Development partners submit first phase of Birmingham canalside regeneration scheme
The joint venture behind the regeneration of one of Birmingham’s most important brownfield sites has submitted plans for the first phase of redevelopment.
Icknield Port Loop promises hundreds of new homes plus a mix of supporting amenities on a 43-acre site fringing the city centre.
The partnership leading the redevelopment comprises Urban Splash – best known for its Rotunda and Fort Dunlop schemes – and Places for People, in collaboration with landowners Canal & River Trust and Birmingham City Council.
The first phase of the scheme includes 207 urban, family homes; 117 of which will be terraces of two to five bedrooms, with terraces opening onto shared residential courtyard gardens.
The partnership will deliver 90 apartments, two new public parks, and canalside spaces within the first phase.
Adam Willetts of Urban Splash said: “This site is an amazing, if very underused, part of Birmingham with tremendous potential that, subject to planning approval, the Icknield Port Loop partnership will completely regenerate.
“These plans are ambitious and transformative and are intended to bring that land back to life, making it a sustainable, and much-loved place for people to live, work and play.”
The project partners have been working with Macreanor Lavington, ShedKM and Glenn Howells Architects on the housing design, with Grant Associates working on the public realm designs.
The proposals also include 40 modular townhouses which are being created using the Urban Splash modular blueprint – House. This offers residents the chance to design the layout and composition of their home. Their designs are then precision-built to individual specification in a factory, before being craned into position.
“As an island in the city, this site is perfect for a concept like House which is intended to give families, or anyone looking for a home, the option to do so in an urban environment,” said Mr Willetts.
There are also plans for a new leisure, sports and swimming centre on Ladywood Middleway, for which a separate planning application has been submitted. The location of this facility has been moved from its original site to allow for a larger facility with additional parking.
If planning approval is granted, the centre should open by mid-2019 and will offer a 25-metre pool and a range of recreational activities.
The approved masterplan for the entire site includes up to 1,150 new homes, commercial, retail and leisure facilities.
