Residents campaign to save village's heritage

Residents have launched a campaign against the installation of more than 100 broadband poles in their village in the home of Cadbury's chocolate.

Campaigners in the Weoley area of Bournville say the heritage of their picturesque neighbourhood is under threat from the poles.

Labour MP for Birmingham, Steve McCabe has told the BBC he plans to raise the issue in parliament.

Brsk, the firm behind the rollout, has said a number of measures were taken last year to engage with residents ahead of the instalments.

They are being installed as part of a nationwide project to upgrade current infrastructure to provide full-fibre broadband.

The campaigners have set up a petition against the poles, which have been erected in the southwest of the village, between Bunbury Road and Woodland Park Road.

“The installation of these poles is wholly against the principles on which the estate was laid out, and is spoiling what is special and unique about the area,” said Liz Lund, one of the residents.

The garden village dates back to the 1890s when the Cadbury family built it as a place for their workers to live.

In line with the Cadbury's Quaker ideals, there were no pubs, and no alcohol is sold anywhere in Bournville to this day.

It remains one of Birmingham's historic hotspots and attracts tourists from across the world.

Those who live there feel the “unsightly" poles, whose installation began in last December, threaten the conservation area at the heart of the village.

Another resident, Trevor Wilson, said the poles are causing real problems for residents.

"Some are causing obstructions in footpaths and reducing pavement widths below minimum standards, with no thought for the needs of disabled people and mothers with pushchairs,” he said.

Tracey Rowe, head of estates and stewardship at Bournville Village Trust, said they will consider legal action if they have to.

“Some areas of the Bournville estate are protected by conservation area status and our own Design Guide and where any works breach rules in relation to this,” she said Tracey Rowe, head of estates and stewardship at Bournville Village Trust.

After receiving a number of complaints from residents, Steve McCabe MP has asked the Brsk for a meeting to “no avail”.

He said: “I have been disappointed to hear that works have taken place without consulting nor informing those impacted.

"In response to this, I have written directly to Brsk CEO, Mr Iovino, expressing my concerns, to which he informed me that extensive consultations took place.

"However, residents refute this and I have therefore challenged Brsk about their community engagement efforts.

“I have also questioned how and why the poles were approved in the heritage area of Bournville.”

Brsk has said it is “fully committed” to the government’s plan to deliver gigabit-broadband services nationwide by 2030.

A Brsk spokesperson said: “The planting of poles where necessary is widely used within the industry, and generally accepted as the most effective, and most environmentally-friendly option to upgrade infrastructure, as using infrastructure underground is often not possible."

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