Legal action is threatened over housing plans

RESIDENTS of a south Birmingham estate are threatening a legal challenge against the city council amid fears over a divisive regeneration scheme.

- BY ALEXANDER BROCK News Reporter

There are major plans to transform Druids Heath through an enormous project which is set to bring 3,500 new homes, new infrastructure, transport links and more.

But despite a vision of turning the estate into a green oasis, there have been long-running concerns over the potential impact on the community; the levels of demolition and fears existing residents will be priced out of the area.

These tensions boiled over at a council planning meeting in October when the regeneration scheme was narrowly approved, sparking angry outbursts and chants.

Last week, homeowners in Druids Heath told the Birmingham Mail that they felt they had been left in limbo after learning their houses faced demolition.

"I don’t know what the council is going to offer me but if they try to insult me with a low offer, they will have to drag me out of here," one resident said.

The Druids Heath and Monyhull Forum (DHMF) has now confirmed that it has initiated a legal claim to challenge the recently-approved regeneration plan.

The group raises concerns over the impact of the scheme and argue there was a “failure in community engagement in the council's consultation process”.