Demolition of the Selly Oak Battery Office Building

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Sainsburys are now in the process of demolishing (on safety grounds) the Selly Oak Battery office building that stands on the Bristol Road opposite Selly Oak Railway Station. The building has been at least half derelict for as long as I can remember (certainly over a decade) and it is it is a shame that Sainsburys have not taken better care of the building.

Unfortunately, although there has been some confusion, the building is not listed (or in a conservation area) and planning consent is not required for its demolition. The Council had sought to preserve the building, or at least the frontage, as part of the planning discussions for the development of the whole Battery site. If Sainsburys had begun building work earlier (as was their original intention), this attempt would probably have been successful. Sadly, Sainsburys still seem to be looking for a development partner for the site and time has now run out.

Some pictures of the inside of the Battery building are available on the 28 Days Later Forum. A story also ran in the Birmingham Mail.

The site is of course still significant and if we are to improve the look and appearance of the Selly Oak local centre, I think we should be demanding that a replacement building will be a well-designed landmark building in its own right.