The Stirrer

Earlier this year, The Stirrer broke the story about Ravenhurst Playing Fields in Harborne, which its owners - the Fathers of the Oratory on Hagley Road - want to sell off for housing. Now local resident Rod Varley lays down a challenge.

It's been weeks now, but the Fathers of the Oratory still haven't responded to any of the Stirrer's numerous articles about Ravenhurst either on this website or in the Birmingham Mail.

One of the newspaper's reporters Poppy Brady has had a bit more luck; in a recent feature, therewere quotes from Denis McGrory, Land Agent for the Oratory. Hoorah!

He said: "There is a lot of scaremongering going on. We have different proposals for the land but everything will done honourably and legally."

Well I'm sure Mr McGrory's words will come as a great comfort to everyone who lives locallyto know that the Oratory Fathers will act honourably and legally.

I challenge Mr McGrory and the Oratory Fathers to name any that do not involve selling it for housing or commercial development.

As one of the people Mr McGrory would probably describe as a scaremongering perhaps he could answer the following questions for me:-

Have meetings taken place between representatives of the Oratory and George Wimpey Plc concerning developing the land for housing?
Does he deny the existence of a plan showing the outline housing development?
Why have surveyors at their own admission been accurately establishing the boundaries of the fields?
Why has he and his workmen then erected fences at the rear of properties that previously had direct access onto the Playing Fields?
Why have contractors been making numerous and substantial excavations in the fields?
Why has he as Land Agent spent time felling 2 insignificant coppice trees while leaving the Playing Fields to become overgrown and the beautiful pavilion to fall into serious disrepair? The longer the facilities are neglected the higher the cost of restoration.
Why has he intimidated residents by destroying the access they have had to the fields for over 25 years?
Why has he not made any significant efforts to find a tenant who would want to use the land as Playing Fields. If he needs help I could supply him with a list of interested organisations.

The truth is that the Oratory want to sell this land to the highest bidder as otherwise they would have at least acknowledged the receipt of a private offer to buy the Playing Fields in order they can continue to be used for that purpose.

If the Father of the Oratory want to answer the challenge, all they have to is contact editor@thestirrer.com and we'll happily give them a right of reply.

news that matters, campaigns that count

for Birmingham, the Black Country and beyond