Plans to build city skyscraper approved

The skyscraper will provide more than 400 apartments along with gyms, meeting rooms and co-working spaces

Plans to build a 37-storey skyscraper near a busy Birmingham road have been approved.

The development, close to Hagley Road, will provide 462 apartments along with meeting rooms, gyms and co-working spaces.

Concerns were raised about the amount of affordable housing and the tower's impact on nearby historic buildings, with one councillor describing the plans as "perverse".

However, the developers argued the plans provided Birmingham with quality new homes that were greatly needed.

A vacant office building, No. 1 Duchess Place, will be demolished to make way for the building, which is set to be the tallest in the area.

The council officer's report said that a financial contribution of £1.9m had been put forward by the applicant to provide affordable housing off-site.

Proposals were also considered to make a positive contribution to the city's aim of creating sustainable communities, the report added.