JQ Neighbourhood approved

Major Jewellery Quarter development with 400 flats and public gardens wins planning permission

Tom Cramp - Local Democracy Reporter | Friday 17th March 2023 9:03am

A major Jewellery Quarter development including over 400 apartments on the site of an old BMW dealership has been approved by Birmingham City Council. The application survived criticism about the lack of parking and affordable housing, which is less than half of the recommended amount.

At a council planning committee meeting today (March 16), members voted to approve the £140 million scheme. Five councillors were in favour versus three against with two abstentions.

The Neighbourhood project from developer HBD will include hundreds of flats as well as a ‘double-height winter garden’, independent cafes and restaurants, work-from-home areas, private gardens and terraces, and a gym. HBD has secured the former BMW Synter site on Newhall Hill as its location.

Plans involve five buildings with 414 one, two and three-bed apartments, all of which will be build-to-rent. Planning officers said the rent at a one-bedroom flat at Neighbourhood would cost £1,100 per month, while two-bed flats would be £1,600 a month.

At the meeting, Cllr Colin Green (Lib Dems, Sheldon) took exception to the provision of affordable housing involved in the scheme. He said: “The scheme offers 16 per cent affordable homes which is less than half of recommended 35 per cent. It’s just not on really.

“The Birmingham Development Plan requires 35 per cent, it’s not an opening gambit in a negotiation, it’s a requirement. This is not a particularly difficult site to develop – the flats are not affordable. This is the developer trying to get out of a requirement that the council has set by the planning department.

“I cannot and will not support a scheme like this that flagrantly breaks the requirements of the council.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Lee Marsham (Lab, Nechells) said: “The former BMW garage site has been a blight on the Jewellery Quarter for too long. The new high-quality homes planned here will provide new public open space, respect our heritage and act as a fantastic gateway for our city.”

No private parking spaces are included within the plans which include 320 cycle spaces and ‘flamboyant’ pedestrian areas, putting an emphasis on sustainable living.

Cllr Gareth Moore (Cons, Erdington) also said at the meeting: “I would like to welcome this application because it’s in a prominent location in the heart of the city centre that is in need of redevelopment. But I am particularly concerned about the lack of car parking provided with this.

“We seem to think that if people live in the city centre they don’t need cars, but there is a very apt example of the failure of this policy just up the road from this site at The Quadrant where there are cars parking on the pavement. It shows that just because you don’t provide parking, the cars don’t just disappear.”

Following the decision, Simon Raiye, Director at HBD, said: “Neighbourhood is a really exciting scheme for the Jewellery Quarter, creating a vibrant new community and a new urban garden for everyone to visit and enjoy. Its outward-facing design will give an inclusive feel and allow the scheme to blend into its surroundings, enriching the quarter and creating an important new community gathering place.

“We can’t wait to get started and see the scheme begin to take shape next year.”

HBD expects work to start on site early next year, with completion in 2026.

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