Creating a community plan for Stirchley: Learning from Catalan Co-operatives

We want to create a community-led plan for more affordable, ecological co-operative housing, and retail or leisure on the proposed McDonalds site in Stirchley, Birmingham.

In this session we will hear from Nina Turull Puig a project engineer from Sostre Civic Co-operative in Barcelona. Sostre Civic are at the forefront of developing a wave of beautiful and award winning social housing co-operatives in a city which has become a byword for gentrification – much like Stirchley. We will also meet architects from Unit 38 a practice in London, who specialise in empowering neighbourhoods to create community plans; previously working with the campaign to Save Latin Village in Tottenham and Manchester Tenants Union creating a plan for an estate with earmarked for luxury student housing.

This will be the first in a number of sessions guided by Unit 38 who will work with Stirchley co-operative Development and members of the public to generate a community plan for the site McDonalds proposed a drive through on. After 250+ applications for 20 flats in our new building we know that there is a huge need for affordable housing in the area, which won’t be solved by just one building. We also know that co-operatively owned retail units and leisure are something lacking from the area. We think that the future of the high street should be shaped, and owned by the people who live here – not international corporations like McDonalds.

This event is ticketed (with a very low entry cost) so we can arrange a suitable venue for peoples access requirements bearing in mind our limited funds.