20/01/2026
The trustees of Moseley and Kings Heath Shed have today informed Birmingham City Council that they will no longer be pursuing a Community Asset Transfer of the former Queensbridge Road park depot, Moseley. This follows a visit by the trustees in December 2025 who were shocked at the rapid deterioration of building. When they last visited in 2018, it was watertight and fit to occupy; it remained in this condition until 2022. In December 2025, parts of the roof had collapsed.
The building was built by the Cadbury family, of chocolate manufacturing fame, in 1890 as a tea room and activity centre for local children. It has had a colourful history since then, reflecting the altruistic contributions that the Cadbury family have repeatedly made to Birmingham.
In the 1970s, the building came under the custodianship of Birmingham City Council who used it a vehicle repair workshop. It has been empty and abandoned since 2010.
The Shed intended to share the site with several other community groups. An NHS trust had expressed an interest in sharing part of the building and using it a staff training room and an NHS community outreach centre for south Birmingham.
After visiting the site in 2018, the ‘Shed’ had repeatedly expressed an interest to Birmingham City Council in taking on this abandoned Council site, but received no response. It is was only in November 2025, that the Council responded to these expressions of interest.
When the trustees visited the site in December 2025 they were shocked to see that vandals had stripped large sections of the roof of its composite tiles where the Shed’s craft workshops would be based. The wooden roof structure had collapsed in numerous places. The trustees felt that the roof would require a complete reconstruction since it was in such a poor condition; this would be beyond the fund raising skills of any community group.
If the building was in the same water-tight condition as it was in 2018, then the Shed would most likely have pursued their bid further, along with the other community groups.
Based on the poor condition of the building, the trustees have sadly informed Birmingham City Council that they have withdrawn their interest in the Queensbridge Road depot.
We attach photographs showing the condition of the building.
