A former church hall that has stood unused for nearly four years is to be given a new lease of life as a hub for community and faith-based activities and events.

Bournville Village Trust (BVT) has leased the hall on Cob Lane to a local community group – the South Birmingham Muslim Community Association (SBMCA) for the next five years.

BVT has been successfully working with the community group, which supports local young people and families, since 2020.

SBMCA originally started out as a sports club supporting just a handful of children and families with their physical health and wellbeing during and after Covid.

Since then, SBMCA, which has worked from a number of BVT halls including Woodlands Park Hall, Weoley Village Hall and Shenley Court Hall, has grown.

As a result, the group wanted a more permanent base to provide a range of community and faith-based activities and events for local people.

Arthur Tsang, Director of Communities at BVT, said: “We are really pleased to breathe new life into the Hall by leasing it to SBMCA.

“We have worked with the group for four years and they have grown from a small sports club to a fully-fledged community group that is having an amazing impact on the health and wellbeing of young people and families.

“We look forward to continuing to work with SBMCA and to the official launch of the hub later this year.”

Salaheddin Aboulgasem, Chair of SBMCA’s Board of Trustees, said: “We are very excited to start this new chapter in Bournville.

“The rich history of the area has always been one of amity, welcome and neighbourliness. We look forward to facilitating and furthering bonds of community and friendship across Bournville’s diverse communities.”

The hall will be leased from BVT to SBMCA and under the terms of the lease, it will be used as a community meeting place, including for faith activities such as worship.

As the hall was previously used as a community meeting place / place of worship, there has been no change in use of the building and therefore, no statutory consultation was required.

BVT will continue to work closely with SBMCA, as it does with all commercial tenants, to actively manage the lease.

SBMCA have visited a number of local residents to introduce themselves and plan to formally open the Hall to the wider community in September.

The group are also actively managing parking in the area to cause the minimal of disruption to local residents.