We’re extremely sad to learn of the loss of Joe Holyoak. Birmingham Friends of the Earth have worked with Joe in many ways since our earliest days, including the renowned Old Post Office Campaign commemorated in SERA’s heritage event at The Warehouse this week. Several waves of our campaigners learned a lot from him as they got to grips with not only the Local Plan but the various Regional Plans that have come and gone. He helped us all understand that planning, which sounds so dry and dull to the uninitiated, could be radical and transformative – and how to engage with the authorities to make it so.
Personally, I got to know Joe around 2002. At the time he was at BCU where he clearly inspired a lot of his students to understand the role of architecture and urban design in social justice. He contributed heavily to a group I coordinated pressing for more sustainable regeneration in Digbeth/Eastside. I always remember saying, when he had kindly agreed to take on a task no-one else would – “Oh thanks so much Joe – you’re so dependable”: “Hmm, not sure about ‘dependable’” came the reply “Makes me sound like an old sheepdog”. I suspect he’d have preferred words like ‘radical’, perhaps even ‘maverick’; and these do seem more fitting, along with ‘inspirational’, ‘mine of information’ and ‘legend’.
Reflecting on everyone’s recent words about Joe as well as on our own experience, something that strikes me is that he was always focused not just in objecting to bad development but in energetically pursuing better alternatives or proactive plans. That’s more rare than it should be. A perfect example was his work on Balsall Heath’s neighbourhood plan, which was pioneering in many ways and contained a wealth of well-defined and people-centred ideas.
This summer, despite his illness Joe offered to meet with me as we faced the crisis of the MRHA plans to demolish our building. In helping us to challenge it, he immediately saw theopportunities to present a plan for a huge improvement to the public realm and quality of the Shaws Passage/Bordesley St block around us, and produced a drawing to include in our response, complete with housing to complement the existing buildings and garden, and a new pedestrian route. He talked me through the conservation arguments we could draw on and, within what turned out to be his last few days of good health, made our local listing application. See, I had a point with ‘dependable’.
We will miss Joe hugely and send much love to Polly and his family.
Karen Leach
