Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT ACTION PLAN Part 1

Introduction. This action plan is concerned with the neighbourhood of Moseley. A voluntary group, called the Moseley Regeneration Group (MRG) has prepared this document. The Group is made up of local stakeholders who are concerned about the future of their neighbourhood and want to ensure its character and viability is protected for the long term. The MRG has produced this document in the absence of an updated plan from City Council’s Planning Department who produced an Action Plan in 1992 (see appendix ). This document is written from the perspective of community organisations working to improve their neighbourhood.

A view along Alcester Road, Moseley Village c1900

Moseley, or Moseley Village, as it is better known can be found 4km south of Birmingham City Centre. It was originally a rural hamlet surrounded by farmland however, the Victorians developed Moseley as an exclusive settlement constructing many prominent buildings. Moseley became a proud village just outside of Birmingham; located on a hill, away from the smog and within easy reach of the City Centre. Now, Moseley is a busy suburb within a modern City and has to deal with many pressures that affect the quality of life for residents. What is interesting is how residents still call this

1 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT neighbourhood a “village”. This reflects the strong affinity residents have with the area and the effort they have made over the last 30 years or so to protect its character. Moseley remains a desirable place to live within Birmingham, its proximity to the city centre and other centres of employment, good primary schools, mix of family housing and rented accommodation, and its artistic community continue to attract people to the neighbourhood who are proud to live here.

More recently, there has been little investment from central or local government into the infrastructure; there are few public facilities in Moseley. The local economy lacks confidence; the shopping area has less than 50% retail units the balance being licensed premises, restaurants and betting shops. Only national companies are able to afford the commercial rents in the shopping centre. Like other suburbs, Moseley suffers from environmental problems such as fly-tipping and litter and the quality of public spaces needs to be improved. In addition, the community has become fragmented – there are islands of wealth with neighbouring areas that are in the top 10% of deprivation in the country. There is a need for more community cohesion and greater participation in community life. Residents who came to Moseley in the 1970s remain the backbone of local organisations; they are likely to retire soon and a new more diverse generation is required to take on organising community life.

Alcester Road, Moseley in 2000

2 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Purpose of this Action Plan.

Following the 1992 Action Plan there remain concerns amongst residents about the quality of life in the neighbourhood and the failing viability of the retail outlets in the shopping centre. Therefore, the MRG felt it wise to re-visit the Action Plan with the intention that this document should be used to start an Area Action Plan within the new Local Development Framework. In the meantime, the 2008 Action Plan will be used as the basis for the MRG’s strategy to guide the regeneration of the neighbourhood and will inform its discussions with public sector bodies, local politicians, private developers, and in particular the City Council’s Planning department who are currently preparing the new planning framework for the City. This Action Plan should be reviewed and updated in 2012.

Birmingham’s planning system –

Currently, Birmingham’s development is guided by the Unitary Development Plan but this is soon to change as the City Council develops a Local Development Framework document to replace the Unitary Development Plan. Within this strategic document there is the opportunity for local communities to make a contribution through Area Action Plans that form part of the new Local Development Framework system. Their purpose is to provide the planning framework for areas where significant change or conservation is expected or required, by:

• Assisting in the delivery of planned development

• Stimulating regeneration

• Identifying the distribution of uses and their interrelationships

• Making site specific allocations

• Setting the timetable for the implementation of proposals

• Providing guidance on layout and design.

The MRG were advised by Officers from the City Council that any contribution from Moseley residents would be welcome.

3 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Moseley Action Plan 1992 and planning policy context for Moseley The current Action Plan for Moseley was produced following concerns about the gradual decline of the shopping centre. The Plan looked at numerous issues raised by local groups such as the Moseley Society, and resulted in the development of the following set of priorities:- . Retain and enhance Moseley’s character as a conservation area. . Identify opportunities for environmental enhancements . Develop guidance for the future development of the shopping centre . Seek opportunities for “living above the shop” . Address car parking and servicing of shops . Control the spread of institutional type premises . Identify priorities for investment . Identify broad transport objectives for the neighbourhood.

It was the City Council’s intention that this Plan would be used as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and should be used to direct future development in the neighbourhood. Fifteen years later, however, residents are still meeting about the same issues listed above apart from the spread of institutional premises whose development is now restrained. Also, residents have been informed that they are unlikely to have the Action Plan updated by the City Council in the medium term. Therefore, the MRG have taken on the task of reviewing the objectives and recommendations from the original Action Plan.

4 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT

The centre of the neighbourhood is part of a conservation area.

St. Mary’s Row in 2000

5 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT

The Moseley neighbourhood

The area shown is what residents often refer to as Moseley.

This map is not to scale

www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap Image produced from Ordnance Survey's Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

6 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT

2001 Population Census – Moseley The information supplied below is based on a super output area created for the Moseley neighbourhood and is extracted from data provided by the Office for National Statistics.

Resident Population 22,932 Number of households 9864

Ethnic groups in White 61.7% Moseley Mixed 3.3% Asian or Asian British 28.1% Black or Black British 5.5% Chinese or other ethnic group 1.4%

Demographic changes to Moseley - Moseley’s population has seen significant growth since the 1970’s partly due to inward migration from inner city areas, like Sparkhill. This has led to growth across most age groups; overall there appears to be a concentration of working age people (16-59) resident in Moseley now and a decrease in the 16-24 age group.

Within Moseley there are islands of relative wealth neighbouring areas that are more deprived. Most of the wealth can be found in the south of Moseley whilst in the north (centred around Church Road) is an area that falls within the Government’s definition of priority areas that suffer from multiple deprivation. It is within north Moseley that the greatest ethnic diversity can be found, whilst in the south the population has less diversity and has a higher proportion of UK white residents. In the period 1991-2001 the Pakistani-origin community was one of the fastest growing communities and they now appear to be the largest minority group in Moseley.

The area of north Moseley is of particular interest; it is home to a largely Pakistani and other immigrant communities and has many people living in social housing:

7 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT . The percentage of the population economically inactive above 40.1% for “north Moseley” as compared to a City average of 31.5% . The percentage claimants of JSA above 15.1% as compared to a City average of 8.4%. . The percentage claiming Income Support above 15% for north Moseley as compared to City average of 10.4% . The percentage claiming Incapacity Benefit or Sever Disablement Allowance above 15% for north Moseley as compared to a City average of 9.2% Source: 2007

The population in north Moseley is In north Moseley the number of: 7753 and the ethnic mix is as follows: White 43% Economically active people is 3112 Mixed 4% Economically in-active people is 2371 Asian or Asian British 43% (Pakistani 34%) Black or Black British 8% Chinese or other ethnic group 2%

Source: ONS 2007

Moseley has been successful at supporting its diverse community during this period of inward migration and has seen a greater diversity in the number of different faiths. Christianity remains dominant but is now in decline and other faiths such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism are represented well; Islam is the next largest faith after Christianity. The large Jewish community that once existed is now much smaller and represented in the older age groups but, Moseley still contains the City’s only Jewish Primary School.

Moseley remains a desirable place to live for many people, whatever their background. The good performance of local schools, proximity to the city centre, heritage, tolerance of different lifestyles and variety and flexibility of housing choices all contribute to this. Overall, housing tenure in Moseley is balanced 50:50 between owner occupation and rented accommodation. But there have been changes within the rented accommodation sector. Private landlords have reduced and there has been a significant growth in social

8 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Landlords. This has led to a reduction in student accommodation as well. Owner occupation has continued grow above the average rate for the City. This supports the findings from the 2001 census; almost half of the population are considered to be “professional” people. It is of interest that a greater proportion of the working population are employed in the creative industries than elsewhere in the City. In contrast, the population of people of either long-term unemployed or “never worked” is higher than the city average.

As house prices have increased there has been a “gentrification” of parts of Moseley and alongside this there has been an increase in the numbers of unemployed and the proportion from ethnic communities, while there has been a decrease in young working people. Previously, there was sufficient affordable housing to ensure that younger people with community spirit and alternative lifestyles could move up the housing ladder in Moseley. Owner occupation is now only possible for the wealthy. Houses divided into bed-sit accommodation has been converted back into single family homes or demolished to make way for purpose built apartments that are not affordable for the single young person on the average wage or below. This will continue the gentrification of the neighbourhood and may weaken its previous role as place that welcomes diversity and fosters creativity and enterprise.

9 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Reflecting on Moseley’s special

features.

The Dovecote, maintained by the Moseley Society

What do we value? How is it being lost? Architectural character of There appears to be lack of understanding Moseley and appreciation by BCC planners of the importance of conservation and the steady erosion of the character of the area. Too often, low quality planning applications are submitted and approved. Moseley suffers from inconsiderate housing developers. More and more there are inappropriate scale domestic extensions.

10 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT A viable shopping centre for Retails units are now below 50% of the Moseley shopping centre Within the neighbourhood there has been a loss of sites offering daytime employment and therefore providing customers to shops There has been an increase in rents by landlords supported by night-time economy enterprises that have squeezed out independent retailers Viable employment sites in Housing developers are utilising former Moseley retail/commercial land because of higher returns from residential development rather than commercial development in this area Mature street trees and access The City Council until recently have failed to to green space replace street trees lost due to natural wastage and there is a lack of central budget to replace street trees in pavements To often, inconsiderate development and work by service companies results in fatal damage or the felling of mature trees There is a lack of enforcement of TPOs and regulations regarding trees in conservation areas As part of planning applications, there are insufficient numbers of trees being planned on new development sites Growth of new businesses There has been a loss of central sites that could accommodate new businesses and rents have increased too much for business start-ups to afford. Participation in community life In recent years there has been a reduction in venues for community meetings or events.

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A landmark building in the Village

Moseley Hall

12 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT What tools do we have to help the neighbourhood? Citywide planning policies Current Unitary Development Plan and Core Strategy Birmingham Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan SPG: Mature suburbs: guidelines to control residential intensification 2007 Birmingham City Council’s planning framework – Local centres strategy 2007 Birmingham Conservation Strategy Birmingham Parks and Open Spaces strategy Birmingham Playing pitches strategy Birmingham Nature Conservation Strategy Biodiversity Action Plan for Birmingham and the Black Country City Climate Change Policy Local planning policies Conservation areas and listed buildings in Moseley UDP - Areas of restraint Non-retail uses policy for Moseley Shop front design guide for Moseley Special licensing policy 2008

The concerns and pressures in the neighbourhood are partly due to the inadequate and inconsistent implementation of the above tools at the disposal of the City Council (excepting the special licensing policy that came into effect in January 2008). Local groups’ (such as the Moseley Society) vigilance have helped considerably to defend the character and quality of the neighbourhood. Prince of Wales PH

13 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Current pressures and priorities

Moseley and Kings Heath Ward Development Plan 2008 The key issues summarised by Birmingham City Council in the Ward Development Plan (Moseley and Kings Heath Ward) following consultation with local community groups are as follows:

ISSUE EVIDENCE FROM THE WARD PLAN Community safety Reduce crime and fear of Ward ranks 8th highest out of 40 for Personal Robbery crime Offences for Hate Crime & Domestic Violence are 3 times higher than City average in parts of north Moseley & Kings Heath Ward is ranked 7th highest out of 40 for residential burglary Housing Support a range of housing 19.3-28.8% households overcrowded in north Moseley as types compared to the Birmingham average of 9.6%. 90.2 to 100% of north Moseley council owned homes failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard compared to the Birmingham average of 67.6%. Environment Need to maintain clean Feedback gathered from public consultations public spaces Desire to increase recycling and reduce littering Desire to reduce climate change Desire to have a neighbourhood with good landscape features Transportation Desire to reduce road Feedback gathered from public consultations congestion and provide alternatives such as a rail link Community participation in civic life Desire to increase Feedback gathered from public consultations participation from residents and support cultural activities Children and young people Provide opportunities to Key Stage 2: parts of north Moseley 49.9% & below as improve education compared to City average of 65.4% achievements and quality of Key Stage 3: parts of north Moseley 49.9% & below as life compared to City average 52.5% . Small concentrations of young people gaining 5 in more GCSEs at A-C rank below the City average for north Moseley. Early Learning (Foundation Stage): parts of north Moseley 49.9% & below as compared to City average of 51.3% .

14 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Health Desire to improve life Ward ranks 33rd for circulatory diseases with concentrations expectancy, reduce health above 200% in north Moseley compared to England inequalities and provide average. better care for under 5’s and Low Birth Weight: parts of north Moseley above 15% the elderly. compared to national average of 5.04%. Ward ranks 37th out of 40 for infant mortality. Rate of deaths from all causes in north Moseley is 200% above England average. Economic development Desire to develop local Feedback gathered from public consultations centres. Business start-ups % population economically inactive above 40.1% for north and reduce unemployment. Moseley as compared to City average of 31.5%. Make physical % claimants of Job Seeker Allowance above 15.1% in north improvements to public Moseley as compared to City average of 8.4%. spaces. % claiming Income Support above 15% for north Moseley as compared to City average of 10.4%.

15 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Community led consultations

Planning for Real findings In the summer of 2004 Moseley Forum carried out a large-scale consultation exercise to learn about the priorities and concerns of Moseley residents with the aim that the findings should be used to form the basis of a new Moseley Plan. The Planning for Real technique was used to help improve the effectiveness of the consultation and make it accessible to all. More than 800 residents gave their views during 7 separate events and this was followed by a prioritisation session.

The concerns of Moseley residents can be summarised as follows:- 1) Regeneration issues a) Promote local retail b) Reduce numbers of pubs c) Support and encourage local businesses d) Support and encourage local festivals and markets e) Address neglected areas and properties f) Stop development that is not in keeping 2) Traffic and Transport a) Make alternative forms of transport safer, cleaner and more accessible b) Make roads safer for all users through traffic calming, more speed reductions (particular roads highlighted) c) Address parking problems in commercial and residential streets 3) Environment a) Make the Village ‘Greener’ b) Address litter and dog fouling problems c) Increase sustainability of the Village d) Deal with environmental problems such as rats and excessive night noise 4) Street Scene a) Address issues of vandalism, graffiti and fly-posting b) Plant and replace street trees c) Improve pavements and shop fronts 5) Tackle Crime and Promote Community Safety

16 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT 6) Maintain and Improve provision of Community Facilities a) Eg: allotments, swimming pools, playgrounds and facilities for youth and the elderly 7) Improve access to health provision, especially with reference to shortage of dentists and GPs

Moseley: a sustainable neighbourhood Suggestions from residents to help make Moseley sustainable: At a workshop organised and delivered by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), local residents considered how to make the neighbourhood sustainable. Below is list of the ideas generated to reduce Moseley’s impact on the environment.

WATER . Install more water meters . Domestic rainwater harvesting – increase the use of water butts . Water credits – for those that can save water from an annual allowance. . Increase the use of composting toilets

ENERGY . Bus travel information sent to your mobile phone to encourage greater use . A Moseley car-sharing club . A local train service . A community energy generation company

GOODS . Reduce use of plastic bags from retailers and encourage the use of paper bags in shops . Recover “waste” food from local shops for re-distribution or composting . Produce a recipe book using the knowledge of older people that explains how to use scraps or “waste” foods; to reduce the amount of food waste thrown away.

It is important to note that voluntary action is taking the lead on environmental matters in the neighbourhood and is filling the gaps left by the City Council at present. This action is reliant upon the enthusiasm of the residents involved and they operate with little resource.

17 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Health

To better understand health concerns in the neighbourhood Moseley Community Development Trust in 2007 delivered a project called Real Time Community Change; it allowed local community organisations to address a central question: how can we improve the health of local residents? Nine groups participated in the project and answered the question in the following ways:

. Testing for diabetes . First Aid training for parents of babies and toddlers . Publicity for the campaign to refurbish Moseley Road Baths . Sexual health course for teenagers . Yoga for Asian women . A day trip for elderly people . A campaign to find volunteers to visit isolated elderly people . A play-scheme . A horticultural therapy project for people suffering from mental health problems . The development of an exercise trail in the Park

In the discussions with residents it became clear that the groups of people who need most support in the neighbourhood were the under 5’s, the elderly and those suffering from mental illness.

Away from this project the other comments that have been received support the findings from the planning for real consultation. Residents are very concerned about access to GP services and Dentists and most agree a new health centre for the neighbourhood is desirable.

18 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Critical Current Issues

Alongside the public consultation events Moseley Regeneration group has been considering the issues that are affecting the viability of the shopping area and the wider neighbourhood. Below is a summary of the issues the MRG has been trying to resolve.

. Economic

Moseley’s economy has undergone significant restructuring since the early 1990s. This process raises considerable new challenges for the neighbourhood but also provides new opportunities to build a sustainable, balanced future for the local economy. Recent changes and key issues can be summarised under the following five broad themes:

1. Weakening of the day-time economy Loss of several large employers and the associated spending power in shops, services in the area. In recent years, Moseley has lost Britannic Assurance and its training centre, Ideal Benefit Society, Meteor Ford,and the Unemployment Benefit Office. There is an acute need to generate new day-time activity and link this effectively to the local shops, services and leisure amenities. Several of these employment sites have been converted to residential use such the James Gracie Centre, Sorrento Hospital. There is only one major employer in the area, i.e. over 500 employees, which is South Birmingham NHS PCT’s Moseley Hall Hospital – this is soon to be refurbished and rebuilt in part by the Birmingham Mental Health Trust and is likely to attract greater traffic in the future.

2. Access to local jobs The lack of local employers not only affects the shops but local people who need employment. In north Moseley where unemployment is above the City average the ability to access local employment has reduced. People are forced to look elsewhere for work now, pay for travel and spend their money away from Moseley instead of supporting the local economy.

19 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT 3. Growth of the night-time economy and associated strains There is a significant and growing number of bars, pubs and restaurants in Moseley. The cumulative impact of these has dictated some of the conditions for local economic activity. Most of these leisure activities are primarily oriented to evening uses, with limited daytime trade. The night-time local economy in Moseley is thriving making Moseley during this time a vibrant place to be. The proliferation of night-time leisure uses, combined with the extended licensing hours following national reforms in 2005 has led to a rise in associated problems of late-night noise, nuisance to local residents, alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour and litter. This led to the establishment of a Special Licensing Policy, one of three in Birmingham (the other two being in city centre areas) – thereby acknowledging that the area has reached saturation point in terms of licensed premises .The growth of night-time drinking and eating activities has been accompanied by small growth of music and performance uses, primarily in dedicated sections of the pub/bar establishments.

4. Vulnerability of the retail and commercial centre The processes outlined above have rendered Moseley’s traditional retail and commercial role increasingly fragile. Property ownership in the commercial centre; attracting independent retailers is difficult due to the high rentals and so, chain stores are more likely to take on a lease. More recently, traders such as Sainsbury’s, William Hill and Subway have taken up prominent retail frontages along the Alcester Road. Away from core retail area smaller independent traders have managed to maintain a foothold in Moseley. With much of the retail property in a poor condition, not particularly suited to modern requirements, mainstay retailers have been replaced by restaurants and pubs that have undertaken major refits of the premises, often combining originally separate units into larger premises. Although in the rest of the city the number of pubs continues to fall, in Moseley market conditions dictate that pub/bar/restaurant activities can be much more financially attractive than traditional small-scale retailing. Local, independent retailers in Moseley are also affected by the lack of daytime footfall caused by the drop in local employment, wider competitive pressures from superstores and larger chain outlets, and the nearby competition from Kings Heath, which is one of

20 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT the largest suburban shopping areas in Birmingham. This centre combines a significant representation of national multiples on the high street, clusters of independent traders on some of its side streets and several large off street car parks. A notable exception to the footfall problem is the monthly farmers’ market, which draws a much broader customer base to Moseley and generates significant spin-off benefits for the centre’s other traders and cafes.

photo by Brett Wilde 2008

This context requires a serious re-think of Moseley’s future retail function in the wider city environment. The longstanding ambition to maintain a cluster of independent, niche shops in Moseley may be difficult to sustain. Instead it may be more realistic that the retail/commercial centre aims to support, and benefit from, the growth of other new economic activities in the area. While the City Council and local stakeholders have instigated important planning policies to protect the retail function, and slow the shift to leisure uses, there remains a need to consider more proactive initiatives to strengthen the shopping and commercial services roles of Moseley centre.

21 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT 5. A growing concentration of creative and cultural activities and people An emerging priority is to halt the leakage of wealth creation activity out of Moseley and to capture more of the benefits of this creative and knowledge worker community – with direct and indirect benefits for the area’s day-time economy.

Moseley Community Development Trust (MCDT) commissioned two studies (by Ann Chivers and David Clarke Associates), to better understand how the creative industries could be a catalyst for neighbourhood regeneration. With this aim in mind MCDT has also undertaken some of its own activities – Moseley Creative Forum (quarterly networking events), and the Moseley Arts Market (an opportunity for local craftspeople and artists).

The study by David Clarke Associates (DCA) clearly demonstrated that the widespread belief that Moseley was home to a higher concentration of people from the creative industries was a not a myth but a reality. In the 2001 census, occupation data for Moseley residents demonstrated a strong representation from the creative industries (under SOC code 34, Culture, Media and Sport); 4.8% of all people with occupations as compared to 1.5% for Birmingham as a whole.

In addition, analysis of census data demonstrated that many “creative” people leave Moseley to work elsewhere in the City. The research goes on to highlight that there is little by way of infrastructure to support Moseley’s small creative businesses.

The studies demonstrate that Moseley is a place where businesses are born. Currently the Village best serves the creative industry businesses at the “pre-incubation” stage of an enterprise’s growth. The research has led to the recognition of the uniqueness of local assets and talent, and of the need to develop infrastructure to support new business, in particular from the creative industries. This means the creation of more office and workshop units in the Village area that will support the existing retail and leisure uses. Currently there is a dearth of office and workshop units in the neighbourhood.

City-centre connectivity: Birmingham’s Eastside is the focus for a substantial range of creative developments to complement the Custard Factory, and Millennium Point etc.

22 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Moseley is a few minutes drive away from the Digbeth area and already has connectivity with it because many of the talented people working there live in the Village. They and other creatives make use of the lively local social scene. It is therefore logical that Moseley is the natural place for new businesses to “grow on” to the Eastside and Digbeth creative cluster.

Creative Creative industries “the companies new engine for “creative village” growth”

Eastside Moseley

Grow on units - Connecting New business start, physical communities flexible work space, developments by & economies café culture, the private sector knowledge sector to support the workers , creative Arts Market. industries

A local benefit coming from having a concentration of creative residents in the neighbourhood has been the establishment of the Moseley Festival and Moseley Folk Festival. These attract a large number of people from around the city and wider a-field. Also, there is potential to increase the variety of entertainment available during the daytime and early evenings but the private sector appears not to have taken this up.

. Housing

The combination of a demand for housing and the desirable nature of the neighbourhood have seen growing pressure on brownfield sites for new housing. In addition, existing homeowners are extending their properties or sometimes developing the gardens to create new accommodation in the area. Also, green space has been lost to housing developers despite local opposition. These developments have raised the following concerns amongst residents:

23 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT . High density housing inappropriate to the area. . Domestic alterations that fail to respect the character of the area or the conservation area status. . Loss of green open space . Loss of Victorian Heritage . Increasing pressure on local infrastructure.

Housing supply and demand The demand for housing from the City Council and other Housing providers in the Moseley area continues to remain high and exceeds supply at the moment. In 2006/07 the state of the City Council’s housing stock in the Moseley and Kings Heath Ward was as follows:

Bungalow 32 Flat 266 House 122 Maisonette 13 Total 433 Source Birmingham City Council

The City Councils statistics show that percentage of need met through lettings in 06/07 Moseley 1- 2-bed 3-bed 4-bed 5-bed & bed Kings 9.8% 2.1% 0.8% 0.0% 0.0% Heath Ward Source Birmingham City Council

Overall, in 2006-07 the need for housing from the City Council in Moseley and Kings Heath Ward was as follows:

24 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Moseley& KH ward 1 bed 2 bed 3 bed 4 bed 5 bed unknown total 317.1 233.6 119.0 46.9 12.4 1.1 730 Source Birmingham City Council

Besides the City Council and private ownership we find a significant amount of demand is met through Registered Social Landlords (RSL). Within north Moseley there is concentration of social housing providers

Registered Social Landlord’s in the Moseley area

Total properties in B13 postcode district 1816 properties

Provider Count of properties Accord 11 Adullam 12 Anchor 66 Ashram 19 Birmingham Civic 5 Bromford 87 BVT 1 Family HA 46 FCH 135 Fry HA 16 Harden 57 Mercian 2 Midland Heart 643 Moseley and District 387 Sanctuary 2 Servite 1 St Basils 24 Stonham 5 Trident 131 Waterloo 134 BCOP 32

Demand for this type of accommodation again remains high and outstrips supply. Moseley and District Churches Housing Association are a longstanding RSL in the Moseley area and one of the larger suppliers. In 2006-07 the average waiting times for accommodation was as follows:

25 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Stock Average wait time in months Bed sit 9.7 1-bed 19.5 2-bed 22.5 3-bed 23.3 4-bed no average wait since none have been let in 2 years 5-bed 34 6-bed no average wait since none have been let in 2 years Source: Moseley and District Churches Housing Association

Accessibility of private housing The potential to purchase a home in the Moseley area has now become limited to those on higher earnings. The cost of homes far exceeds ability of those earning average wages in the City; affordable homes appear to have gone from Moseley. At the time of writing, there has been a slow down in the dramatic growth in house prices in Moseley. This is most likely due to the recent slow down in the UK economy, increase in the cost of living and the recent credit-crisis within financial institutions. It would seem though that property will remain desirable in the area and that most of the private housing market will remain the domain of high income families.

Earnings in Birmingham:

Birmingham Resident Based Gross Weekly Earnings 2006 Employee £ Male Full Time 441.6 Workers Male Part Time 106.7 Workers Female Full Time 377.0 Workers Female Part Time 130.8 Workers Full Time Workers 412.0 Part Time Workers 121.6 Source: Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council’s information suggests that the average gross annual income is £21,424 for a full time worker

26 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT The National Housing Federation (NHF) in the West Midlands recent report “Home Truths” (2008) describes the following situation in Birmingham.

Average house price 2006 Average income 2006

Gross annual income needed for a mortgage (95% at 3.5x)

Birmingham £154,630 £17,737 £41,971

It’s not been possible to find average weekly earnings or house price just for the Moseley area. But local knowledge of house prices suggests the average cost of a house in Moseley would be significantly higher than the average figure shown above by the NHF.

. Transport

Car parking in the shopping the area has been a contentious issue for many years now. Some residents and traders believe more parking is required if the shopping area is to be a viable option. Whilst others have said the existing car park combined with the street parking is ample for a small shopping area and that encouraging car use only leads to greater congestion and pollution. In the evenings there certainly is an issue of people from outside the area parking in side streets near to the shopping area and then causing a nuisance to residents late at night. Moseley like other Birmingham suburbs has an arterial road (A435) passing through it. Whilst this helps with connectivity and a good bus service it can cause congestion, danger, nuisance and pollution for residents. Many local residents favour the re-opening of the railway station in Moseley to provide an alternative. At the time of writing, the City Council had identified what works were required to bring back a passenger service, the scheme would cost in region of £30M. Residents are keen to see the rail link can be re-opened and would also like to see greater priority given to cycles and pedestrians. Moseley like other areas suffers from congestion around its schools during the “school run”. The City Council have tried to encourage parents and children to seek alternatives such as the “walking bus” but there remains the problem of too many cars dropping off children.

27 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT

. Education

Moseley’s Primary schools have enjoyed a good reputation in the City for a number of years now and this has led to competition for places and an inflation in housing prices; not a dissimilar pattern to others areas of the City and the UK. Maintaining high standards in Primary Schools will always be magnet to families and help maintain the residential character of the neighbourhood. If the neighbourhood were to develop more affordable housing then there needs to be an increase in the number of school places and resources within the neighbourhood’s schools, at the same time, if they are to maintain their current high level of achievement.

. Social

These observations are based on the last seven years work by the Moseley Community Development Trust. Moseley is well known for its diverse population and successful co- existence of different communities. This needs to be recognised as a real success but can it continue as the rate of inward migration to Moseley increases and a once stable demographic begins to change more rapidly.

Co-existence To ensure the growth of social capital and community cohesion in the future the relationship between different communities needs to change from one of co-existence to one of inter-dependence.

Communications Another aspect of this situation is the communication between existing community organisations that can be confusing at times. There is a dependence on individuals and ad hoc systems to circulate information between the community groups. This has led to competition, duplication and inefficiency of the community sector. One group that has taken steps in recent years to improve understanding between communities has been the Moseley Inter-faith group.

28 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Sustainability Earlier, the significant contribution made to community life by residents since the 1970’s was noted; these residents have delivered many positive changes for the neighbourhood and without their efforts much of what is valued would have been lost. The local Churches have also been significant players, providing support to community initiatives and helping those most in need. As the population has now changed since the 1970’s there is the potential to achieve much more and to increase the diversity of residents involved in organising community activities. Whilst there has been voluntary activity in Moseley there has been little Infrastructure to support it. Places to meet, access to equipment, skilled staff, advice and finance have all been short supply. There has been little investment from the City Council into infrastructure, instead there has been a reliance on goodwill from the Moseley Churches and since 2000, Moseley Community Development Trust. Without appropriate infrastructure the sustainability of voluntary action comes in to question.

29 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT . Environment

Conservation, improvement of the local environment and supporting sustainable development initiatives have always a popular cause amongst Moseley residents. There are a number of organisations and projects already progressing environmental objectives: Group Activities BCC - Cleaner / Greener A co-ordination group led by the City Council. Group, Moseley Environmental Warden Moseley Street Wardens There are two Wardens employed by Moseley Community Development Trust since 2002. They are concerned with community safety. This means they support the Police, City Council Environmental Services and community led projects. Moseley Society The Moseley Society, a registered charity, was formed in 1979 with the aim of preserving and protecting the best of this unique area of Birmingham, England. It is committed to promoting high standards of planning and architecture, organising meetings of public interest and concern, and serving on local advisory bodies.

Moseley in Bloom This group lead a campaign to improve the environmental quality of the neighbourhood. They participate each year in the Britain in Bloom competition and are working to replant lost street trees in the neighbourhood. Moseley Forum’s – SusMo SusMo is a local campaign set up by Moseley campaign Forum. SusMo aims to make Moseley a more sustainable community both by personal action to cut our household CO2 emissions and through community initiatives. and Pool This is a charity responsible for 11 acres of historic parkland in the middle of the neighbourhood. This green space is important to many people as an escape from the urban environment and is used for local events and festivals. They also encourage schools to use the landscape for environmental education. This a local nature reserve on the edge of the neighbourhood. There is an active group of volunteers who help manage the site. Friends of Highbury Park An orgaisation dedicated to the maintenance and restoration of the park to its original magnificent state when it was largely the garden of the Chamberlain family’s Highbury Hall.

30 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT It is important to note that at present voluntary action is taking the lead on environmental matters in the neighbourhood and is filling the gaps left by the City Council. This action is reliant upon the enthusiasm of the residents involved and they operate with little resource.

Parks, open spaces and allotments are features that have a positive impact on the quality of life Birmingham. Parts of the neighbourhood can access green open spaces and enjoy wildlife more easily than other areas. Streets closer towards the River Rea corridor have more opportunities to than other parts. Whilst on the opposite side of the neighbourhood residents can access the Local Nature reserve (Moseley Bog), Swanshurst Park and Wake Green Playing fields. Unfortunately for those residents in the middle of the neighbourhood they have to travel a little further to reach parks or open spaces. The City Councils Ward Open spaces plan shows that there are significant parts of the neighbourhood; north Moseley and the streets between Greenhill Road and Cambridge Road that contain properties that are in excess of 400m from an area green open space. In the City Council’s Parks and Open Spaces strategy, it describes how it aims for parks and open spaces to have a catchment area of 400m. The quality and management of parks and open spaces remain a concern amongst residents. The City Council wants to involve residents in the development of Local Open Space Action Plans within Wards or a Constituency but there appears to be little awareness about this.

As a neighbourhood there is an opportunity to contribute towards the nature conservation and biodiversity in the City. The recent feature of residents paving over front gardens or building on gardens is causing concern. It leads to an increase in housing density (when developing new housing), the loss permeable surfaces and increases water run off in to the roads, reduces habitats for wildlife and a change to the character of the landscape within a mature suburb.

31 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT Summary

1. Moseley is a neighbourhood that is perceived to be a successful one and, in many ways, it is; however it suffers from areas of deprivation adjacent to areas of wealth. The perception of a stable and successful neighbourhood has led to complacency within the City Council and masked the deprivation that does exist. The neighbourhood is being allowed to drift away from its once vibrant role in growing creative enterprises and supporting alternative thinking.

2. Moseley’s commercial centre is failing in the daytime and urgently needs to be re- invented if the heart of the neighbourhood is not to become dominated by the evening leisure and entertainment industry. The high rentals and commercial property prices present a real obstacle to creating a diverse and successful shopping area. Currently, Moseley is not taking advantage of its high concentration of creative industry and professional workers to recycle the wealth that they create elsewhere in the City or the UK.

3. Community life needs a stable infrastructure to support its retention and growth. Since Moseley is very unlikely to be the subject of central Government regeneration programme it is the community sector that must be proactive and vigilant.

4. The most vulnerable in the neighbourhood need better access and improved services and facilities from primary care providers. The gaps in life opportunities and health between north Moseley and the rest of the neighbourhood need to be reduced.

5. The gentrification of the neighbourhood could mean the loss of a younger population and so less diversity and enterprise. The desire of housing developers to exploit the neighbourhood means more pressure is placed on old infrastructure therefore, more investment is needed in the schools, health facilities, Policing, highways, utilities, protection of the built environment and green spaces.

6. If Moseley is to retain its character, action is required to stop its decline in to a neighbourhood that has little identity or purpose and leaves residents always to react to

32 Moseley Community Development Trust DRAFT problems. There is the opportunity now to use the skills and knowledge that exist in the local community sector to initiate a series of policies and actions that would lead to the development of a place that embraces sustainable development and brings benefits to neighbouring areas.

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