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HB SALE building on fire

The online Birmingham dispatch has provided some information as to the ownership of that building subject to the "accidental" fire:

Birmingham heritage campaigner, known online as Save Station Street, claims that there was a failed application to demolish the red palace in 1996, a failed application to turn it into flats in 2003, and an earlier fire in 2007. The Dispatch did a little digging and found 1-7 Constitution Hill’s freehold is owned by Brilliant Conch Limited, an “overseas entity” according to Companies House which bought the building in 2017 for £1.02m. Interestingly, the firm is registered at Palm Grove House, Road Town in the British Virgin Islands — a hub for offshore business that appeared in the 2017 Paradise Papers, a huge leak of financial documents which shed light on the world of offshore finance.
 
Property companies usually care little fro preserving old buildings. After the Crooked House affaur it should be up to local building authorities to make meticulous surveys, and control any building or demolition work after "accidental" fires.
 
How much Birmingham property is owned by companies based overseas ?
Came across this site, Tax Policy Associates that shows a number of them, but I doubt all. Zoom on the map and click on the markers.
Here is an area around Erdington. Noting the Plaza at Stockland Green…SEYCHELLES
244 to 256 (even numbers) High Street, Erdington…SEYCHELLES
112 High Street, Erdington… Virgin Islands
65 High Street, Erdington…Cayman Islands

IMG_0495.jpeg

taxpolicy.org.uk

Map of overseas holders of UK real estate

Since the start of 2023, all overseas entities have had to be registered with the land registry and on Companies House – the “register of overseas entities”. We’ve created a interactive map that lets…
taxpolicy.org.uk taxpolicy.org.uk
 
I dont think it is merely that they are foreign, but that they are registered in tax havens, which , with the possible exception of the Seychelles, are frequented by drug barons, crooks, dictators and similar; people that are not known for caring a damn about anyone other than themselves and their dubious allies
 
As promised, here's the photos I took in 1976. They were taken from the gardens in St Chad's Circus. I took them because of all the redevelopment going on in the City centre (nothing changes!) , I wanted to capture this imposing building before the bulldozers got there. Surprisingly though, the view has hardly changed. At the time, I worked in Bond Street just beyond the junction and in fact, the building I worked in (Electromagnets Ltd aka Boxmag) can just be seen in photo 2 in the distance in Hampton Street. The Imposing corner tower is clearly visible as is the YMCA building on the left. Also Yardleys music shop can be seen, later to become Musical Exchanges guitar shop which I visited many times. I understand that it was frequented by several local rock celebrities including Roy Wood of ELO and The Move.
I can't remember who occupied the upper floors of the tower building at the time but the ground floor was a somewhat greasy spoon cafe.
The gardens in the centre of St. Chad's Circus had a lovely mural of president J.F. Kennedy which sadly has now gone. Does anyone remember this?
Alan Marriott
 

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Cabonscooter said:
As promised, here's the photos I took in 1976. They were taken from the gardens in St Chad's Circus. I took them because of all the redevelopment going on in the City centre (nothing changes!) , I wanted to capture this imposing building before the bulldozers got there. Surprisingly though, the view has hardly changed. At the time, I worked in Bond Street just beyond the junction and in fact, the building I worked in (Electromagnets Ltd aka Boxmag) can just be seen in photo 2 in the distance in Hampton Street. The Imposing corner tower is clearly visible as is the YMCA building on the left. Also Yardleys music shop can be seen, later to become Musical Exchanges guitar shop which I visited many times. I understand that it was frequented by several local rock celebrities including Roy Wood of ELO and The Move.
I can't remember who occupied the upper floors of the tower building at the time but the ground floor was a somewhat greasy spoon cafe.
The gardens in the centre of St. Chad's Circus had a lovely mural of president J.F. Kennedy which sadly has now gone. Does anyone remember this?
Alan Marriott
Click to expand...
Thanks saved into my Brum File
 
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