BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL LIBRARY
Readers may already have strong views about the proposed demolition of the Central Library in Paradise Circus and the plans for its replacement in Centenary Square, or you may not have thought about it much.
It would clearly be more sustainable to refurbish the library, despite the warnings about the problems and the costs of refurbishment. These horror stories were spread by powerful council officers and politicians who wish to destroy it, and they have been challenged. Under the Freedom of Information Act, the report of engineering consultants Scott Wilson was released and publicised in the Birmingham Post. The engineering consultants found no evidence to support a city council assessment that the library was at risk of falling to bits and no signs of any defect in the structure of the 1970s building in Paradise Forum.
Those of us who knew Birmingham in the 1970s, when great Victorian buildings - including the old Reference Library - were coming down like skittles, may regret that history is repeating itself. Now it's the post-war buildings which are coming down like skittles.
Read wikipedia and building design online articles to be reminded of the treasure of our Central Library, and join the Friends of Birmingham Central Library on Facebook to help to save it - or contact Alan Clawley, the campaign secretary alan.clawley@virgin.net.
The planning application for the proposed new Central Library has been submitted and Keith Budden, in his "sustainable Birmingham" e-group mailing, encourages comments on this application in relation to environmental aspects of the proposal. Unfortunately the Birmingham "planningonline" website is offline at present, so comments and enquiries should be directed to planning.enquiries@birmingham.gov.uk.
The duty officer this morning failed to find the Central Library planning application number for me to quote, but the title "New Central Library" is self explanatory.
Please use all available opportunities to
>recommend change that will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and;
>strongly oppose change that will increase greenhouse gas emissions.
If you wish to join the sustainable Birmingham e-group, write to keith.budden@birmingham.gov.uk
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Esther Boyd - Esther Boyd is a qualified architect who is dedicated to making Moseley environmentally friendly. She is secretary of local green group SusMo.
I must say,I use the central library many times every week and I am one of its most frequent users, but i do believe that it is one of the worst librarys i have been in. It is dirty, grimy old and smells of damp almost everywhere you go. Any one who visits regularly and who hasnt lost their marbles will be glad to see the back of it. The sooner they build the new one the better. Its an embarrasment to Birmingham and is definately not worth saving.
Yes, the library is grimy, and smells damp in a few places - but that is not surprising as it has been neglected for years. Old buildings need a makeover, not a bulldozer. Read my second entry about the library.