Largest residential plan in last decade revealed 800 new homes could be built on vacant land near city centre
ONE of the largest housing projects in Birmingham could be built near the city centre. Plans to create almost 800 new houses and apartments were revealed this week by Barratt Homes.
The scheme will see vacant land on the corner of the A38 Bristol Street and Belgrave Middleway developed.
The 21.5-acre site, owned by Birmingham City Council and the Homes and Communities Agency, once housed Matthew Boulton College and the St Luke’s housing estate but has been vacant since the college buildings were demolished around nine years ago.
Barratt Homes has now applied for permission to build 580 apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms, and 192 two and three-bedroom houses in a mix of buildings.
These will reach up to 11 storeys at their highest point and front onto Bristol Street.
Developers also plan to build children’s play areas, a central park and football pitch. Two buildings which still exist on the site – St Luke’s Church and a former city council office building called Highgate Centre – will be demolished.
The scheme would sit directly opposite another major housing estate in Park Central where work is progressing on the final develop- ment plot to build a new apartment block.
Andrew Dauncey, project director at Barratt Homes Mercia, said: “This development will deliver 772 muchneeded new homes of a high quality to the city and will be the largest residential planning application to be submitted for the city centre in the last decade. Demolition and then construction work will commence at this brownfield city centre site this summer.
“The one and two-bedroom apartments and two- and three-bedroom houses will appeal to a range of buyers looking for a brand new home in an ideal location close to the city centre.”
The inner city area part of Birmingham was once populated by cramped Victorian back-to-backs before comprehensive redevelopment after the Second World War saw the city’s ring road took shape.
Architecture practice IDP said: “It is felt that a sensitive and appropriate response has been made with respect to the challenges and opportunities that this site presents, ultimately providing much-needed housing in the Southside and Highgate areas while complementing the other parcels of regeneration and supporting the local economy and services.
“The overall scheme will aspire to make a positive contribution to the character and quality of the area.”