Challenges to paradise

By Zoe Gough
BBC News Online, Birmingham

Paradise Circus is one of the next areas for regeneration

The drive to rejuvenate Birmingham is now well under way with city planners tackling a number of multi-million pound schemes to makeover run down sites.

Following on from the successful transformation of the Bull Ring, renamed and opened as the Bullring in September, more and more areas of the city are set to see bulldozers move in over the coming years.

However some city environmental groups are fearful that the fashion for urban regeneration could destroy much of Birmingham's architectural past.

The latest proposals to redevelop Paradise Circus, in the city centre, have sparked a debate about what shape the historic civic area should take.

Architects are currently drawing up plans which would see a new office complex, aimed at attracting large multi-national companies, replace the 1960s buildings like the Central Library.

But Stephen Hartland, of the Birmingham Civic Society, is calling on developers not to neglect historical context in their "rush to reinvent" the city.

"In schemes to develop wonderful iconic buildings we must not forget the old buildings which made Birmingham what it is," he said.

It was probably once the most beautiful centre of Birmingham Stephen Hartland, Civic Society

He is concerned the area's traditional landscape of Victorian and Edwardian buildings could be ruined by a monolithic-type development.

"It was probably once the most beautiful centre of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain was involved in its development and I even have an old postcard of Paradise Street which has the words 'this is a beautiful place' written on it."

"We are not against modern buildings but we have got to be a lot more careful what buildings we put on the front of Chamberlain Square and the Town Hall."

He pointed to Brindleyplace as a good example of modern buildings built in the classical-style.

"They are trying to put right what was done in the 1960s, when they spent a lot of money getting rid of everything old," he said.

"We are a bit more knowledgeable about it now but there is still that reluctance to build in the classical design."

Eva Ling, the Birmingham spokeswoman for The Twentieth Century Society, agreed history was repeating itself and is fighting against the demolition of the resource library.

The council wants to build a new library in Digbeth

"We feel the library is an important building, it is a very good example of the John Madin Design Partnership, who were a leading architectural group in the 1960s," she said.

"It is a brutalist design, very much of its time and it makes an important statement."

The society failed in its attempt to have the library listed.

"It is only 30 years old and very well used, they are squandering public money," she said.

"I think Birmingham is far too keen to demolish the existing and have the latest, expensive, fashion. There is far too much redevelopment."

Master planning

Councillor Nigel Dawkins, who is chairing a scrutiny committee into the redevelopment of Paradise Circus, said as a civic area for 150 years he would challenge its use for office space.

"Personally I would like to see the centre opened up so that there is more open space for people," he said.

And he questioned how the council would justify the estimated £250m cost of building a new library when it would cost just £30m to refurbish it.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said no proposals yet exist but sketches of options for the site have been made.

She said a full master planning exercise would be taking place in which issues like design quality and relation to historic buildings would be considered.