The ‘eco homes’ plan so absurd locals thought it was an APRIL FOOL joke! Developers want to tear down 70 trees to create an ‘urban oasis’ in historic woodland in famous Cadbury’s village
A business consortium has sparked fury in a British village famous for its Cadbury chocolate factory over plans to cut down historic trees and build ‘eco homes’ instead.
Bournbrook Secret Woods’s plan for an ‘eco village’ has angered residents of Bournville, Birmingham, after it was revealed 70 historic trees would be cut down to accommodate eco homes, a treetop walkway, car park and large community centre.
Residents, who have fought off plans for homes and phone masts on the woodland, thought the plan was an ‘April Fool’ after discovering the consultation website on April 1 but soon realised it was genuine and have since called on Birmingham City Council councillor Mary Locke to intervene.
The consortium claims the plan will ‘regenerate a mismanaged, long forgotten and overgrown woodland into an urban oasis of biodiversity’.
But residents have hit back and claimed the area is already a ‘perfect eco environment’ with a rich diversity of foxes, squirrels, hawks and butterflies.
Ria, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said: ‘The area is already a perfect eco environment. ‘We see foxes sunbathing on our garden and squirrels visit everyday – we’ve even seen harrier hawks visit our garden. How can anyone think that destroying all this natural beauty is eco-friendly?’
Residents have also said the consortium’s claim the woodland is a ‘hive of anti-social behaviour’ with habitual fly tipping and illegal tree felling is false.
The land was purchased by Bournbrook Secret Woods Ltd for £75,000 in November 2022. The company is comprised of James Hewson, Lee Blake and Melissa Jones, none of whom appear to live in Bournville.
Residents are also worried thousands of visitors attracted to the eco village’s community centre would turn their quiet drive where children often cycle into a busy road.
Some claimed the green space at the top of Sparrey Drive, where children play during the summer, would also be lost to the eco village.
There have been numerous attempts to build on the land over the years, from houses to phone masts, and each application has been rejected by residents.
Sparrey Drive, along with its branches of Hawkes Close and Lea Yield Close, was created on the site of the once busy Cadbury railway sidings in 1985 – the final train of chocolate having departed some seven years earlier.
The Cadbury brothers moved their chocolate business to the area from the backstreets of Birmingham and opened the Cadbury factory in 1879.
Soon after, they founded the model village of Bournville which took its name from the nearby River Bourn and the French word ‘ville’, meaning village.
By 1895, 143 cottages were built for the factory’s employees over a total of 140 acres of land. They were intended to be ‘decent quality’ with spacious rooms and good sanitation – the antithesis to Birmingham’s overcrowded slums
The factory had a field next to it where men were encouraged to play cricket and football as well as a garden and playground for women, according to Cadbury.
Comments from the Consultation Document {below}
THE HISTORY OF THE WOODS
This once beautiful, tranquile and long forgotten woodland was previously owned by the Cadbury Family and has been left untouched for over 100 years. Nestled between Bournville and Stirchley, this 3.5 acres of land used to boast luscious green spaces, a variety of trees and be home to diverse wildlife. Unfortunately it has now become a hive of anti-social behaviour including; fly tipping, drug use, people sleeping rough, locals chopping down trees to use as firewood and teenagers drinking and shouting late at night. Bourn Brook runs along the bottom of the woods and a beautiful walk that once linked the canal to Stirchley has been lost to many dead trees and overgrown bushes. It is our dream to continue the Cadbury Family legacy and reopen this secret wood so that the local community and visitors from all over the UK can enjoy the surroundings, play, work and live here for years to come.
We anticipate that day trippers to Cadbury World, dog walkers, joggers and families would make good use of the wood everyday. We will effectively create a new, stunning space where people will congregate, talk, exercise and be social.
THE BIG ECO-BUILD
To even consider developing a woodland initially seems at odds with a conservation outlook, which is why picking the right build to sustain the natural environment is fundamental. This space deserves a sympathetic approach and our ambition will see desperately needed new eco homes provided, from 1-bed to 4 bed with provision for social housing too. Sustainability is key and at every possible opportunity, we will utilise the latest eco technologies to ensure the build becomes an exemplar to carbon neutral communities.
We will utilise cutting edge renewable technologies such as; ground source heat pumps, triple glazing, flexible solar panels and locally prefabricated modern methods of construction all aimed at delivering first class eco-homes that are future proof. Along the way, we plan to engage with local schools and youth groups to share our vision and learning and to demonstrate how building green from the start pays dividends in the long run, with the new home owners having extremely low running costs. We want to be proud of what we achieve and make sure the local community is glad we have chosen this site for the project.
PHASE 1
THE SECRET WOODS
Hidden away for decades, these woods are under-utilised and badly managed. The initial ecological report highlights that for the last 50 years, self sown trees have been allowed to grow unabated, stealing light and growing too big, diminishing the variety of flora and fauna. As a result, low quality Sycamore trees dominate the landscape, which are reaching maturity and will start to die, causing problems to other trees, any walkers and nearby properties. Our arboricultural consultant agrees that the majority of category U trees should be removed for the greater good of the woodland. We plan to sensitively build around the B rated trees which will thrive given more space and light. The Secret Woods will be home to up to 6, 3 storey sustainably built eco houses magically floating on stilts with undercover car parking. Linked by a private road off Sparrey Drive, these inspiring structures will become part of the surrounding woodland, blending in with the landscape. A public foot / bike path with disabled access, a treetop canopy walk bridge and an outdoor natural gym situated on the banks of Bourn Brook are all part of the overall plan.
PHASE 2
STIRCHLEY ECO EDUCATION &
COMMUNITY HUB
Lessons learned and technology employed on the build should be shared, so as part of the community development element, we intend to build an eco education and community hub.
The brand new visitor attraction will be owned by a Community Interest Company with any surplus revenue being reinvested into environmental projects across Birmingham.
Functionality to be imagined alongside user groups but likely to include;
Co working space – Reducing city commutes for those needing desk space
Business incubator space – Encouraging shared ideas and entrepreneurship
Community rooms – Subsidised, bookable room hire for groups and individuals
Community cafe / coffee shop
Eco-education centre – Sharing knowledge and providing contacts
Accommodation above – Schools, Scouts, Youth groups and tourists will be able to stay
Cycle hire
Car pool
Fruit orchard
Bee hives
SEECH will be a unique eco-led education and community hub, resulting in more visitors staying longer and spending more in the local community – increasing economic activity and providing jobs for local people. We plan to educate thousands of people each year on the benefits of carbon neutrality.
FULL CONSULTATION DOCUMENT ~ click link below.
Tree Weaver 