Re~Stirred Forum

It would be great to see these buildings restored, I often pass them and wish I had the money to buy them.

Yes, great buildings that need to be maintained and restored and put to good use. There are many similar buildings around Handsworth that need the same.

Is it just me, though, or does the over-use of names such as 'hub' grate a little? I have a feeling such names mean a lot to policy makers, politicians and activists etc but not so much to people who live bang next door to them.

Great news about those fine buildings. I am also concerned about the earlier Georgian buildings flanking the park further towards Bradford street, many are in a terrible state.

I know the ones you mean. Wasn't one of them being used as a squat and was then severely damaged in a fire. I think this was covered by Nicky Getgood Digbeth is Good. That row have excellent potential, but a joined-up approach to the regeneration of that area is needed to be effective.

Yes that's correct and I agree we need this approach Dom, but sooner we do any the better !!!

Good to read link to the positive planning officer's report. This is a good example of appropriate conservation balanced with finally finding a viable use for these important Regency buildings- unfortunately rare in our city (Regency buildings that is).

why can't people live in them? there is a housing shortage, I just wish all buildings such as these could be once again lived in by a family, rather than more "projects or hubs" which may once again run out of funding, yes preserve heritage,the baths,, moseley art school, (which my nephew attended), it would be nice to see houses lived in again and rented out by the council.
Guess i would bi in the minority thinking like this?

Well, Sally, I agree with you. It wouldn't have to be the council letting them out - it could be the council, I guess, or perhaps housing cooperatives, or private landlords, or RSLs. I certainly agree with the principle that houses suit people living in them, rather than, as you say, projects that have a limited lifespan generally, and add nothing to an area outside of working/ office/ opening hours.

I would just add that any progress is welcome, however, so thumbs up, as it were, to this intiative as it currently stands.

The last poster clearly knows more about these properties than I do, and as I know nothing about them, except visually as a passer-by, that's not difficult.

My point was a general one - and included the possibility of the private sector letting them as homes to live in.

I was also trying to make another point, about project buildings, whether in renovated regency housing or not, adding little to an area in terms of its general quality of life. Handsworth is full of grand old buildings that have been used for various projects, but the projects die off sooner or later. And then what? I would argue that streets lined with empty or even occupied 'project' properties does little for the general perception of an area.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that various RSLs have been involved with the improvement of rather fine, previously abandoned Georgian housing in parts of Liverpool.

Anyway, thumbs up to any improvement, as I said before.

Tremendous stuff!

This is the kind of stuff that the city needs, as opposed to the obsessive focus on the center, which is fine, but which also generally genreally neglects the rest of the city.

Now, time to extend this kind of intitiative to other parts of the city with grand housing in a state of neglect - Handsworth being a prime example.