially ‘smart’ because it is new.  It is also, by comparison with the old door, poorly made – it has no proper architrive.   It is designed so that the grain of the wood shows through, in a, tacky,  fake ‘olde worlde’ pseudo medieval style which would have apalled any Victorian.  The door furniture is clunky, cheap and simply wrong.  The whole item is clearly mass produced and bears no relation to the house.

Front Door, 42 Flint Green Road

There is a simple example of ugliness in the new 42 Flint Green Road door here.  However, there is one sight difference.  We have learned that the original  doors to both buildings went into skips outside the buildings.

On enquiring we were told us that we could check the skips if we liked, and keep any doors that we found.  The door to 42 Flint Green Road was here – half buried in setting cement, but saveable.   Sadly the skip for 44 had recently gone. Workmen, to whom we are very grateful, assisted us in removing the door to 42.  (Thanks also to the prompt response of  Graham of Brum Pushbikes: good work Graham!)  If one of the many people who, we are advised, has expressed an interest in purchasing one of these two properites would like to have an original door back – for either house, then such a door will be available for a while.  It is in good condition.  It will need repainting.  The incongruous  new, plastic, frame, that has been put in will need replacing.  It depends how much you love Victorian houses, but it is all possible.

Front Door to 42 Flint Green Road, in Storage

If you are interested please use the ‘Contact Us’ button near the top of the list of links on the right here.  The door will be kept for a few months, but early contact would be appreciated.  The door was given to us free, and we will not be charging to pass it on: free to anyone who purchases either 42, or 44, Flint Green Road, Acocks  Green.

The pillars and porch canopy over 44 Flint Green Road are, at time of writing this post,  still there.  Now, let us hope very much …

This is yet one more reason why Acocks Green still, urgently, needs a Conservation Area, in order to prevent such destruction.   These are difficult times, but our campaign for a Conservation Area goes on, and we hope to have more discussions, and for residents to be able to undertake some work on this project themselves, soon.

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7 Sherbourne Road

Birmingham City Council are currently giving sympathetic consideration to our proposal for a Conservation Area.   They have implied that some part of Acocks Green probably will be given Conservation Area status and have thanked us for drawing their attention to the quality of building in Acocks Green.  They need to consult with various bodies before they proceed further.

Meantime, a  number of people have recently asked us what is happening about this set  fine mid-Victorian properties  in Sherbourne Road, Acocks Green.  For many years they were owned by local builder’s merchants,  E. H. Smith’s.  1-7 are to be demolished and replaced by fourteen houses.  Planning permission was granted on 2 October 2008.  The Planning Application Number is C/02972/08/FUL.   If we had a Conservation already things might have been different.  However one of the conditions of the Planning Approval is the retention and rebuilding of the frontages of these buildings.  Also the Statement supplied by the architects reads: ‘The front elevations of No’s 1-7 will require careful numbering and careful dismantling for re-errection with the new superstructure behind.’  This looks to be starting very soon.  A fence has already appeared in front of some of the buildings.  If you have good reason to believe that conditions are not behing adhered to we have told that it would be best to contact the Council Planning Department.  (303 1115).