Moseley, three miles south of Birmingham City Centre, is a mixed area: well off families living close by houses split into flats and bedsits. Pubs and bars line the main street but, until quite recently, there was no community building; the sense of community suffered with the closure of neighbourhood shops (and the conversion of premises into yet more licensed premises). Street drinking was a problem for residents and local businesses in Moseley. The centre of the community was blighted by minor acts of vandalism, graffiti, litter and other local environmental problems. Local residents’ groups set up a Community Development Trust (CDT) to tackle some of the problems and have been active in making Moseley a more attractive place to do business.
Local artist’s impression of the main crossroads in Moseley on ‘Farmers’ Market day’ – 4th Saturday of each month pic: Moseley CDT
What is a Community Development Trust?
Development Trusts are enterprises created by communities to enable sustainable development in their neighbourhood. They undertake a mixture of social, environmental and social activities. As independent not-for-private profit organisations, they are committed to involving and being accountable to local people. Developments Trusts work alongside the local voluntary sector, public authorities and the private sector. They aim to achieve their goals by making a surplus through trading, providing services and acquiring assets (such as buildings and equipment). These surpluses are re-invested in the renewal and improvement of the area in which they are based.
The old Benefits Office in Moseley is the home of Moseley CDT pic: Moseley CDT
Setting Up Moseley CDT
The idea of setting up a CDT in Moseley was first raised at the Moseley Neighbourhood Forum AGM in November 1998. The committee of another local community group, the Moseley Society, took up the idea at a special meeting in March 1999. A joint meeting of the two groups was held and a Steering Group of local residents was formed.
The Steering Group assessed the area’s problems including the declining shopping centre – Tesco, WH Smith, Druckers cafe and the local TSB branch had all shut down; and difficulties gaining employment faced by local young people. They felt the long-standing problems of street drinking and drug dealing, exacerbated by a proliferation of licensed premises in the area, were discouraging local businesses. The centre of the neighbourhood looked run-down and the poor quality of the local environment alongside a declining community spirit were felt to be factors in making Moseley an unappealing place to do business.
The Steering Group also looked into local assets and found a resourceful local population with a track record of volunteering and a high level of self-employed people and people working in the creative industries. They found supportive people working for public agencies including the local Birmingham City Council ward support officer, local police inspector and beat sergeant and staff at the locally based Moseley & District Churches Housing Association (MDCHA). The Steering Group used local consultants to carry out a feasibility study.
In October 1999, a joint meeting of Moseley Society and Moseley Forum considered the findings of the feasibility study and agreed to set up a CDT with the following priorities:
- to find premises in the centre of the neighbourhood to act as a community building
- to set up a resource and information service for existing and new local groups.
In the meantime, Moseley Society worked with the Council and the police to take on the street drinking issue – which led to the creation of a street drinking exclusion zone in the centre of the neighbourhood. An area of derelict land in the centre of the neighbourhood was re-developed as ‘the village green’. Moseley Forum took on the management of the local Street Festival and used it as a springboard to develop a regular monthly Farmers’ Market centred on the new village green. The market attracted people back to shopping and socialising in the neighbourhood centre. Both community groups worked with local councillors to get local planning guidance changed to prevent further development of licensed premises in the area.
Moseley Street Festival pic from Spaghetti Gazetti
What Has Been Achieved
The CDT was formally set up as a non-profit company on 20 February 2001 and registered as a Charity (see Charity Commission information on charity registration) later the same year. It fundraised to purchase the old Post Office building in the neighbourhood centre. This it used to develop its own office base and leased out rooms for use by other organisations (including the regional office of the Development Trust Association) and as meeting rooms for hire. This provided a much needed facility for the neighbourhood as well as generating income for the Trust.
Moseley Street Wardens scheme is one of the few neighbourhood wardens schemes in Birmingham that has survived past the end of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. Here the wardens accept a charitable donation. pic: Moseley CDT
In 2002, the CDT secured funds from central Government to pilot Street Wardens with the support of the local police. The local environment in the neighbourhood centre was the focus for the wardens who worked with the Police and BCC to help remove street drinkers and beggars from the shops, reduced burglary and kept on top of the fly-tipping and graffiti. Local volunteers continued with organised litter-picks assisted by the wardens. The CDT also won funding to employ an officer to support and develop local community groups.
More recently, the CDT completed the development of Moseley Exchange – a shared working space and place to meet for local small businesses and homeworkers especially in the creative industries. The Exchange offers flexible work space, business support services and access to small business networks. Entrepreneurs can join as members or use the facilities at the Exchange on a pay-as-you-go basis. Membership starts from £25/month and membership services include: web promotion; virtual office services; mail management; fax, photocopier and printer; workspace with wifi access; access to lounge and kitchen facilities; use of meeting space; lockers; and use of equipment.
The development of the Exchange and employment of Street Wardens by the CDT alongside the reduction in street drinking; redevelopment of neighbourhood open space and the ongoing operation of the (now award-winning) Farmers’ Market enhanced by Made in Moseley Craft Markets, has increased local economic vitality. There have been no new pubs or bars and instead shops including a Sainsbury’s and Co-op/Somerfield have moved into the High Street. This has been achieved by local groups co-producing the environment for business and enterprise with assistance and support from the local police, housing association, churches, charities, private landlords and various parts of BCC. The CDT is a vehicle that gives community co-production a stability and presence in the area without undermining the value of voluntary effort or enthusiasm on the part of the local community.
Conclusion
Moseley Community Development Trust is an example of the formation of a neighbourhood hub on the CDT model and the effect that such hubs can have on focusing the co-productive capacity within neighbourhoods. The neighbourhood perspective they bring contrasts with the service-specific focus of local service providers and helps them find ways of integrating social, environmental and economic improvements.
