Decision postponed for 550-home Birmingham development
Birmingham councillors have postponed a decision on a 550-home build-to-rent scheme in the city centre.
Family-run Ryland Estates is spearheading Trifecta Residences – a triangular block of buildings standing at 41, 11 and 7 storeys bound by Bristol Street, Bromsgrove Street and Essex Street.
It proposes a mix of 232 one-bedroom, 302 two-bedroom, 14 three-bedroom and two four-bedroom apartments.
The city council’s planning committee delayed the vote on the project citing concerns about the affordability and housing mix within the development.
The Victorian Society and the Twentieth Century Society have raised objections, criticising the proposed demolition of several existing low-rise buildings on the 0.6ha site to make room for the development.
Despite these concerns, planning officers recommended the project’s approval, stating that its benefits would outweigh the heritage impacts. However, the committee did not share this view.
Designed by Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio, the development will feature four commercial units, co-working spaces, exercise facilities, shared lounges and a biodiverse garden.
A council conservation officer noted that a four-storey building at 42-44 Bristol Street held moderate local significance and that demolishing it would result in severe harm.
Similarly, a nearby 19th-century building with historic elements was deemed restorable, but its demolition would also cause significant harm, albeit to a structure of lower significance.
A new date for the committee’s decision has yet to be set.
