The Hive Effect
Many Minds.One Hive. Every Cell Connected
A non‑profit community and environmental project reconnecting people with nature — and with each other.
The Brook / River Tame Corridor Timeline
This is where the story truly begins.
Long before the allotments, long before the college, long before the Billies or the bund, the River Tame — our brook — shaped this land.
Every decision made over the last 80+ years has changed the way this river behaves.
Every sale, every clearance, every fence, every culvert, every development has pushed the water somewhere else.
This timeline follows the brook from its source at Brandhall, through Brook Road, under Causeway Green School, past the Billies, through the old Cakemore Arm, and into Titford Pool.
It shows, step by step, how the council’s decisions:
• removed flood‑buffer land
• increased risk downstream
• destroyed wildlife corridors
• and reshaped the entire landscape
This is the environmental spine of the whole story.
Once you see the pattern, you can’t unsee it.
1940s — The Flood Basins Are Built
Summary
When the Brook Road estate was constructed in the 1940s, engineers installed a series of flood basins to manage the natural flow of the brook (the upper River Tame).
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These basins were designed to:
• hold excess water during heavy rainfall
• protect the new housing estate
• prevent downstream flooding
• maintain a functioning natural watercourse
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For decades, they worked — but only because they were maintained.
1970s — The Backup Plan
Summary
By the 1970s, the council recognised that the basins alone weren’t enough.
They introduced a secondary mitigation strategy:
• Brook Road Park was deliberately kept below road level
• The Sandwell College site was also kept low
• These areas acted as emergency overflow zones
This was intentional, engineered, and effective — until the land was later sold.
2000s — Flood‑Mitigation Design in the Estate
Summary
As the estate evolved, you can still see the flood‑planning DNA:
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• the play area at Brook Road Park was built on a man‑made mound
• the old college had multiple steps up despite flat ground
• new houses were built with bunded gardens and raised thresholds
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All of this was to cope with the brook’s natural behaviour.
2010–2015 — The Old College Site Redevelopment
Summary
The college at the end of Brook Road was demolished and replaced with the College Gate housing estate.
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Key events:
• 2010: Planning application lodged
• 2012: College buildings demolished
• 2013–2015: 117 homes built on known flood‑risk land
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This removed one of the estate’s key flood‑buffer zones.
2012 — Dubious Dealings Begin
Summary
Sandwell Council sold the former college site to developers despite knowing:
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• the land was flood‑prone
• the basins were already under pressure
• the river corridor needed protection
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This sale set off a chain reaction downstream.
2014 — The Brandhall Bund Is Built
Summary
On Brandhall Golf Course, a huge water‑retaining bund was constructed to protect a private housing development.
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Consequences:
• the bund holds a dangerous volume of water
• the bank has been breached during heavy rainfall
• pathways and bridges become submerged
• children and adults attempt to cross floodwater
• the risk is now inherited by the public
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This is Flood Danger #1 in the corridor.
2015 — Brook Road Park Is Sold (Public Asset #3)
Summary
The only park an entire estate had — gone.
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​• sold to developers
• no replacement provided
Community benefits: 0
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2015 — Brook Road Field Is Sold (Public Asset #4)
Summary
The open field next to the PDSA was also sold.
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• more hardstanding
• more runoff
• less natural absorption
Community benefits: 0
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2015–2016 — The PDSA Is Built on Playing Field
Summary
The PDSA Pet Hospital was constructed on what used to be Brook Road Playing Field.
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Timeline:
• Jan 2015: Construction begins
• July 2015: Opens to the public
• 2016: Official royal opening
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Another green space lost.
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2018–2022 — Brandhall Golf Course Closure & Plans
Summary
The upstream anchor of the river corridor is dismantled.
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Key events:
• 2018–2020: Council explores closure
• 2020: Golf course officially closes
• 2021–2022: Housing plans proposed (550 → 190 homes)
• 2022: 67‑acre “eco‑park” promised
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This marks the beginning of the Brandhall Village development.
2021 — Cakemore Arm Industrial Sales (Back of the Billies)
Summary
The old canal arm behind the Billies — once a wildlife corridor — is sold off in pieces:
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• 2011–2012: Ashes Road end sold
• 2015: Middle section sold for industrial expansion
• 2021: Penncricket Lane end sold for £400k–£500k
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Remaining strips were later disposed of to adjacent businesses.
Another section of the river corridor fragmented.
2022 — Penncricket Lane Allotments Sold (Public Asset #5)
Summary
Found by the community.
Stolen by the council.
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This land sits directly on the river corridor and was:
• unused for decades
• rediscovered by you
• confirmed as council‑owned
• then quietly sold
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A story of a con, lies and deceit.
Community benefits: 0.
2022 — The Billies Sold (Public Asset #6)
Summary
A public green space on the river’s edge — gone.
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For decades it has been ours.
2022 — Back of the Billies Sold (Public Asset #7)
Summary
The final stretch of green space before the river enters Titford Pool.
​Sold.
Fenced.
Lost.
2024–2026 — Titford Road Wildlife Corridor Cleared
Summary
Downstream, the last major wildlife corridor is destroyed.
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Timeline:
• 2024: Council rejects plans due to pollution & biodiversity loss
• 2025: Planning Inspector overturns decision
• 2025: Land cleared
• 2026: Construction begins on 60 homes
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The river here is now piped, culverted, and hidden.
2026 — Birchley Island Upgrade Begins
Summary
A major infrastructure project at M5 J2 — the dividing line between “their side” and “your side”.
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Traffic modelling for:
• Brandhall Village
• Titford Road
• Lion Farm
• Brook Road infill
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is used to justify the upgrades.
2026–2028 — New Causeway Green School Construction
Summary
The new school is being built on the former golf course, near the river’s upstream section.
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This completes the transformation of the Brandhall landscape.