Plans to build five more towers in the heart of Birmingham approved with key consideration for families

Plans were lodged for a mixed-use development, consisting of apartments, student accommodation and a hotel, on the site of the former Axis Building on Holliday Street in Birmingham city centre.

There are set to be five buildings in total, including a 49-storey residential tower.

Those behind the project have said the development could become a “dynamic new destination” in Birmingham city centre and create a “vibrant, lively atmosphere” on the site, which is now a cleared plot of land.

But one concern raised during a Birmingham City Council planning meeting last month was the proposed housing mix, with Coun Colin Green saying: “What we’ve got here is a very tall building full of one-bedroom flats that doesn’t meet the city’s housing needs.

“We already have enough [one-bedroom flats].”

A decision on the proposals was ultimately deferred by the committee at the time.

But an update, issued ahead of a planning meeting last week, said it was council officers’ view that the housing mix can be supported in the ‘inner central area’.

It also said that changes were proposed to building five, which would provide 122 homes, to be a “for sale” residential building, rather than build to rent.

“Of the three residential buildings proposed, building five offers the most opportunity for families to be accommodated in larger units,” it continued. “[It is] therefore considered a positive change made to address concerns of the committee.”

Speaking at the meeting on May 8, Councillor Gareth Moore (Conservative, Erdington) said: “I do welcome the change – we should be allowing families the opportunity to live in the city centre.

“We shouldn’t assume everyone that does is a single, young professional because that isn’t the case.

“The assumption that only young people want to live there and no-one with children would ever consider living in a flatted development is just utter nonsense and we need to get away from that.”

Councillor David Barker (Labour, Brandwood and Kings Heath) said: “I believe we have a much better scheme now than the one previously there.

“I do think this is a lesson […] to actually defer more things when we’re unhappy with it, to actually be a bit braver as a committee in saying ‘we are able to determine what is good enough for the city’.

“Clearly we’ve had success by doing it. We have a significantly better scheme because the committee decided to send it back and ask for more changes.”

“I’m going to support this application,” Coun Jane Jones (Labour, Stockland Green) added. “I like the design, I like the fact it’s going to improve footfall.”

Lee Marsham, (Labour, Nechells) chair of the planning committee, said: “I think it’s great to see a brownfield site put forward and brought into use.

“I think it’s good that they listened from our previous comments.”

The plans were then approved by the committee.

Buildings one and two of the scheme will be residential towers, 49 and 39 storeys, and comprise 868 residential units across them both.

The student residential tower was proposed to be 29 storeys and provide 720 bedspaces as well as a food hall at lower levels.

The fourth building is set to be used as a hotel with 229 serviced apartments while the fifth, a residential building, will deliver 122 homes across ten storeys.

These buildings will be sat around a public square, which a council report said would be a “significant public realm improvement”.

Coun Marsham spoke positively about the scheme at a previous meeting, saying it would provide “lots of housing which this city needs”.

Nick Jackson, area planning manager at the council, also previously highlighted how the housing mix was overall in favour of two and three-bed homes and noted there was a “deliverability factor” as well.

“We have to make best use of these sites and that’s why we see tall buildings in the city centre,” he said.