Edgbaston homeowners 'must sell'

An artist's impression of a preliminary design was released in 2007

Four homeowners have been told they must sell up to allow for a £30m revamp of Edgbaston cricket ground.

Birmingham city councillors have backed compulsory purchase orders on the homes in Pershore Road after an application from Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

The club has already bought eight homes in the road and said a "world-class stadium" was needed for the ground to continue hosting international matches.

Some residents have pledged to fight to stay in their homes.

Members of the council's cabinet committee dealing with property approved the compulsory purchase orders at a meeting on Tuesday.

Regeneration 'fact'

Neville Summerfield, cabinet member for regeneration, said the move was necessary to allow progress.

He said: "If the city council and other authorities did not instigate these procedures then we wouldn't have any motorways, we wouldn't have any railways, we wouldn't have canals and we wouldn't have any major developments.

"And unfortunately it's a fact of regeneration."

Warwickshire CCC wants to build a new pavilion and stand and increase the ground's capacity to more than 25,000.

The club said it was "critical" the scheme went ahead to secure Test matches in the future.

There were also plans to build a hotel, office and residential elements as part of the scheme.

Alexandros Layos, who has lived in Pershore Road for three years, said his family were very reluctant to leave their home and found the situation "very upsetting".

"I'm definitely going to make my stand and resist any authority that makes me go away," he said.