Birmingham residents have been offered a further glimpse of how the former City Hospital site could be transformed into a “vibrant” new community. The scheme for the area in Dudley Road has outline planning permission for 750 homes, including the conversion of the historic infirmary frontage into apartments.
Developer Vistry Group said it had exchanged contracts with Homes England, the government’s housing agency, to deliver the regeneration and a detailed planning application would be brought forward later this year. City Hospital is due to relocate its remaining operational facilities to the Midland Metropolitan Hospital, less than a mile away in Smethwick, when the lease on the site expires in November 2025.
Mike Goulding, development director at Homes England, said more than a third of the new homes would be affordable. “[This would give] more people the opportunity of a warm, safe home in a fantastic location,” he continued.
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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.”
He said the new community would meet the housing needs of the area and bring “regeneration and valuable investment” into the city. Cllr Jayne Francis, cabinet member for housing and homelessness at the council, said: “At Birmingham City Council, we are really excited about this amazing project being brought forward by Homes England.
“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”. She added: “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.”
According to Vistry, 35 per cent of the homes will be offered in affordable tenures, with the remainder delivered as a mix of open market sale, extra affordable housing and homes for private rent. The outline planning permission also included up to 8,000 sq ft of commercial and community space.
What the layout of the scheme at Birmingham’s City Hospital could be
(Image: Vistry)
A council officer’s report previously acknowledged it was “regrettable” the proposed development would not be able to deliver a new bridge link or retain a greater number of historic buildings. But it said the proposed contributions towards public open space and affordable housing, alongside the retention of the infirmary front block, would outweigh the harm identified and deliver “significant benefits” for the city.
“The development would further deliver a high-quality, mixed community with a large percentage of family homes in an area of growth identified as sustainable just outside of the city core,” it said in 2023.