Idyllic village where residents must follow set of strict rules to live there
Residents living in the idyllic Bournville village enjoy independent shops, plenty of green space and charming houses while close to a city centre but they must also abide by strict rules.
Created as a model village to house workers at the nearby Cadbury chocolate factory, the Bournville Estate, in Birmingham, now has 25,000 residents living in 8,000 homes.
The picturesque scene is reminiscent of scenes from an Enid Blyton book and there is rarely trouble in the neighbourhood where the strict rules are obeyed.
But there was disorder last weekend at a historic festival which had to be evacuated after weapons were spotted and a teen injured.
Scores of people were forced to leave the Cadbury Recreation Ground, on June 24, where they were enjoying the fair which has run since the village was set up in the 1900s.
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As police investigate the case, here is a rundown of the rules that people in Bournville must follow.
Why are there rules to live in Bournville?
In order to maintain the village's character, there are a number of rules in place (Martin O'Callaghan / BirminghamLive)Most of the houses in the village are owned by the Bournville Village Trust, founded in 1900 by George Cadbury with a focus on providing good-quality housing in a green environment. Cadbury was appalled at working class living conditions and wanted to provide decent housing for his workers.
He planned the model village of well-built cottages with large gardens and spaces for recreation and leisure.
But in order to maintain the village's character, there are a number of rules, often called 'covenants' - which residents must adhere to.
What are the rules?
The Bournville Village Trust has a Design Guide which sets out how residents are expected to maintain their homes and in return, the Trust provides a range of services which help to sustain the community.
The guide includes detail on how people can go about extending their house, how houses should be maintained and what gardens should look like.
Five of the rules for living in Bournville:
1) Any changes to your home's 'external appearance' must be approved. In order to maintain the village's picture-perfect image, residents must inform the Trust if they are planning to make any changes to their home which affects its external appearance
2) Walls and fences are generally discouraged. Residents are required to maintain their front garden and keep them neat and tidy. They can not erect or remove hedges, walls or fences without approval.
Bournville Village Festival was forced to shut at 10pm on Saturday, June 24 (Birmingham Live)3) Residents must pay towards the upkeep of the village. If you live in a village or estate within the Bournville Village Trust's Scheme of Management, you are required to pay an annual charge to the group. The Trust says this money is used to provide a range of services which help 'create and sustain communities where people can thrive
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4) No renting without permission from the Trust - Anyone subletting a property in Bournville is required to inform the Trust of their new address and the name of the tenant that is renting their home. It is important new tenants are aware of their responsibilities too.
5) No caravans, trailers or boats on your driveway - Residents with caravans, motor homes, commercial vehicles, trailers or boats are required to store their vehicles in a designated storage site.
What happened on Saturday at the village festival?
Bournville Village Festival was forced to shut at 10pm on Saturday, June 24.
A large group of people, believed to have caused the trouble, were ejected from the site.
West Midlands Police said the event's security team took the decision to evacuate the site and close the event early and so far no arrests have been made.
A police spokesperson told BirminghamLive: "We received a call from security staff at Bournville Lane Festival to reports that two people had been spotted with weapons. Officers attended and carried out a joint walk through of the event alongside security staff.
"A teenager reported being assaulted following a disorder. A large group of people believed to have caused disorder were swiftly ejected from the event by security. The security team for the event took the decision to evacuate the site and close the event early. This decision was not made by police.
"An investigation into the assault has been launched and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to get in touch by calling 101 or Live Chat via our website quoting 20/551938/23."
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