When you think of urban regeneration in the West Midlands you tend to think of developments like Brindleyplace and the Bullring; landmark schemes that have achieved national acclaim for their groundbreaking regeneration of England’s second city.   However not all of Birmingham’s successful regeneration is being delivered by major developers and pension fund investors.

Supporting a population of over 1.4m people, across 300 square miles of the city, in 169 parishes, the Diocese of Birmingham is showing its own commitment to regenerating the communities that it has served for nearly 100 years.  Working in partnership with consultants Bruton Knowles the Diocese is delivering a spate of regeneration projects approaching £1m in investment. 

Acting on behalf of the Diocese of Birmingham Trevor Webb at Bruton Knowles explains how he has helped different church communities to regenerate their key sites and buildings, “As a charitable trust the Diocese has always focussed on the responsible use of its property assets and the all important delivery of best value.  However in recent years there has also been growing recognition that the Diocese is well placed to contribute to the regeneration of many of these communities, where it holds land and property assets in key locations.  

By exploring the redevelopment of buildings and facilities in different communities the Diocese is progressing new building projects which will deliver best value for the church but will also greatly benefit these wider communities.  For example at the parish of All Saints in Four Oaks the vicarage was costly to maintain and not ideal for purpose, as was the basic hut used by local children’s groups, whilst a redundant area of churchyard and vicarage garden could yield almost an acre of land suitable for development. 

After a rigorous local consultation, review of best value and a competitive tender process Antler Homes were chosen as a strategic partner to deliver a redevelopment programme.  The scheme provides new housing, a new purpose built vicarage for the parish, a new purpose built local community hall for children’s groups and a new ancillary storage building.”

The Reverend Timothy Platts, vicar of The Parish Church at All Saints, Four Oaks comments on the scheme, “We were delighted with the overall plan for the site as everyone benefits from the regeneration of what was largely redundant space and buildings not really fit for purpose.  Many vicarage buildings were either designed for a very different era or were not designed as anything more than residential housing and are not ideal for modern use. 

We now have the Green Book Guide provided by the Church Commissioners.  This identifies that vicarages need about 20 percent more ground floor space than a standard residential property, in an area like a study that needs to be well sound proofed and with separate access where possible.  The new design from Antler is excellent because it delivers this without the typical imbalanced look of some new vicarages I have seen.  It has also proven so popular with Antler customers, many of whom have enquired about buying the vicarage, that it may even become a standard Antler design.  This is not so surprising when you consider the number of people working from home who require a practical study space and would appreciate features like sound insulation and independent access.  It is also good to know that the church is able to inform the debate on modern working practices!”

Across the city in Castle Vale another community in the Diocese is benefiting from new facilities and a new investment in the area.  The parish of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne in Castle Vale lies in the heart of a major urban regeneration programme, which has seen the ex RAF base and 1960’s housing estate transformed by hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in new housing stock and new community facilities. 

In order to support the community regeneration Bruton Knowles and St Cuthbert’s worked in partnership with Castle Vale Housing Action Trust to use parish land at Reed Square for new modern housing and a new purpose built vicarage as well as the renovation and refurbishment of the square, a valuable public space and the provision of a new local High Street.  The Diocese has achieved the design and development of another unique vicarage building as part of the regeneration at the parish of St Cuthbert. 

The vicarage, designed by Associated Architects, again conforms to the green book guidelines to ensure that it meets the needs of a modern parish.  Fr Darren Miller of St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne comments, “The regeneration at Castle Vale has been nothing less than spectacular.  So as a parish we were keen to support the regeneration plans with our own contribution of land and a collaboration between ourselves and the Castle Vale Housing Action Trust.  The old, desolate Reed Square has been transformed into a new High Street, Community Campus and magnificent new public space in St Cuthbert’s Place. The new housing around the square will add to the affordable housing stock available in the community and the new vicarage is an excellent facility to work in. 

Buildings are obviously not the most important element of a community but they can have a real impact on morale and our emotional well being.  The transformation at Castle Vale is one we are proud to have been able to contribute to, as it has made a very real and positive difference to people’s lives.”

Trevor Webb at Bruton Knowles concludes, “We work with many typical organisations involved in regeneration like the major local authorities including Wolverhampton City Council, Birmingham Council and Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council.  However we also have a range of clients like the Diocese who are not only pursuing best value and best use of assets but are also keen to contribute to the regeneration agenda.  They are quietly improving towns and cities with their own investment and responsible use of property assets, proving that regeneration in the Midlands is a community owned activity and not just the preserve of the major investor.”