A retired lecturer who helped train youth workers in Birmingham has been left homeless at the age of 80 amid a bitter ongoing housing row in Stirchley. John Holmes is one of several people waiting to move into the Stirchley Cooperative Development on Pershore Road, a block of shops and flats that were originally scheduled to be completed in March.
The project was created by a cooperative of locals who have collaborated for years to bring their landlord-free building to fruition, with the idea that all residents would contribute to running and maintaining it. However, after the original builder went bankrupt, housing association GreenSquareAccord took on the construction work, causing delays.
In March, the association reneged on its 'turnkey' agreement to hand the building over to the locals, declaring its intention to keep the building and rent out the units. At the time, it said the decision was made because it would be 'irresponsible' to absorb the financial shortfall caused by the former builder's bankruptcy. This left those expecting to move in — including John, other residents, and local independent businesses Loaf, the Birmingham Bike Foundry, and Artefact — in limbo.
Ongoing negotiations
Ongoing discussions between the cooperative group and GreenSquareAccord saw the association agree to sell the building to the community, resulting in fundraising campaigns with support from Birmingham City Council. However, the community group says the price has been raised once again, and the building still sits empty on Pershore Road.
John, who is moving between stays with friends and family, says he has no idea when the issue might be resolved. He told BirminghamLive: 'I heard about the development when I was living in Cotteridge, back in 2023. I was looking for somewhere to live as I knew I needed to move because I was going through a divorce, so I applied. They interviewed me and offered me a single-bed flat. I thought I'd be moving in quite quickly afterwards, but then it all started to go wrong.'
'The builders went bankrupt, and then GreenSquareAccord stepped in, but everything seemed to go very slowly. All was delayed, and I was basically just waiting, and I'm still waiting now. I had to move out. I delayed it as much as I could, to February of this year. Since then I've been technically homeless. I've got relatives and friends in Birmingham and elsewhere; my daughter lives in Hampshire, and my son is in Scotland, so I've been staying with them where I can. You can't outstay your welcome for too long.'
A Brummie at heart
John moved to Cotteridge in 2005 and says staying in the same area was important to him. 'I'm not originally from Birmingham, but I feel like a Brummie, and I wanted to live locally. And I wanted to live in the communal setting; I was really taken with the cooperative idea. I've been involved with the working groups to help design some of the communal spaces. GreenSquareAccord were building it for us, but then suddenly they decided they wanted to keep it. It was a big shock. They say they want to sell it to us, and I'm hopeful things are moving, but they know we can't afford more than we've already offered.'
John says he had no contract that would guarantee him a space in the building and that no money has changed hands, but he still feels invested. 'There's a commitment,' he said. 'I've spent so much time and energy, and I've gotten to know all of the other people. I'm 80; I was hoping this would be where I'd be for the rest of my life. It's difficult.'
He says he feels for the others in the community group who are also without a permanent place, including Loaf, a longstanding bakery on Pershore Road that gave up its unit last year in preparation for the move. 'It feels like it's being taken away from us,' John said. 'As I saw it, Loaf was the bakery that started the regeneration of Stirchley. They were expecting to move in; even their ovens were moved in. They've been doing pop-ups to try to survive, but it's still very hard for them to continue unless we can move in soon. I do think GreenSquareAccord needs to take responsibility for the delays they've caused.'
'I'm hanging in there. If I can't move in at the end of the day, then I'll have to find somewhere else, but it's just not what I want. It's difficult, but I've got good friends and family and the people at the cooperative. They've been so supportive; we're trying to help each other, but we just don't know how it's going to end up.'
GreenSquareAccord responds
A spokesperson for GreenSquareAccord told BirminghamLive it had raised the price for the building. 'The projected cost of the Pershore Road development rose due to interest costs, inflationary pressures, and challenges during construction,' the spokesperson said. 'These included the original contractor going into administration and issues identified when we took over the site. The purchase price has further increased due to the ongoing costs of construction. We appreciate this is not the outcome the Stirchley Cooperative Development and our partners had expected, but as a not-for-profit social housing provider, it would be irresponsible to absorb the shortfall, which would ultimately compromise investment in homes and services for our customers. We are seeking only to cover costs with the sale of the development, not generate a profit. We are committed to reaching the right outcome for Stirchley residents and to working in partnership with Birmingham City Council, which manages the housing waiting list, to ensure the homes on Pershore Road are allocated appropriately. There are nearly 24,000 people on Birmingham's housing waiting list. We are in regular communication with the three cooperatively owned businesses and are having ongoing discussions about letting the retail units.'
Council support
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson added: 'We are aware of the challenges around the Stirchley Co-operative Development, which has been led by a change of approach from GreenSquareAccord Housing Association. Birmingham City Council is supportive of community-led housing and has been working with the Stirchley Cooperative Development to promote and endorse similar schemes coming forward across the city. Both the new homes the development seeks to deliver and the businesses associated provide vital infrastructure for Stirchley, and the council is keen to see the original scheme come forward. We are providing both financial and operational support to the Stirchley Co-op in their negotiations with GSA and are keen to help leverage a mutually beneficial solution. We will continue to act as an enabler whilst these issues are ongoing with a view to reaching a resolution. This will require all organisations to act in a flexible and reasonable way to provide the best possible outcome for the local area.'
John added: 'In my working life, I was involved in helping youth community workers to do their job, giving them qualifications. A lot of youth work has gone in Birmingham, but I was a lecturer since 1991; that's why I came to Birmingham. That's why I'm so interested in community living, because I was so involved in community work. If it wasn't for the divorce, I might have been able to afford to buy my own house, but things are just so tight financially until I know what will happen with the settlement. At the moment I'm in a lot of debt, but hopefully I won't be when that is resolved, but I just don't know. There's so much uncertainty.'
