Riverside development for Digbeth given green light

How the development could look in Digbeth

A development of 1,300 riverside homes in Birmingham has been given the go-ahead by planners.

Warner's Fields will be built in Digbeth on land south of Moseley Street and will involve the landscaping of the River Rea which runs through the area.

A report to Birmingham City Council's planning committee said the application presented a unique opportunity to undertake “genuine transformational change of a declining district” in the city centre.

It said the development could be "a catalyst for further redevelopment into the Highgate area and a blueprint for development alongside other stretches of the Rea".

Councillor Lee Marsham said: “We’ve got a real good natural asset in the River Rea and I think this scheme gives us the opportunity to begin to utilise this asset a bit more.

“So given that it’s a good scheme overall, I’m all for it.”

The plans are among other ongoing developments in Digbeth, including the new BBC Birmingham offices and Loc film studios.

'Environmental transformation'

Councillor Gareth Moore said plans for the river were “fantastic” but raised concerns over the housing mix.

“There is a high proportion of one bedroom properties which, as a committee, we’ve expressed concerns about in the past,” he said.

The report from a council officer said the housing mix was "supported by evidence of local housing market conditions including from other developments undertaken by the applicant".

“Consequently, I anticipate a good level of occupation," they added.

Rachel Allwood, planning director at Dandara Living, said: “The redevelopment will deliver much-needed new homes to meet Birmingham’s housing need and drive the ecological and environmental transformation of this part of the city by re-naturalising the River Rea and delivering significant net biodiversity gain.”