Birmingham Central Library – An open letter to Labour

/ 4 October, 2011

Alan Clawley, in his capacity as secretary of the  Friends of the Central Library has written to Birmingham’s Labour leader Sir Albert Bore seeking assurances over the future of the existing – John Madin designed – building.

Chamberlain Square, Birmingham

Dear Sir Albert

I am writing on behalf of the Friends of the Central Library concerning the existing Central Library building and your likely policy on the redevelopment of Paradise Circus, post-2012 local elections.

The new Birmingham Library is due to open in 2013 and we’re concerned about the future of the existing Central Library building after that.  English Heritage has twice recommended that this building be Listed, most recently in 2008.  If Labour were to take over the City Council administration after the 2012 local elections you will inherit a Certificate of Immunity against Listing for five years; Ministers granted it early this year despite detailed written submissions from us and the 20th Century Society amongst others, arguing against the granting of such a certificate.  The present Tory/Lib Dem coalition leading the City Council believe that the Central Library building is an obstacle to the proposed redevelopment of Paradise Circus and must therefore be demolished immediately after the new library opens.  The Certificate of Immunity from Listing allows them to do that.

We continue to argue that the Central Library building should, and could, be kept and:

  • put to good use rather than demolished;
  • its construction expended a large amount of energy, now referred to as ‘embodied energy’, which at the time emitted carbon dioxide;
  • keeping such a building conserves that energy and avoids the expenditure of new energy and further emissions of CO2;
  • so it perfectly meets the priority now given to green energy;
  • findings from recent Urban Design studies show that it is entirely feasible to integrate the Central Library building into any future Paradise Circus redevelopment.

Moreover, our enquires have revealed no evidence of progress on the comprehensive redevelopment of Paradise Circus and the current low state of the commercial office market gives us no grounds for thinking that a start is imminent; the Certificate of Immunity against Listing runs out in 2016.

We’re not campaigning against Paradise Circus being redeveloped; it is undeniably the most significant potential redevelopment scheme in the City Centre.  Rather, we are working on ideas and proposals for the re-use of the Central Library building and its possible integration into any future City Centre redevelopment.  There are sound economic and social reasons for keeping the building.  What’s already coming out from our work would, we feel, be of much interest to you.

Before we put any detailed ideas to you, however, we would be very interested to learn if an incoming Labour administration is likely to consider Paradise Circus as a priority redevelopment, given the projected financial difficulties both locally and nationally for some years to come?  In view of this, we would be particularly interested in knowing if Labour would be prepared to consider reviewing the present administration’s policy that makes the immediate demolition of the Central Library building necessary.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Alan Clawley

Secretary, Friends of the Central Library

 

NOTE: The Birmingham Press will be happy to reproduce the response, should there be one, from Sir Albert.

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