Zero carbon house has teamed up with Brutiful Birmingham, The Modernist, and The Twentieth Century Society to advocate retrofit for a very special building.
The Ringway Centre, by James Roberts (1962), on Smallbrook Queensway is one of the few Brutalist buildings left in the City. Importantly it demonstrates the unique Birmingham Brutalist style developed here in the 1960s.
A planning application has been lodged which would demolish the entire building, and replace it with flats up to 55 stories high. The Twentieth Century Society is highlighting the national importance of the Ringway building. The Guardian describes it as “one of [Birmingham’s] most important buildings”, and by saving it “the city could become a model of creative post-war conservation”. At this time of climate emergency, it is widely-recognised best practice to retain and reuse our existing buildings, as the hidden “embodied carbon” in construction can be up to 75% of the complete carbon footprint. The environmental (carbon) cost of keeping the building and retrofitting to a low-energy standard, would likely be a small fraction of the demolition and energy-hungry proposal.
If you oppose the demolition of this building, and are concerned about architectural and urban design, heritage, and environmental & social sustainability, we would be really grateful if you could find a few minutes to object to the planning application that has been lodged. You have until 22 December 2022.
How you can help save Smallbrook Ringway
Write directly to Birmingham City Council at planningandregenerationenquiries@birmingham.gov.uk
The planning application: REF 2022/08496/PA
A template letter and supporting documents are below.
- Template letter
- Full planning application
- Open letter to Councillor Ian Ward and WMCA Mayor Andy Street
- Counter proposal for Smallbrook Ringway
Make a comment about the application: Comment on planning application 2022/08496/PA
We will be using social media to spread the word so if you could retweet and repost that would be terrific.
- Twitter: @BrutifulBrum
- Facebook: Brutiful Birmingham
- Instagram: @birminghammodernist
Our hashtag for our campaign is #savesmallbrook. Please use it.
Media coverage of our campaign
The controversial planning application and our counter-proposals have already caused a stir both locally nationally, and our open letter has been signed by many leading national and local people.
- Birmingham Post: Democracy demolished as objections hit a brick wall (JPEG)
- Private Eye: Nooks and Corners (JPEG)
- Twentieth Century Society
- Architects Journal
- Building Design
- Birmingham Live: Battle over brutalist buildings in Birmingham as open letter sent to council
- Birmingham Live: Ringway Centre development will bring ‘bland and overbearing mass’ to Birmingham city centre
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It’s so ugly who wouldn’t want it demolished
I feel like the number of files uploaded in the application makes it even harder to get to grips with the proposal. I know it is a large development but 13 pages of files, with cryptic file names in a mixed up order is quite inaccessible for the lay person.
I wonder if this is on purpose?
Its harder to object to something you don’t understand. Thank goodness for everyone working on this campaign for their tireless work decoding everything!
It’s a unique building – the architecture must be preserved.
Do not bulldoze