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The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town

Holmwood

After a brief sojourn in Waterloo Street in offices owned by Birmingham City Council and
previously occupied by Dawley Development Corporation, it negotiated the purchase of
Holmwood. Built by Canon Newton, Vicar of Redditch in the late nineteenth century as
a large private house, it had extensive grounds. Purchased by the Royal Antediluvian
Order of Buffaloes as a Convalescent Home, it was used by BSA during the Second World
War as offices. It was to prove an ideal centre for the Corporation's activities. The site
provided ample room for office additions and car parking while its proximity to the Town
Centre and Urban District Council offices made it ideal from a functional point of view.

The Estates
Committee of the
Board was appointed
in October 1964 to
deal with the
acquisition of land
and property in the
designated area.
On 2 November
1964, the Ministry
issued a "Redditch
New Town
Application Direction"
which required the
production of a
Master Plan in
consultation with the
County Council and
other Planning
Authorities. This
requirement had not Holmwood. Built by Canon Newton, Vicar of Redditch in the late
applied to Mark 1 nineteenth century as a large private house it had extensive grounds.
New Towns but
obviously reflected the special position of Redditch, where there was an established town
bordering Warwickshire. Between Studley and Redditch there were strong economic and
social ties as well as land affected by development.
An echo from the distant past, was the decision to carry out a "General Bore Hole Survey"
to allay fears that brine deposits worked by the Romans in the Bromsgrove and Droitwich
areas might prejudice development in the new areas. Fears were allayed. Trial bores
had failed to locate such deposits.
Before the year's end, the Chief Engineer was able to report that a programme of 3,000
houses was possible if immediate extensions to the existing Ipsley Sewage Disposal
Works were carried out. Such was the potential overloading however, that a new Sewage
Disposal Works was essential. This project required regional consultation since
topography and land use required the siting to be outside the designated area.
Also in December 1964, the Board decided to press for a Tree Preservation Order to
safeguard the future development areas.

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