Peddimore
Peddimore has been taken out of the Birmingham Plan. But we will not take our eyes off it.
We know at some time they will come looking at it again. STAY ALERT!
HERE WE ARE, WHAT DID I SAY! PEDDIMORE AT RISK AGAIN! This time from houses to meet the targets for new development. 65,000 home ? The Core Strategy is out for consultation and option 3 is the Green Belt. See events page for meeting.
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Walmley Residents Association would like to Invite ANYONE IN GOVERNMENT to Visit Peddimore. We will give them a guided tour of the area.
We are SURE they would agree this area should remain, as it is, FARM LAND.
The Battle of Peddimore: -
This ancient area of land was, I understand, the site of many Roman battles with swords and shields.
They say history repeats itself but in these days of alleged democracy we would hope the PEN would prove mightier than the sword.
The modern day Battle of Peddimore, started around 1995 when the West Midland Regional Forum were asked to Identify “Large Sites, for foreign footloose investors” The criteria for the identification was that these sites should be in single ownership to enable them to be “fast tracked” and they should have “good public transport links, particularly rail.” HOW on earth Peddimore got to be selected when it clearly did not even meet that criteria it beggars belief, until you start to uncover the full story.
The story so far.
This area of land, to the north/east of the A38 island at Minworth, is STILL under threat, mostly from the Birmingham City Council, who it would appear are determined on changing its land use and selling it for industry!
This area of Peddimore IS part of the CONFIRMED Green Belt, as defined by Birmingham City Council, in their own UDP, the "land use plan" as “SECURE, DEFENSIBLE AND PERMANENT”.
However, we have found out that whilst they were purporting to be protecting it, at the SAME TIME they had been actively trying to attract an end user for the site since the 1980s.
They "consulted" the community regarding taking the area out of the Green Belt and the answer returned was an emphatic NO! As usual the City took no notice and went ahead with a planning application for a Micro-Electronics Fabrication Plant.
It would appear that there was more fabrication in the planning application, than would ever come out a Micro-Electronics Fabrication Plant, should it ever be built.
The rest is history, the planning application had to be called in by the secretary of state for the Environment as it was contrary to the Birmingham land use plan (which has primacy when determining all planning applications in the conurbation).
A public inquiry was held and the Independent Inspector advised that the application should be refused. However, Mr. John Prescott M.P. the Secretary of State for the Environment at that time, decided otherwise and granted permission. WE, that is, the community, WON the inquiry on planning grounds.
NO END USER HAS YET COME FORWARD AND THE PLANNING PERMISSION HAS NOW LAPSED.
However, The City Council did not want that to happen and therefore, in the roll forward of their land use plan, they removed Peddimores Green Belt Status.
What a pity the Secretary of State saw fit to Interfere with the INFORMED & Professional judgement of now TWO Independent Inspectors who deliberated, the first one at the Peddimore Inquiry, his recommendations, after listening to ALL the evidence were that the Peddimore Site should REMAIN GREEN BELT.
INSTEAD, Birmingham wanted to DOUBLE the size of the Peddimore site and to zone it for industry, this was put forward in the roll forward of the (UDP)
Unitary Development Plan, that went to public Inquiry where the second independent Inspector advised that, “in his professional opinion, even if special circumstances were found he would not be convinced that Peddimore should be built on”.
Yet regional planning guidance (RPG11) I understand, is still promoting the site alongside Birmingham City Council.
So much for public participation and involvement.
A National petition with over 25,000 signatures was presented at the Peddimore Inquiry in SUPPORT of the land REMAINING in GREEN BELT.
INVITATION
WRA invite ANY Secretary of State for DETR, to come here and we will convince Them That the WRONG decision was made in overruling the first planning inspector and we would love the opportunity to show them.
Footnote:-
The New Administration in Birmingham Council has accepted the Planning Inspectors recommendation and returned Peddimore to Green Belt, however it is still in the Regional Planning Guidance ( RPG 11) and WE will never rest whilst that is the case.
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Peddimore, the area, a brief History,
By Robert Pritchard. Sadly Robert died in December 2007, a great loss to us all.
Peddimore is first mentioned in 1281 when it was conveyed by Thomas Arden of
Ratley to Hugh de Vienne and subsequently to Thomas and Rose de Arden of
Hanwell in 1286. Once in the possession of Peddimore however Thomas '' began
to exercise the like liberty here, as he did I his other lands, not
considering that it was within the compass of Sutton Chase where the Earl of
Warwick had so much privilege relating to vert and venison.'' However the
Earl, William de Beauchamp made an amicable agreement and granted Thomas the
right to fish in the stream called Ebrooke (Plantsbrook) on his land that
was adjacent to the stream and gave him the privilege of letting his pigs
feed in the woods and to take timber for hedges, the repair of buildings or
fuel and to sell £20 worth of timber, also he could till the land.
It is not known when the original Hall was built but as can be seen from the
old foundations it was much larger than the present one. The earliest record
of the building was in 1360/1 when John de Arden was granted a licence for
a private chapel. It is surrounded by a double moat, which is very unusual.
Moats were not only means of defence and a show of status but were also a
defence against thieves and enemies and provided a safe enclosure for
livestock and acted as a firebreak, houses and outbuildings would very often
be constructed of timber and thatch. It was also a water supply for livestock
and was used as a fish pond.
The medieval farming method of ridge and furrow can be seen in several
places particularly in the small field in front of the farmhouse. Part of
Peddimore is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
William Shakespeare’s mother was Mary Arden and was related to the Arden's of
Peddimore and Curdworth further details can be seen in 'In Search of
Shakespeare' by Michael Wood and a television series based on this book will
be shown from the end of June. It is quite possible that William Shakespeare
visited Peddimore, in the first part of Henry Fourth Act for Scene two
Falstaff on a road near Coventry says ''fill me a bottle of sack, our
soldiers shall march through we'll to Sutton Col'fil to-night.''
Sir William Dugdale a Warwickshire historian writing in 1656 states that
only the foundations of the original Hall remained. But by 1671 the present
Hall had been built and was occupied by William Wood a prominent royalist,
perhaps he felt the need for a moat, he was Warden (Mayor) of Sutton
Coldfield in 1662 and 1676. It is thought that some of the fittings from the
original Hall were re-used in the present Hall including a gated staircase.
Over the front door is the motto ''DEUS NOSTER REFUGIAM'', God is our refuge.
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There is a field in New Hall Valley named "Pritchards Field" as a tribute to Robert for all his local work.
We will Always Remember Robert Pritchard.
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