In the middle of what is –once again- shaping up to be the hottest summer on record, the last thing we want to have to do as a climate justice campaign group is to focus our efforts and resources on saving our building, but, like it or not, this is where we find ourselves: collectively feeling very much like Arthur Dent at the start of A Hitchhikers’ Guide To The Galaxy.*
At the start of July a letter dropped through our doorway indicating that our beloved Warehouse was earmarked for compulsory purchase and demolition as part of plans to expand Moor Street Station to accommodate trains including from the Camp Hill Line and free up New Street capacity. To say that this was a shock would be an understatement, especially given how Birmingham Friends of The Earth campaigned strongly on both the Camp Hill Line and the Bordesley Chords.
It would doubtless be unfair to compare the developers behind this scheme to Vogon constructors – and they certainly seem more willing to engage constructively with us – but they might as well be living on Alpha Centauri, given their knowledge of the existing Digbeth cultural landscape. You could conclude that to them, The Warehouse is just a building, just a number on a balance sheet, not a living, breathing community hub. If the new government are serious about both climate transition and putting power in the hands of communities, they need to make sure schemes such as this are developed through consultation with communities from day one.
Since 1977, The Warehouse has been a space for people working to build a better Birmingham and beyond to gather. Climate action groups from around the country meet here. We’ve had a vegetarian or vegan cafe here for over 40 years, showing people what plant-based eating can look like. Our campaigners ran recycling and retrofit projects before the council did. We’re home to the only city-centre bike shop and our community garden is busy with bees and birds, including endangered species like sparrows. Thanks to investment from our community, we’ve done loads of work to retrofit our building and demonstrate how to make old buildings energy-efficient. These are the kinds of activities we want to focus our energy on – things that make our communities better and stronger. Building a better future for everyone, instead of fighting to survive.
We have, at least, been given a bit more advance notice of our potential demolition than Arthur Dent was. The MRHA’s plans are available to view and respond to online until August 28 and we ask anyone who values The Warehouse and what happens here to tell them what you think. We know that responding to consultations can be confusing and while we don’t have Babelfish to translate developerspeak for you, we have put together some guidance on our website about how to respond.
Didn’t anyone consider the alternatives?!
To be clear – we strongly support the principles of these improvements to Birmingham’s railways. Better public transport is vital to achieving the climate transition we need if we want to prevent the worst effects of human-induced climate change. Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners have been advocating for cleaner, greener transport for decades. What we do not support is the destruction of existing communities and businesses to achieve these goals. Especially not trashing existing independent businesses in the name of future ‘economic growth’. Like Arthur Dent’s Cottington, Digbeth is not a ‘cruddy little village’ ripe for wiping off the map and redeveloping, but a vibrant, creative neighbourhood.
We call on MHRA (and those tasked with overseeing such proposals – West Midlands Rail Executive and the Department for Transport) to send this back to the drawing board and work with the existing Digbeth community to consider less destructive alternatives that could also be better value for the public interest. After all, we are all in this together and –much like Lady Cynthia Fitzmelton and the residents of Cottington protesting the proposed by-pass alike- we all risk being swept away by the climate chaos that poses a very real threat to all life on earth.
