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City council looks to future for Highbury Estate and Park
| Published: 18th February 2010 13:32 |
A key meeting is being held by Birmingham City Council to determine the future of the Highbury Estate, which includes the famous hall and a part of Highbury Park on the Moseley / Kings Heath border.
Discussions over recent years - many of them heated discussions - have looked at whether Birmingham City Council may have ignored the details of the original Chamberlain bequest. The land was gifted to the council "for the benefit of the citizens of Birmingham" almost a century ago. Some have claimed that running the former home of Joseph Chamberlain as a banqueting and conference centre does not meet the charitable aims.
Birmingham City Council is now seeking alternative proposals for the future of the Estate, which includes Highbury Hall, part of Highbury Park and the former office block known as Chamberlain House.
One of the proposals expected to be outlined to the public meeting on Tuesday is to continue some form of commercial operation of Highbury Hall in order to fund maintenance of the park and the rest of the Estate.
In a public notice Birmingham City Council's director of legal services David Tatlow says: "The Council, as Sole Trustee of the Highbury Trust is looking to identify how charitable activity can be maximised at Highbury to satisfy the objects of the trust together with the commercial opportunities that can be developed in order to finance and sustain the charity into the future."
A coalition of local interest groups, including the Friends of Highbury Park, is planning to submit an alternative proposal to the meeting.
The alternative will be based on Highbury Coalition's previously submitted vision document Highbury Trust - A Vibrant Future for a Historic Resource as an expression of interest, and Coalition members will be there to make the required presentation.
"The vision document is meant to set out the conceptual framework, which would be followed with more specific details of governance, financing and other aspects once we'd found money for a feasibility study and/or further development," say the Friends of Highbury Park.
"This has been our plan since 2008. We have made some progress toward identifying a management/governance structure based on similar projects in Bexley, Chiswick and elsewhere, as Alison Millward set out in her Charitable Trust Structures presentation at the previous public meeting. One way of doing this is to increase the number of trustees to include people from charitable organisations, the Chamberlain family, and local residents."
Public Notice
The Highbury Trust
One of Birmingham's most famous parliamentarian's, Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain MP built Highbury Hall as a family home in 1878. The Highbury estate was transferred to trustees in 1919 by the eldest son of Joseph Chamberlain and the estate was finally gifted to Birmingham City Council on trust for the benefit of the citizens of Birmingham in 1932.
The estate comprises of Highbury Hall, Chamberlain House and land that is now forms part of Highbury Park.
The Council, as Sole Trustee of the Highbury Trust is looking to identify how charitable activity can be maximised at Highbury to satisfy the objects of the trust together with the commercial opportunities that can be developed in order to finance and sustain the charity into the future. The Council is currently using part of Highbury Hall as a successful conference and events centre.
Initial proposals and expressions of interest from individuals and /or organisations are requested to be submitted by 15th February and proposers will be invited to make a short initial presentation to a public meeting at the Banqueting Suite, Council House, on 24th February at 7pm.
Please reply by 15th February to:
David Tatlow
Director of Legal Services
Birmingham City Council
Ingleby House, 11-14 Cannon Street
Birmingham B2 5EN
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