About Us
In 1994 Witton Lodge Community Association was formed with help from the City Council, to manage the redevelopment of the Perry Common Estate. Set up as resident-majority organisation we were able to borrow money to fund the rebuild.
Below are abstracts from the Perry Common Story published by Witton Lodge Community Association. To download a copy of the Perry Common Story please go to our Publications page. To request a hard copy, please click here.
The Perry Common Story.
A COMMUNITY IN CRISIS
In the early 1990's, the community of Perry Common was in crisis. Over 900 council houses in the area faced demolition and there was no funding to build new homes. A bleak future beckoned. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel....
In 1989, 908 families received a letter from Birmingham City Council informing them that their homes would have to be demolished. The implications of this were devastating to local people, including those who had bought their homes from the City Council. A further blow came when two years later it emerged that there was no central government funding to rebuild Perry Common, and no money available from any other source.
By now, four residents' associations had been set up in different parts of the estate, led by a core group of locals who were determined to stand up for the community. A combination of pressure from these associations, and a strong will from the council to find a solution for Perry Common, led to innovative proposition. A glimmer of hope emerged, and the community grabbed it with both hands.
A NEW WAY FORWARD
Funding had been the biggest hurdle facing the development of Perry Common. Birmingham City Council did not have enough money to finance the project, and due to government rules, could not borrow it.
A new approach was needed, and inspiration for this came from Stockfield at nearby Acock's Green, where a new type of community association had been set up. The residents of Perry Common felt confident that they could do the same. They merged the four Perry Common residents' associations, and two representatives from each became the founding directors of the new Witton Lodge Community Association.