A community landlord has defended its plan to demolish a historic hall as crucial to the regeneration of a deprived Birmingham suburb.

The Stockfield Community Association, and its development partner Acocks Green Baptist Church, have sparked fury among conservationists after announcing they want to pull down the Glynn Edwards Hall on Yardley Road, built in 1924.

They plan to replace it with a modern £2 million two-storey community hall which they claim will provide a focal point for the Stockfield Easte and wider Acocks Green community.

It will also see two neighbouring listed buildings, the baptist chapel and Arthur Moore Hall fully restored.

The plans have been criticised by the Victorian Society, 20th Century Society, the City Council’s Conservation officer and been the subject of heated debate at local community meetings.

Community association chairman Mike Russell said they had been surprised at the criticism and stung at being branded architectural ‘vandals’ by objectors.

He said that the association, which manages 120 homes on the Stockfield Estate, has been looking to build a community centre for the best part of 20 years, and been blocked at every turn – including being offered open space by one council department, before being told no building could be permitted by another.

The Baptist Church, which is on the fringe of the estate, had been struggling to maintain and restore the cluster of three historic buildings under its ownership – with the costs of fundamental repair work spiralling the longer the buildings were left.

They carried out feasibility studies to see if Glynn Edwards could be adapted to meet the Association’s needs, but this concluded that a new building was the only viable option.

With Glynn Edwards Hall afforded only local historic listing and not enjoying the statutory Grade II listing of the chapel and Arthur Moore Hall, it was the obvious candidate for demolition.

Mr Russell said: “The Baptist Church has these two listed buildings, and the Arthur Moore Hall is in danger of falling down.

“We have carried out a lot of research. We looked at putting a second floor in the Glynn Edwards Hall.

“Our architects tried different designs, but a pastiche of the hall was ruled out.

“We needed a two-storey building to make the facility viable.”

He said that many local residents feel the Stockfield Estate is often ‘forgotten’ and poorly served, and hopes the new community centre will provide a focus for the area.

“This is needed by this community, I resent being called a ‘vandal’,” he added.

The new centre will provide a cafe, information drop-in space, meeting rooms and local enterprise units and the three buildings will be linked by a courtyard. Larger community events and meetings will be staged in the restored Arthur Moore Hall and Church.

As well as the usual social and community uses, there will be specialist employment training and support provided by social enterprise The Jericho Foundation and health services could also be accommodated.

The plans were developed over three years, including widespread consultation, by Birmingham-based APEC Architects.

Director Naomi Fisher commented: “We recognised early on in the process that the buildings needed much more than a cosmetic upgrade, and in order to ensure their long-term sustainability, a forward-thinking approach was required.

The local demand for community facilities offers a unique chance for their viable new use, and will help attract investment in their restoration.”

The designs for the building have undergone some alterations in the light of feedback following the submission of the planning application.

It is expected to go before the Council’s planning commitee on August 30.