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News & Goings On
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29/8/2006
SAVE THE COSELEY TWO!
Coseley Civic Trust Chairman John Wilkes has sent the following update to our newsdesk:
Dear Yampy,
As you may already know, a planning application for residential redevelopment of what the applicant called the Archives centre (Mount Pleasant School Coseley) was put on the Dudley Council Planning Department\'s computer system by the end of February, but not paid for so wasn\'t valid.
The applicant (Dudley M.B.C. Corporate Estates or Libraries or the P.F.I. Partnerships Department / Fiona Hingley or any combination or those) has now paid the application fee and made it valid. It was registered on the 9th of August and says: \"Demolition of existing building (former school) - replaced with new residential development\". This is to fatten up the site to maximize the land value (around £500,000) which they would take out of Coseley.
All of this is happening before Archives relocation has been publicly conclusively proved cost-neutral, a condition of the Full Council decision approving the current Archives relocation plan the best part of two years ago. Are they putting the cart before the horse?
It is also before Council conservation officers have had a chance to fully appraise the school and the rest of the historic streetscape for the conservation area status I applied for in March or for the local listing that Birmingham Archaeology said it should be considered for in their report on the historic school commisioned by Dudley Council.
This is an excellent report which, along with the bat-survey report, was missing from the planning application file in reception at 3, St. James Road, Dudley, until I made a fuss when discovering this on the afternoon of Thursday the 17th of August. It was a bit like that trail with Tom Cruse shouting \"Where\'s my minority report?\".
As far as we are concerned, the planning application should be withdrawn. Coseley Civic Trust opposes this and any such planning application all the way. We strongly suggest that those who agree with us write to the case officer Mr. Chris Cheetham, at 3, St. James Road, Dudley, DY1 1HZ objecting to planning application P06/0074 as soon as possible. The more individual objections the better chance we have of saving the historic school.
Daisy Bank School (Daisy Bank Community Centre and Library) is still also under threat and this is becoming a \"Save the Coseley Two\" campaign. Both original buildings are the first two Sedgley Board schools and both from the same architect (Archibald P. Brevitt) who also designed the nave of St. Lawrence\'s Church, Darlaston, the chancel of St. Martin\'s Church Tipton, Sedgley Council House and the offices of Wolverhampton Power Station, Commercial Road.
We have now had our certificate of incorporation and are a registered private company.
To find out more about Coseley Civic Trust, contact John on 01902 491583.
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