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BID TO PROTECT BRUM’S CANALS FROM DEVELOPERS

26/9/2018

12 Comments

 

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An attempt by a developer to build a 12-storey block of flats on the site of the Flapper Pub, on Birmingham’s Cambrian Wharf – currently stalled after a mass public protest and objections, including one from Canal & River Trust – has led to a bid to protect all of the city’s central canals by creating planning Conservation Areas.

Although some parts of the city’s canals, like Gas Street are protected, Cambrian Basin and the Farmers Flight of locks are not, nor are many other parts of the City’s Canals. In fact Dr Ted Hiscock says although Birmingham claims to have more canals than Birmingham, just eight per cent are protected by Conservation Orders and he wants to see that rise to 30 per cent before the Commonwealth Games is hosted in the city in 2022.

Ted Hiscock, a GP in the city for four decades and now a respected artist, says: “This travesty seems to be a disease of Birmingham, while other places with canals have been more fortunate and more forward-thinking.”

He argues that: “Cambrian Basin and the Farmers Flight of Locks are unique, it is historically and archaeologically of immense value to the formation of our great industrial city. The creation of the 1960s Civic Close, is a conception that is unique in Birmingham  where  a canal basin with residential moored boats, a canal side Pub, four tower blocks, a parkland of specifically planted trees and walkways are all cheek by jowl with six late 18th century Grade 2 Listed  canal side mews cottages, namely Kingston Row, the link with the industrial past of Birmingham’s canals.”

Now he has produced a long academic paper that is a plea to Birmingham City Council, Canal & River Trust and Historic England to protect the city’s canals – although the response so far has not been inspiring.


He told The Floater: “ I have only yesterday sent a copy of this paper to Bashir Ahmed, (C&RT’s new Regional Director for the West Midlands) who promises it shall be forwarded to the heritage unit. Also, I took it to Birmingham’s ONLY Conservation Officer, who implied it doesn’t stand a chance of receiving recommendation by The Council, nor for that matter, the saving of The Flapper. 

“I have made an application to Historic England to list the Farmers Flight of locks and that shabby organisation have sent me the standard refusal letter, saying it is not a National Monument and has  no historical heritage. 


“It is impossible to motivate any of our established organisations during times of austerity.”
When Ted made the alarming discovery of what he saw as an inappropriate application for the destruction of The Flapper pub and the erection of a 12-storey block of 66 flats on the edge of Cambrian Wharf, he identified what he saw as: “.. a nonchalant disregard by the applicant for the proximity of his scheme for the Grade 2 Listed mews cottages of Kingston Row and the historically important water edge of Cambrian Basin, previously called Crescent Wharf”.

Ted believes the planning bid has opened Pandora’s Box showing the lack of official protection for the canals of Birmingham. “Subsequently, research demonstrated very few kilometres of Birmingham canals are protected by conservation, and some of those that are designated are neglected.”

He believes that the 2022, Commonwealth Games is bringing thousands of extra visitors, but argues: “Birmingham is a mess of building sites, litter is everywhere, rough sleepers who beg day and night have become the norm, the canals are a dumping ground for supermarket trolleys, fast food containers and Graffiti. Few seem to notice or care.

“Can we not find some pride to clean this city, maintain the cleanliness and have leadership from the city council and inner-city residents who love living here? This applies to our greatest asset; the canals. This proposal suggests that the central city canals are placed in a designated Conservation Area; perhaps ‘Birmingham Central Canal Conservation Area’. They fulfil all the criteria and such a proposal would establish a target to aim for prior to the Commonwealth Games”.

Ted wants to extend the canals under conservation by 12km, taking the city network under a designated Conservation Area to 17km (still just 30 per cent of the acknowledged lengths of city’s navigable canals).

Those affected would be:
• Birmingham & Wolverhampton 2.5km
• Icknield Loop 1.25km
• Soho Loop 2.25km
• Birmingham & Fazeley 2.25km
• Digbeth Loop 0.75km
• Birmingham & Worcester 3km
• TOTAL 12.0KM

• If the Lapal Canal from Selly Oak (by Battery Park junction) to Weoley Castle were to be included, a further 2.25km would be added.

Ted is now gathering public support for the idea from C&RT, MPs, National Trust, the BBC, Heritage England and local people.
He wants the city’s, Planning Department to be more sensitive to the ecological, historical and conservation needs of the canal network and more selective about architectural styles and designs of canal margin architecture.

The first step will be to persuade the City’s Planning Department’s Conservation Team to produce a recommendation to the city council for the extra 12km of the central canals to be made into Conservation Areas. He would like the Trust’s teams of volunteers to be extended and formalised into mapped zones of care.

He also wants neglected areas and listed buildings brought under direct council supervision and cleaned up, and security of the canal routes increased, urging more CCTV and patrols. He also suggests the city and the Trust produce running routes in preparation for 2022. Ted wants to see more boating, canoeing, and tourist trips, and educational seminars on the water, all objectives that should fit well with C&RT’s new focus on towpath visitors rather than just boaters.

Ted sees HS2 as: “... a golden opportunity to embrace the importance of the two means of travel that have both been so important to the city”.

If the current lack of interest from the City continues Ted argues the national politicians should step in: “If the council is reluctant to support this proposal, the Secretary of State for National Heritage can designate in exceptional circumstances. These canals ARE a National Heritage.”

12 Comments
Tony Ford
26/9/2018 08:52:21

I should like to read a copy of Ted’s paper

Reply
Ted Hiscock
26/9/2018 21:29:50

hello Tony

Thanks for your interest. If you contact me on the above email address I can send it to you as a pdf .Regards Ted

Reply
Dave Taylor
1/10/2018 20:55:04

I should also like a copy of your paper, Ted. I see that your email address is not published on the site and it says that mine will not be, either, so I am not sure that you will get it. How can we get round this hiccup? Best wishes, Dave

Mrs J Horton
1/10/2018 23:00:35

Yes, it is so important to keep the heritage of this area and not have it spoiled with intrusive blocks of flats too close to the canal. Farmer`s Bridge is a very historic area and so very special. This area does need protecting and it seems that time is desperately running out. Thank you Ted for all you are doing. Good Luck in `raising awareness`

Reply
A. Johnson
2/10/2018 03:56:46

Bashir Ahmed isn't the new Regional Director, it's Adnan Saif.

Reply
Roger Johnson
2/10/2018 07:13:11

Ted. I really appreciate your efforts. Once destroyed this heritage will be gone for ever. I hope you are getting support from CRT. Roger.

Reply
Hugh Humphreys link
2/10/2018 07:51:53

I am a Director of the Lapal Canal Trust we would like to support your efforts. Also the thank you for mentioning the possibility of including the Dudley No 2 canal from Selly Oak to California. Please follow our Facebook page to see the restoration progress. www.Facebook.com/lapalcanaltrust

Reply
B Farrant
2/10/2018 08:05:58

"although Birmingham claims to have more canals than Birmingham" - than Venice I've heard say!

A good cause. I'm signed up.

Reply
Bob Fox
2/10/2018 13:20:41

Agree with all that has been written about the lack of protection of the BCN and it's environs.
A well lead, concerted campaign is required, to raise awareness amongst the local population and, more importantly to use the weight of public opinion to lobby local and national politicians.

This is something that can be done through a variety of means, formal and otherwise using existing organisations and perhaps by creating a pressure group to highlight how the less salubrious areas can be cleaned up through volunteer effort.

Reply
Ray Shill link
2/10/2018 15:31:58

As an industrial historian, protecting Birmingham Canalside from the predatory developers has been a topic, which I have pursued for over 30 years.

Sadly my voice and others have had little effect on what has been done here and other canal side locations in the Midlands.

The development at Farmer's Bridge locks have dwarfed the valuable canalside structures. The building of the Cube actually threatened the waterway infrastructure.

Any way forward must be to recognise anything of value and highlight any historical value.

For example there have been plans to remove part of the buildings at Sampson Road Wharf, which English Heritage refused to list.

Sensitive reconstruction has always been the best way of preserving heritage.

The worst case in this area for predatory development remains Shiptons Wharf (Albion Wharf) at Wolverhampton, which the developers removed and BW were unable to stop. Wolverhampton had the greatest range of canal warehouses in the country spanning the period from 1771 through to the late 1860's. There was a case being prepared for a World Heritage Site application when the heart was ripped out of the case through demolition of buildings on the former Union Wharf site, the Albion Wharf Warehouses and the construction fire that destroyed the flour mill (Nortons).

Developers have done much to change the canal frontages, some good, some bad. That at Albion Wharf in Wolverhampton already looks jaded.

Reply
Jim Hanks
3/10/2018 20:48:50

As boaters we give our full support to the eforts being made to protect Birmingham's canals for unsympathetic developments of this type unless the BCN is kept intact and allowed to retain its character Birmingham as a city will lose much of its atmosphere history and character allowing it to become just another sole-less urban sprawl.
The BCN is after all the hub that stitches together the entire canal network

Reply
Brian Henderson
4/10/2018 10:28:12

Thank you Ted for all the work you are doing. We often see on TV news the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street. He always seems approachable and enthusiastic. Have you considered a direct approach to him? Would he perhaps agree to a short walk down the atmospheric Farmers Bridge flight with yourself and perhaps one or two other supporters? If so this could provide opportunities to inform and persuade.

Reply



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