Clarion to get green light for major affordable housing scheme
A development from the UK’s largest affordable housing provider has been tipped for approval by Birmingham City Council planning officers.
Clyde Street in Digbeth will comprise 481 apartments across two interlinked buildings of 10 and 34-storeys, on the former Safestore industrial land.
It’s being brought forward by Latimer, a subsidiary of Clarion Housing Group, which has designated 55% of the homes as affordable housing through a grant from Homes England once the scheme is approved. It has earmarked 141 apartments for social rent and 127 for shared ownership.
As the provision of affordable housing is not secured through a Section 106 agreement, planning officers say that the committee can have “no certainty that this will come to fruition. 100% of the scheme could be delivered as private market units”. Therefore, the potential of affordable housing will not play a part in the decision-making process.
On completion of the development, Clarion says it will take ownership of 100% of the affordable units, adding to its portfolio of over 2,500 affordable homes in the City. This site will be the first mixed-tenure community delivered in Central Birmingham through Latimer.
Features of Clyde Street include a 31st-floor roof terrace, 277 bicycle spaces, five commercial spaces over 6,850 sq ft, workspaces, a landscaped woodland courtyard and a new High Street public realm.
Birmingham City Council’s planning committee will discuss the scheme on March 14.
