JEWELLERY QUARTER THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET

12-09-2006

Jewellery Quarter traders are planning a new line of defence as they seek to defend one of Birmingham's most precious conservation zones.

The “industrial middle” of the quarter around Northwood Street is threatened by plans to re-develop the A E Harris engineering works.

If the scheme gets the go ahead, another slice of traditional Brummie industry would move out to be replaced by restaurants, offices, work spaces - and crucially, dozens more yuppie apartments.

The effect on the jewellery trade could be devastating - traders complain that rents are already rising in anticipation of the new development and say the traditional character of the place is under threat.

They fear that once a recognised conservation area has been breached in this way, a dangerous precedent will have been set

Birmingham Council's planning committee deferred the application last month but officers are supportive of the scheme - bizarrely, so is the government's conservation quango English Heritage.

That's why campaigners are banding together to demand tough guarantees to ensure that if the Harris site does move, it will at least re-locate elsewhere in the city - and for the long term.

They are also calling for the creation of a new Jewellery Design Centre, with guaranteed low rents for 15 years.

These safeguards are sure to test the resolve of AE Harris since they show that the local community is willing to embrace change - just not at any price.

It may be too high a cost for the developers to bear though, ensuring that a rare conservation area remains just that.