Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee will consider adding five cultural heritage sites to its own established listing scheme - which has more than 440 entries - when it meets next Thursday (13 August 2026).

The sites being recommended for inclusion, subject to the committee’s final decision, are:

• Cherry Reds, John Bright Street
• The Electric, Station Street
• The Gazette Buildings, Corporation Street
• The medieval moat and Yardley Ridge and Furrow Earthworks, Old Yardley Park
• The Old Windmill Pub, Dudley Road

Birmingham’s Local Heritage List complements the national designation system – the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) - which is run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, with advice from Historic England.

It recognises buildings and places of particular importance to the city’s history, character and identity that do not meet the national scheme’s criteria. 

Although inclusion on the Local Heritage List does not provide the same statutory protection as that afforded under the NHLE – it does not prevent alteration, redevelopment or demolition – it means an asset’s heritage significance becomes a material consideration in planning decisions affecting the site.

Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “It’s great to see such a variety of sites being recommended for Birmingham’s Local Heritage List, which reflect the city’s architectural, cultural, social and industrial history.

“I’m especially pleased to see The Electric Cinema included as, until it closed in 2024, it was the oldest working cinema in the UK so played a vital role in our city’s cultural heritage.

“This further underlines the council’s commitment to recognising the significance of our city’s heritage which is valued by our residents and communities.”

Nominations for new sites to the Local Heritage List can be made on the council's website by individuals, community groups, amenity societies (such as ‘Friends of’ groups) and council officers – which will be assessed by the council’s conservation team, in consultation with nominators and other interested parties.

Conservation officers and the Birmingham Conservation and Heritage Panel review the findings before a final report is considered by Planning Committee.

The full report is available on the council’s website.

Notes to editors:

Information on the Local Heritage List process can be found in the Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document (HESPD). 

Birmingham’s Local Heritage List is available on the council's website.