Plans for 1,200-home scheme in Birmingham approved despite high-rise jitters

Birmingham council has approved plans for a 1,200-home scheme a month after councillors deferred a decision over fears about an excess of tall buildings in the city.

A recommendation to approve developer Vita Group’s five-tower redevelopment of a former office building was carried with seven votes in favour and one abstention.

The Goods Station scheme, located next to the Mailbox, will consist of three blocks of 49, 39 and 10 storeys containing a combined 868 homes, a 29-storey student accommodation tower containing 720 bedpsaces and a 19-storey hotel building containing 229 serviced apartments.

The height, scale and housing mix of the scheme had come under attack in the council’s last planning committee in April, with one councillor warning approval would represent “another incremental twist towards a city of tall towers”.

Councillors also criticised the design of the proposals, which councillor Gareth Moore described as “just a collection of boxes”. 

However, concerns over the scheme’s housing mix, which had consisted entirely of build-to-rent, were alleviated by Vita’s decision to change one of the residential towers to private sale following the vote for deferral in last month’s committee meeting.

Councillors had criticised the build-to-rent plans for contributing to an oversupply of housing targeted at single professionals rather than families. 

A clause has also been added to the scheme’s section 106  agreement requiring architectural practice Simpson Haugh to be retained throughout the delivery of the scheme to act as a “guardian of quality”.

Councillor David Barker said: “I believe we have a much better scheme now than the one previously there… I do think this is probably a lesson and a reason to defer more things when we are unhappy with it, to actually be a bit braver in the committee in saying we are able to determine what is good enough for the city and clearly we’ve had success by doing it.

Lee Marsham, chair of the planning committee, added: “I think it’s great to see a brownfield site brought into use. I think it’s good that they listened to our previous committee’s comments. I think as a committee we have to be mindful when we do show a bit of rigour and be careful when we do and this is an example where clearly that has made a difference.”