A Midlands developer has confirmed it will redevelop a former chapel and student housing site in Edgbaston into new apartments and townhouses. The project has faced criticism over parking, affordability, and housing mix, but was approved by Birmingham City Council last year.
00:00A former University of Birmingham chaplaincy site in Edgbaston is about to change beyond recognition.
00:08Built in the 1950s, it's been empty since last summer when the last students moved out.
00:13Soon it'll be replaced by four townhouses and 28 apartments in a four-storey block.
00:19The old chapel offices and accommodation all levelled.
00:23Midlands-based Spitfire Homes has brought the land.
00:26Demolition starts within weeks.
00:28Construction is due before the year's out.
00:31The company points to Edgbaston's draw, top-righted schools, independent restaurants, green spice and fast routes into the city.
00:39As reasons, buyers will pay a premium.
00:42But the plan wasn't universally welcomed.
00:45Council has warned that 25 parking spaces for the flats and height for the townhouses could spill cars into neighbouring streets.
00:52Others said the mix misses the mark.
00:55A suburb crying out for family housing were getting mostly one- and two-bed flats aimed at singles or couples.
01:02Affordability was another fault line.
01:05The council's own report said the scheme couldn't support affordable housing under its financial model.
01:10After negotiation, three units were added, all smaller flats.
01:14That's 9% of the total and still short of the family-sized affordable homes the council's housing team said they'd prefer.
01:21Even so, the design met planning policy, passed impact tests and was judged to improve local ecology and landscaping.
01:30For the developer, it's a foothold in one of Birmingham's most expensive postcodes.
01:34For some residents, it's a reminder that hitting the numbers in a planning report doesn't always mean meeting the needs of the people who live here.
01:42For the developer, it's a matter of aêt-to-pro HOTO.
01:47For the developer, it's a master-class put in a plan and you can understand it.
01:51The seller-part of the family-sized debilers are the most expensive test-coated andUpon-Galile.
01:53But the company was also known as the owner-class put in the church.
01:55For the developer, it was only a man, you can see him for aseys.
01:57That he has three-handed method that was anyways.
01:58The owner-class put in the middle of Birmingham's most superb mail.
01:59The owner-class put the owner-class put in the middle of the door.
02:01The owner-class put in the level of the building that the owner-class put in the middle queue is the middle of the house.
02:03The owner-class put in the low or-class put in the middle of the house door.
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