THE BEST way to find a solution for the future of The Carrot Shack in Cheswick Green is through ‘constructive and open conversation’.
Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Solihull West and Shirley MP, has urged Cheswick Green Parish Council, residents and Charlie Jay’s family to come together and work out a solution to decide what happens next.
This comes after Charlie’s mum, Lesley, wrote to the Conservative MP asking for help after Cheswick Green Parish Council notified her it ‘had no alternative’ but to remove the Shack as a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (rospa) report deemed the gazebo structure is unsafe.
Dr Shastri-Hurst, said: “The Carrot Shack obviously holds a very strong sentimental value for residents in Cheswick Green and serves as an important space for remembering Charlie by his family, friends, and community.
“I urge for a constructive and open conversation between Cheswick Green Parish Council, residents, and Charlie’s family to preserve a memorial whilst addressing the safety issues reported by the inspection.”
Last month at a full parish council meeting, it was agreed to retain the gazebo/shack, whether through repairs or a replacement.
Lesley said: “After the parish council meeting we attended in December, we felt quite optimistic that finally they were listening and understanding what the community wanted.
“We don’t have a grave for Charlie, we can’t bear that idea, but the Shack is that place we go to and feel as close as we can to him.
“So it is like desecrating a grave to us.
“We hoped if it was the replacement idea, the parish council would understand we would like to have some input into the design – something they made us feel at the last parish council meeting we could be involved in.
“This could all have been handled so much better.
“You would expect your local parish council to deal with something so much more sensitively, with understanding, empathy, care and compassion not the bully boy, sledgehammer tactics they have shown from the start.”
In early December a petition was set up and garnered more than 1,000 signatures to Save the Shack after plans were revealed to demolish it.
Cheswick Green Parish Council said: “It was decided to remove and replace the shelter at our November meeting, after receiving a report from ropsa that it was dangerous and realising that repairing it was not economically viable.
“The family were informed of this decision at the time and of how we intended to proceed in a way to be sensitive to their feelings.
“We will not be commenting further at this time as we have advised Mr and Mrs Jay there will be no further discussion until the whole community is consulted on a replacement shelter.”
