Save Bournville Parks

Spring update

Updated 4 May 2024

It has been a while since we last updated local residents, however, please be assured that several meetings have been held in the background (with residents who expressed an interest in being involved in a core group driving opposition to the plans). As a result, the following actions (among others) have taken place: 

• Media coverage - some of you will have seen the item on BBC Midlands Today on 21 March.  We hope that this item helped to spread the word more widely regarding the Environment Agency (EA) proposals of our parks.  You can view the feature opposite.

• Banners have been produced and put up in Weoley Hill Park in an effort to draw attention to our cause.

• On 20 March, representatives of the EA attended a walkthrough of Weoley Hill Park with the core group. Questions were submitted to the EA in advance of the meeting, but these were not answered until 4 April. The responses were unsatisfactory and contradictory – we will be taking this up with the EA very soon.

• A letter was written by local scientists and sent to the EA on 29 March, copying in senior executives at the EA. One of the main points was that, from the scientists’ “own very recent measurements that the volume flow rate from the Wood Brook is approximately 1% of that flowing along the Rea before it enters Stirchley or Digbeth” and thus, “under conditions of heavy rainfall, Wood Brook will contribute a negligible amount to flooding of any of the areas at risk”. A reply was received on 29 April. Again, the responses were unsatisfactory and contradictory, and we will be writing to the EA to try again to get answers to the points and queries raised. 

• Representatives for Manor Farm Park, Valley Parkway and Weoley Hill Park met with West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, at Manor Farm Park on 20 April – where the plans for all three parks were discussed. As a result, Andy Street sent a letter of objection to the EA on 22 April, describing the plans as “wholly inappropriate”, and is seeking a meeting with senior executives.

• We are in regular contact with BVT and hope that they will be issuing further details regarding their position soon.

• Representatives of all three parks are in contact with each other and intend to meet to coordinate future action.

Exploratory works

Exploratory works by the EA were expected to begin in March but were postponed until immediately after the Easter break, starting at Manor Farm Park, then moving to Valley Parkway, and then on to Weoley Hill Park, taking approximately 3 weeks at each site. However, to date we are not aware of any proposed start dates and BVT have not received any application for Weoley Hill Park.

There is still no clarity on where the residential properties and businesses are that these three schemes are intended to protect. The EA will not provide details further than saying that they are in Bournville and Stirchley. 

E-mail address

Should you wish to contact the core group opposing the proposals for Weoley Hill Park, please email: weoleyhillpark@gmail.com

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