Civic Society in a muddle over Colmore Row

Jul 26 2008 By Paul Dale

Another embarrassing crisis has rocked the hallowed portals of the Birmingham Civic Society.

Cerebral chairman Dr Freddie Gick, who brooks no dissent in the ranks, will have to step in and clarify the society’s position as far as proposals to build a 35-storey tower in Colmore Row are concerned.

Something of a mixed message has emerged after the organisation first said it was 90 per cent happy with the proposed British Land Tower replacement for the NatWest Tower and then said it was opposed, all in the space of a few weeks. This is bad news for an organisation that likes to keep on the right side of Birmingham’s political rulers, since the £160 million tower plan is being heavily supported by city council leaders.

The problem, as usual, stems from the Civic Society planning committee which has the habit of veering off-message when considering new-build.

A little over a year ago outspoken committee chairman Stephen Hartland decided to resign after being ticked off by Freddie.

His crime was to have given a media interview in which he accused the city council of behaving with contempt for historic buildings by placing the summer beach and BBC-TV Big Screen in the shadow of the Town Hall and Council House in Chamberlain Square. No other council in the world would treat its historic buildings in such a dreadful way, he stormed.

Hartland switched sides to become the Victorian Society’s spokesman after being told by Gick that he could no longer comment to the press on Civic Society planning matters. Gick responded by insisting Hartland had quit in order to spend more time with his family.

Gick appointed Civic Society vice-chairman Glyn Pitchford to act as press spokesman for the planning committee. And it was Pitchford, a successful businessman hardly renowned for hiding his light under a bushel, who announced that the society was happy with the British Land Tower design.

Then, inexplicably, Pitchford changed tack and on July 18 issued a press statement accusing British Land of refusing to alter the design to make the tower less intrusive. British Land’s plans were “over-ambitious” and the Civic Society no longer supported them, Pitchford announced.

Strangely, that appears not to be the view of one Paul K Lister, chairman of the Civic Society planning committee, who wrote to the city council on June 12 offering his full support for the British Land Tower. “It is the opinion of the committee that this proposal is of a very high standard and we are generally supportive of the application,” he wrote. The letter has not been withdrawn.

One feels this confusion could be sorted out quite quickly if only Freddie could be persuaded to make a definitive pronouncement of the Civic Society stance on the British Land Tower. Unfortunately, calls to his office have not been returned.

------------------

News reaches me of yet more success in the stellar career of Birmingham City Council chief legal officer Mirza Ahmad.

Mirza’s decorations and awards are legendary. He was named one of the top five lawyers in local government, is chairman of the Bar Association for Local Government & the Public Service, and a member of the General Council of the Bar for England and Wales.

In February last year, he was recognised in the UK’s inaugural Muslim Power 100 and also won their public sector award.

But all this pales into insignificance given the latest recognition of his talent. Mirza has gone the way of football managers, rock stars and minor celebrities by accepting an honorary doctorate.

It would of course be considered a little naff to call yourself doctor if you only have an honorary degree. The sort of thing one might imagine characters played by the late Terry-Thomas doing.

But that hasn’t stopped Mirza, who has had his council email signature amended to read: Dr Mirza Ahmad LLD (Hon), MBA, LLM, Barrister.

Mirza quipped: “This is a great personal achievement for me, and being a lawyer in a family of doctors, it means I’ll now be able to join them.”

Yes, well, as long as he understands that an honorary doctorate does not entitle him to perform operations. Not even minor ones.