Proposed developments include a community-led cohousing scheme and a new 112-room hotel
The Bournville Village Trust and Mondelēz International, the owner of Cadbury, are consulting on a series of potential new developments within the famous garden suburb of Bournville in south Birmingham.
The stated intention of the consultation is to “develop a long-term plan for Bournville heritage places and spaces,” with a focus on increased cultural activity, connectivity, and community amenities.
Proposed developments include a new community-led cohousing scheme, the conversion of the Cadbury factory’s sports pavilion into a restaurant, and the construction of a new hotel on the site of a former staff clubhouse.
Ruth Miller, the independent consultation lead for the project, was quoted in the Birmingham Mail as saying: “There is a huge amount of passion in and around Bournville for the area’s heritage buildings and green spaces, but some are either inaccessible to the community or underused.
“We know that a large proportion of the community want more community and recreational opportunities, social and leisure activities, and more sports facilities for young people, and these conceptual drawings are based on this feedback. We now want to hear from as many people as possible about what they think of these initial drawings and ideas, and any other ideas that people may have, so that we can carry out further, more focused consultation.”
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Long admired as a model of enlightened private-sector town planning and architecture, the Bournville estate sits adjacent to the Cadbury factory. It was initiated by George Cadbury and developed from 1894 onwards. Today, the estate has over 7,000 homes, with a central ‘village green’ surrounded by a school and local shops.
Most large developable residential sites have long since been built out, but the Celebration Bournville Community Consultation has identified several opportunities for change and growth in and around the historic heart of the estate.
Several of the sites under consideration are owned by Mondelēz. These include a former walled garden that used to be part of the Bournbrook Hall estate, which George Cadbury bought in 1895 and then converted into a recreation ground for his workers.
The consultation envisages a new community-led co-housing scheme to be built within the retained walls of the currently disused garden.
Nearby, a 1902 pavilion by H. Bedford Tyler, which overlooks the factory’s sports pitches, is being considered for conversion into a restaurant.
The consultation is also inviting stakeholders to share their views on proposals to build a new 112-room hotel, pedestrianise part of Sycamore Road to better connect the existing shops to the village green, and plans for new changing facilities close to the existing Rowheath Pavilion.
The original estate was laid out by surveyor Alfred Pickard Walker, while much of the early housing and most admired public buildings were designed by William Alexander Harvey.
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