Planning permission has been granted to Claridge Architects to construct a £35 million, 203-unit build-to-rent property on Hanley Street in Birmingham’s historic Gun Quarter.
The residential-led, mixed use proposal on behalf of Czero Developments will deliver a sustainable, high quality residential development on the site of a largely undeveloped urban block comprising former warehouses and a car park. The construction of the property will see the existing buildings demolished and replaced with 203 build-to-rent apartments constructed with street level commercial units and two landscaped courtyards at upper ground floor level.
Homes in the Hanley Street development will range from well-proportioned one-bed, two-person open plan living-dining-kitchen spaces to duplex three-bed, five-person homes with private terraces. All proposed properties on the site will exceed National Space Standards, while residents will benefit from additional access to a generously proportioned rooftop garden with views overlooking Birmingham City Centre.
Throughout the design process, Claridge Architects has been actively engaged with Birmingham City Council. The development proposals have been refined and feedback received has been incorporated into the revised design to ensure that it meets the requirements of the most far-reaching development project ever undertaken in the UK – Birmingham City Council’s Big City Plan.
Sustainability has been at the core of the design process, which has been led by the requirements of the Birmingham Development Plan 2031 and calls for sustainable developments that reduce the City’s carbon footprint. In response, every home will benefit from secure cycle storage to encourage active travel and the lowering of end-user carbon emissions, while all residents will benefit from highly insulated homes designed to heighten energy efficiency.
With an eye to the future of energy efficient car travel in the City, the Hanley Street development will provide access to secure car parking facilities which will include electrical charging points. All residents will benefit from the provision of carpooling parking spaces to encourage a reduction in personal vehicle use.
In response to the industrial heritage and historical context of the Gun Quarter, Claridge Architects has designed the Hanley Street block with a pitched roof space to ensure it is visually engaging and suitably fits the aesthetics of the surrounding local industrial roofscape.
Marcus Claridge, Director at Claridge Architects commented: “Birmingham is rapidly undergoing a considerable transformation in the eyes of investors and developers. Increasingly, we are witnessing developers flock to the second city to capitalise on the burgeoning demand for high-quality rental property. This is a market that will no doubt flourish in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands as projects such as HS2 come to fruition.
“The sustainable development on Hanley Street will deliver 203 first-rate homes in an area of the City that traditionally has not seen as much attention from developers as the likes of the Jewellery Quarter. This is all set to change. The Gun Quarter will be the destination for Birmingham’s renters. We wanted to ensure that this development delivers on cost, quality and environmental efficiency while respecting the local history of this jewel in the City’s crown.”