BUSINESS leaders fear traders will quit Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter if a controversial church group which has been branded a cult sets up a base in the area.
The Mail revealed last month that the Jesus Army wanted to redevelop a former office block in Lionel Street with plans for a worship centre, cafe and a walk-in facility for prostitutes, drug addicts, the homeless and asylum seekers.
The move has infuriated companies based in the Quarter, which houses some of the city’s top bars and restaurants and is in the running to be named a UNESCO world heritage site.
And officials working to boost the area said they had been told several firms would quit the area if the scheme, which is currently on hold, went ahead.
Chris Booth, chairman of the Jewellery Quarter Association Heritage and Regeneration group, said: “I have already discussed with at least a dozen business owners who have commented that they will vacate the immediate area if planning consent is granted. This area will be blighted.”
Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/09/22/fears-for-future-of-jewellery-quarter-businesses-if-jesus-army-move-in-97319-29464619/#ixzz1Ym98ZMSO
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