News from Birmingham

Things have gone somewhat quiet on the conservation front, but there is concern about two listed buildings: Baskerville House and The Three Magpies public house in Hall Green.

Plans have now been submitted for the speculative conversion of Baskerville House to offices with possibly a leisure complex in the basement. The proposals are singularly insensitive to this fine building and its quality interior. Amongst other things, removal of original wooden panelling and most interior walls is intended to create open-plan office space, but, on the bright side, it is planned to keep the original Art Deco style toilets! The worst proposals are for the exterior where it is planned to create several glazed storeys above roof level, said to be "invisible". Whilst we have no objection to alterations to listed buildings which do not detract from their quality it is felt that the quality of these proposals is just not good enough.

Developers are never prepared to give up! Proposals to replace the original bowling green at The Three Magpies by a Five-Aside football pitch were turned down on a previous application but a new application has just been submitted. It is hoped that this will again not succeed as there is much local opposition to the scheme and there are also environmental issues.

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