Birmingham Commonwealth Games village plans backed

Preparations for the big event is sprinting ahead after plans for the first phase of a wider regeneration scheme of Perry Barr which will provide 1,400 homes was unanimously approved.

The properties are being built on the site of the former Birmingham City University campus and will accommodate around 6,500 athletes and officials coming to the city in the summer of 2022.

After the games, the properties will be converted to provide around 1,400 new homes across a range of tenures – social and affordable rent, homes for sale and for private rent – creating a new high-quality residential neighbourhood for Perry Barr.

The development, unanimously approved by Birmingham City Council's planning committee, will also include a retirement village and a community centre.

The council-led scheme has also been back by £165 million funding from central government, and £20 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Work is set to begin on the site in early 2019.

Councillor Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "Since we announced our intention to bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, I’ve always said the event is about so much more than just 11 days of sport.

“The regeneration of Perry Barr will be the most tangible and transformative legacy we achieve as a result of hosting the Games, bringing investment and regeneration to area that has long been crying out for it.

“I commend everyone involved with the development of this planning application. It shows the ‘can do’ attitude of the city council and its commitment to partnership working – by securing planning permission today, 364 days since the Games were awarded to Birmingham, we’ve successfully completed work that would normally a take a Host City three years to complete in just one.”

Future phases of the Perry Barr regeneration plan will be consulted on in 2019.