My name is Laura Kudrna and I am part of Ladywood Unite, a grassroots community group challenging the regeneration plans in Ladywood, Birmingham. Ladywood is a diverse and closely knit community close to Birmingham city centre. Despite what some people say about us, we are not all deprived relative to Birmingham standards and believe our area was selected for the regeneration because of its valuable central location.

In June 2023, Birmingham City Council issued plans for mass compulsory purchase and large scale demolition in a Ladywood region containing around 2,000 homes, businesses, and places of worship, partnering with a luxury developer called Berkeley Group - St Joseph. Hundreds of people have been locked out of meetings about the regeneration and residents ignored on repeated occasions as the council pushes through their plans for mass compulsory purchase and demolition of our community, putting profit over people.

In September 2023, we submitted a judicial review of Birmingham City Council's decision to confirm Berkeley Group - St Joseph as the developer without consulting us. This was rejected by the courts. We want to continue to challenge the council's decisions, which we do not believe are always entirely legal - but we need good advice on how to do so. 

Our ultimate goal is to reverse the decision to regenerate Ladywood without consultation, which will help protect our homes and community spaces from being demolished. At the same time, we want to start creating our own community-led masterplan that avoids demolition and compulsory purchase, instead prioritising developing under-used land. 

Thank you for supporting us! We could not do this without you.