Former Queens Hospital student block

New images show giant canalside apartment blocks on former hospital site

Tom Cramp - Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 28th April 2023 7:57am

New images reveal a brand new canalside development that would see over 700 student beds and almost 200 apartments arrive in Ladywood. The scheme would demolish existing student accommodation on Queens Hospital Close, Bath Row, and rebuild a more modern facility.

The site along the Birmingham Canal Old Line currently has 337 student rooms. Pending successful planning permission from Birmingham City Council, McLaren Property’s new project will bring a total of 728 student beds and 189 build-to-rent apartments.

The flats will be split between five blocks – one 31-storey tower, two 10-storey buildings, and two seven-storeys. The site will be surrounded by a ‘green boundary’ and structures topped with ‘biodiversity roofs’.

The site on Bath Row was formally home to the Queen’s Hospital, primarily a teaching hospital built in 1847. It became Birmingham Accident Hospital in 1941 and closed in the 1990s to become student accommodation.

Two Grade II Listed buildings are involved in the plans, both of which were parts of the former hospital. The western block will be transformed into a community hub with a cafe, gym, and bike storage, while the eastern block will be used for more student accommodation.

Developers claim the current site is car-dominated, has limited communal facilities, and has no relationship with the canal on its doorstep. Plans for the new scheme will seek to introduce community courtyards and gardens with BBQs, table tennis, and seating, and more green infrastructure.

Planning consultancy firm Turley is handling the planning, heritage, and strategic communications on behalf of developer McLaren Property, and is hosting a webinar later this evening to discuss plans in more detail. Architectural firm Chapman Taylor is behind the images.

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