3.4.6
Original Document
The residential areas of Ladywood, Highgate and part of the Gun Quarter are dominated by 20th Century social housing stock and layouts at relatively low densities and have an inward-looking, self-contained feel that does not relate to the city’s core. As a general rule, their public realm and public spaces are not attractive, their housing stock is not ageing well, their layouts do not follow good urban design principles and they do not house a broad social mix. These areas are likely to require renewal or improvement.
Plain English Translation
The residential areas of Ladywood, Highgate and part of the Gun Quarter mainly have 20th Century social housing (such as council housing and that managed by housing associations) and layouts with not many people per area and have an inward-looking, self contained feel that does not relate to the city’s core. As a general rule, their outsides and public spaces are not nice, the buildings are not ageing well, their layouts do not follow good town design rules and they do not house a wide range of people. These areas are likely to need rebuilding or improving.
The city centre, which as previously noted, is the size of a small town, is surrounded by “associated neighbourhoods” that the Big City Plan identifies as needing careful support. Birmingham is unusual in that, after WW2, it used the “bomb and blitz” legislation to acquire huge tracts of land in and around the city centre. Over time, significant demolition and rebuilding has taken place. This is the reason for the Birmingham Council estates such as Nechells, Highgate, Ladywood, and Newtown which are in reasonably close proximity to the core. Given this geography they should be more attractive and in greater demand than they are.
Curent policy thinking on “localism” seeks to draw together the Local Authority, other social landlords – housing associations and Estate Management Boards such as Bloomsbury – voluntary and community third sector organisations and the private sector in developing asset based “Community Anchor” organisations that seek to work towards establishing confident and coherent communities. One useful starting point would be to identify the potential “anchors” that exist or could be developed in the “associated neighbourhoods”. Optima is a community anchor organisation that has transformed Lee Bank, but there are other areas, such as Balsall Heath, which have a clear neighbourhood identity, but no sustainable community anchor organisation backed by the housing assets that drive the programmes of other anchors, such as Witton Lodge Community Association and Stockfield.
A genuinely open and inclusive approach to the support of third sector organisations as respected partners and critical friends would begin to stitch together the City Centre and its associated peripheral neighbourhoods.