Residents call for clarity over Ladywood regeneration plan

About 30 residents living on an estate earmarked for redevelopment held a protest calling for better communication from their city council.

A £2.2bn regeneration scheme in Ladywood, Birmingham, plans to replace 2,000 homes with 7,000 new properties.

Residents said Birmingham City Council had left them "in the dark" without updates on the future of their homes.

But the local authority said residents would be at the "heart of decisions" with workshops and events planned.

Jackie Falconer was among the group who gathered outside the council house on Tuesday.

She has lived in Ladywood for 36 years and said: "I'm very concerned because it's my home, it's my children's home."

"We're not getting anything, so we don't know what's happening."

Properties in an area stretching roughly from the Utilita Arena to Ladywood Middleway could be subject to compulsory purchase orders and then demolished.

The development proposals include new homes, schools, green spaces and community facilities built on the estate.

Father George Reeves, from St George's Church in Edgbaston, urged the council to stop treating Ladywood residents like "chess pieces on a board".

He said it was "not acceptable for residents to be ripped apart from family, friends, support networks, community groups and churches".

"Clearly the council needs to be more specific in saying what is going to be the outcome of this."

In the council meeting on Tuesday, Birmingham City Council said officers would begin meeting with those affected this month to understand the needs and preferences of residents.

Council leader John Cotton said the authority was committed to working with residents to ensure they were at the "heart of decisions".

He added that workshops would be delivered in October and November to involve the community in the project.

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