Dear Editor, The disgraceful saga of the proposal to demolish the listed Edwardian Island House is a sorry reflection on the way the council not only treats its heritage but also the electors who entrust the council to take decisions on our behalf. Apart from the debate over this great building’s potential loss, serious questions should be asked as to who is going to gain from the behind-the-scenes negotiations?
Having requested and studied background documents, I can say that we the citizens get nothing bar a piece of temporarily landscaped ground in return for potentially allowing a company who has freely entered into an agreement to retain and refurbish Island House to escape their obligations.
Who authorised such an “escape” deal and why? Was the deal made by unelected officers or councillors?
Who, why and by what authority when there is a public consultation still in progress for this area, has taken the unilateral decision to pre-empt the outcome?
If there is one lesson to be learned, it is that democracy and accountability in Birmingham is a sham and the developer rules the roost.
Rob Sutton, By Email
