Update on The Aston Arena (Aston Villa Leisure Centre)
The Aston Arena has been given its eviction notice; a large charity, two schools and two private clubs have been given 20 days to vacate with no measures put in place to rehouse them. While the closure has caused community anger the impact of not rehousing these organisations will have a negative community impact. The Charity, Gilbert Deya Ministries, works with the most deprived in the area and acts as a referral service as well as community centre; while the two schools, Aspire Learning Academy and Omar Partners, have very strong links with the Pakistani and Somali community, two community groups with very low educational attainment and are seen as difficult to reach. Despite both Birmingham City Council and the HCA having strong property portfolios they have not worked together in any way to accommodate these imperative community groups, or search for storage until decisions are made. Birm...