Vistry Group has completed two deals which will see the company deliver more than 1,400 new mixed-tenure homes in Birmingham.
The company has exchanged contracts with Homes England to regenerate the former City Hospital site on Dudley Road, Birmingham, which has outline planning permission for 750 homes, including the conversion of the historic infirmary frontage into apartments.
Of the new homes, 35% will be offered in affordable tenures, with the remainder a mix of open market sale, additional affordable housing and homes for private rent. The scheme will also feature up to 8,000 sq ft of commercial and community space.
Vistry will bring forward a detailed planning application later this year, with Birmingham City Hospital due to relocate its operational facilities to the Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick when the lease on the site expires in November 2025.
Phil McHugh, managing director of Vistry North West Midlands, said: “This major regeneration scheme will transform a challenging brownfield site into 750 high-quality, mixed tenure homes and new commercial uses. We share the government’s ambition to deliver new homes at scale and pace, and by working closely with Homes England and Birmingham City Council we can create a vibrant, sustainable new community that will not only meet the housing needs of the area, but will bring both regeneration and valuable investment into the city.”
Mike Goulding, development director at Homes England, added: “This key milestone will enable the development of 750 new homes on a brownfield site in Birmingham. The new homes will be mixed tenure and over a third will be affordable, giving more people the opportunity of a warm, safe home in a fantastic location. This collaborative effort with Birmingham City Council and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust is a prime example of how we work with stakeholders to create thriving communities and provide affordable homes where they’re needed most.”
Jayne Francis, cabinet member for housing and homelessness at Birmingham City Council, said: “At Birmingham City Council, we are really excited about this amazing project being brought forward by Homes England, as not only will the scheme deliver a huge number of family homes within a sustainable location but will also look to provide many of these in an affordable form, helping to tackle the need for more homes within the city.
“The approval will further regenerate existing areas of public open space in the area as well as improving existing infrastructure, whilst also delivering a high-quality public park and other areas of public open space, for current and future residents to enjoy long into the future.”
Vistry has also secured planning consent to deliver 688 new homes in partnership with Bromford and Sigma at the Longbridge site to the south west of Birmingham (pictured).
Vistry has agreed a deal with housing association Bromford to deliver 250 of the homes, ensuring that more than 40% of the development will be offered in affordable tenures, against a 20% local policy requirement.
Build-to-rent (BTR) provider Sigma Capital Group has joined the Vistry partnership to own and manage 215 private rental properties at the site, which was the former home to the MG works. A further 197 homes will be made available on the open market and the final 26 will be offered as First Homes.
The homes will be manufactured off-site using open panel timber frames from the Vistry Works East Midlands factory in Leicestershire.
Vistry’s McHugh said: “This is an important development that will contribute to Birmingham’s economic growth by providing new jobs and high-quality places to live. Like many major cities, Birmingham has a severe shortage of affordable homes; that’s something we’re aiming to address by going the extra mile to deliver affordable and social rent homes over and above what is required of us and delivering them at pace.
“We’re also proud of the sustainability of the homes we’ll be providing, with features and construction methods that reduce their impact on the environment and will lower energy bills for future residents.”
Alice Phillips, regional development manager at Bromford, added: “We believe that nothing is more important to a person than having a safe, secure home. But there is a real shortage of quality, affordable housing in Birmingham which is why we are pleased to work with Vistry to deliver these new homes for rent and shared ownership at Longbridge. Now that Birmingham City Council has given the go-ahead to this development we can look forward to the day when we welcome customers into their new homes in this growing, thriving community.”
