Developer announced for major estate regeneration

Now there is a preferred developer's name to go alongside artists' drawings of the long-proposed regeneration project

The preferred developer for the regeneration of a Birmingham housing estate has been named - a step the city council called a "landmark moment" amid complaint from some residents that they have been left with an uncertain future.

The city council plans to transform Druids Heath and provide about 3,500 new homes.

New infrastructure, transport links and green spaces have been proposed by the authority alongside a pledge to "revitalise" the area. But there have been fears that when new homes are finally delivered under a project first floated years ago, existing residents will be priced out.

The council said with the naming of Lovell to carry out the project, work was closer to starting.

Lovell and the council had begun work on a partnership agreement, which was expected to be signed next spring, the council said.

The agreement will set out the obligations between the developer and the authority to deliver the scheme and was described as the "final step" before work gets under way.

Councillor Nicky Brennan said the selection of the developer was a "landmark moment" for the residents of Druids Heath and Birmingham.

"It brings us another step closer to delivering on the plan to regenerate the area that we have spent two years working with the community to develop," she said.

"This regeneration is about building a sustainable, greener, and more connected community for generations to come."

Plans were submitted in March, about a year after project details were revealed - a move that itself came six years after broad permission to regenerate Druids Heath was given. Some residents warned in 2024, however, that with regeneration came a risk of destroying a community.

Stuart Penn, regional managing director at Lovell, said: "Lovell has been part of Birmingham's story for more than 30 years, and our commitment to this city runs deep.

"Druids Heath represents the next chapter in that journey."

Council leader John Cotton called the project "long-anticipated and needed by residents" in a meeting this month, adding there had been "excessive engagement" with members of the community.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.