The irony is that although he would be forced to move out, the cottage itself would be preserved – becoming the centrepiece of a square at the heart of a new development called Eastside.

Is the first ever example of a CPO being issued against a human being?

As if to underline how cock-eyed this whole affair is, Fred was tipped off by The Stirrer that a meeting about the project was taking place in Birmingham on Thursday for “stakeholders” in the project.

You might reasonably have thought this category would include a 71 year old man who has lived there all his adult life but who is now being forced to leave.

Er, no. Fred and many others directly affected by the development were not invited, even though this was the first time the full vision for Eastside had been unveiled.

Undeterred he and his daughter Marilyn gatecrashed the meeting – accompanied by The Stirrer – to see how it might affect them.

The event, hosted by Birmingham City Council, was attended by the regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands.

There were also local architects, urban planners, environmental campaigners and the like – many of them good people, deeply concerned by Fred’s plight.

Yet there were no bona fide local residents involved.

And attempts to discuss Fred’s particular situtaion were quickly squelched by Alan Bishop, the local authority bod chairing the day.

As Fred told us later: “I’m none the wiser now than I was before about why they want me out.”

But it did was open his eyes to the absurdities of a planning system that puts local residents at the back of the queue for consultation.

In any event the campaign to prevent his eviction – backed by The Stirrer -goes on.

We’ll have details shortly of his efforts to secure the support of his MP Clare Short.

As an aside, it’s worth noting that despite Birmingham’s cosmopilitan make-up, there was only one non-white face among the 32 people present.

The city – torn apart by a race riot last year in the inner city district of Lozells – has hitherto been smug about its multicultural credentials.

But how can a huge development of inner city land - which includes a new park, shops and apartments – reflect the needs of residents when those planning it have the appearance of a “whites-only” club”.

I briefly wondered if I’d stumbled into a Ku Klux Klan meeting by mistake?

The presence of at least one Asian face re-assured me that I hadn’t, but this is a city that needs to wake up to awful reality of race relations in its midst.

more pics of Fred Grove and his gaff here:  http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/Images/fredgrove/