Council leaders urge Greensquare Accord to sell Stirchley co-op homes at agreed price

Birmingham City Council's leadership has written an open letter to housing association Greensquare Accord, urging it to go back to the negotiating table over the sale of the Stirchley Co-operative Development.

The community-led housing scheme in Stirchley was designed with the help of prospective tenants and local businesses, who gave hours of their own time, unpaid, to shape it.

What happened

Greensquare Accord stepped in to build the scheme on behalf of the Stirchley Co-operative Development after the previous developer pulled out. According to the letter, in the final stages of the build the housing association changed its approach and is no longer willing to sell the scheme to the co-operative at the price originally agreed.

The council says the co-operative has increased its offer several times to close the gap, and every offer has been rejected. The letter says local businesses have been left in serious financial difficulty and some prospective residents are at risk of homelessness.

"Serious reservations"

The letter acknowledges that Greensquare Accord needs to recover its build costs and that the market has changed. But it says the administration had hoped Stirchley would be a flagship that encouraged more community-led housing in the city, and that local people feel "blindsided".

"We, therefore, urge Greensquare Accord to re-engage in productive negotiations to sell the development to Stirchley Co-Operative Development at a price they can afford," the letter says.

It warns that the dispute has given the council serious reservations about working with Greensquare Accord in future. The letter is signed by council leader Roger Harmer, deputy leader Julien Pritchard, housing cabinet member Baber Baz, deputy cabinet member Atik Rahman and Stirchley ward councillor Kamel Hawwash.