The surprising Ms Getgood and Grade II listing.

98 Moseley Road - Grade II Listed. Click picture for the original image by getgod on flickr.

It’s interesting what draws someone’s attention to old buildings. For Nicky Getgood – the local blogger for Digbeth – it was a fire which killed 2 people:

When I posted West Midlands Police’s statement about the recent fire in a property on Moseley Road, in which two people sadly died, both Barnard and Yasmin commented that the old building, along with a few houses next to it, had been empty for a number of years.

As Nicky began to share what she was finding out others joined in, using the comments section on her blog.

The house that caught fire is next to Al Kawthar Academy at 110-114 Moseley Road and just opposite Highgate Park. The house numbers are kind of erratic, but it seems to be part of 106/Flynn House, 102 and 98, all of which are empty and boarded up. According to the Land Registry, these Grade II listed properties are owned by Concept Development Solutions, who Anna Blackaby tells me went bust in 2009. On a post just outside the property is an application for planning permission.

Now Nicky’s unfolding interest in the buildings has appeared in both the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Mail .  She has also been joined by others campaigning for the Moseley road, with it’s plethora of listed buildings, to be granted conservation area status.

By making the effort to routinely share what she knows on her blog,  Nicky has done more than report a story, she’s created a focal point for community.

108 Moseley Rd - click picture for the original image by getgod on flickr.