Planning Status: the developed proposal has been sent to Birmingham City Council for review and permission.
When looking at what was possible development alternatives for the site, the following planning policies were pursued:
The Birmingham Development City Plan 2031 (BDP)
Place making
Policy PG3- ‘All new development will be expected to demonstrate high design quality, contributing to a strong sense of place.
Spatial Delivery of Growth
Policy GA1.2 – Growth and Wider Areas of Change, spatial delivery of growth.
Policy GA1.3 – The Quarters, creation of a cultural hub.
Environment and Sustainability
Policy TP1 – Reducing the city’s carbon footprint through a sustainable development
Policy TP3 – Sustainable construction by maximizing energy efficiency
Policy TP6 – Management of flood risk and water resources
Policy TP23 – Small shops and independent retailing
Sustainable Neighbourhoods
Policy TP27 – Sustainable neighbourhoods
Affordable Housing
Policy TP31– 30% affordable housing and office space
Connectivity
Policy TP39 – High quality pedestrian routes for Walking
Policy TP40 – Encouraging Cycling through the availability of bike racks.
Birmingham Curzon Station HS2 Masterplan for growth
- Well connected with attractive walking, cycling and public transport routes
- Breathing new life and activity into heritage assets and historic environments, providing new uses and buildings
- Growing creative, media, social enterprises.
- Vibrant mixed-use neighborhood
- Creative high quality sustainable residential neighborhood focused around the canal
- Focus for innovative art
- Digbeth – diverse and dynamic working community of digital and creative businesses
- Distinctive 19th Century industrial urban character
- Start-ups
- Social enterprises
Big City Plan
– The Digbeth area promotes the use of keeping to its historic roots as a foundation for growing its established creative businesses and developing a vibrant urban community with existing building fabric and delivering a high quality, exciting and safe public realm. Focus is on three areas:
1. Entertainment 2. Living 3. Culture
To facilitate the regeneration, we will address a number of key issues, including:
- Providing safe and convenient connections into and through the quarter.
- Supporting its gritty and authentic character.
- Balancing the needs of local businesses, residents, cultural and creative activities.
Fazeley Street performs an important role as an east-west route connecting westwards to Eastside and eastwards to Liverpool Street and Adderley Street and onto the Ring Road. Improvements to lighting, materials and spaces will need to be considered.
The traditional building types and strong street grid patterns are vital to local distinctiveness and sense of place. Such assets will be used to create strong character for new developments. Keeping the mix of small properties and larger industrial buildings will be important allowing experimentation in space and place.
Birmingham City Centre Enterprise Zone Investment Plan
- Digbeth is within the ‘Enterprise Zone’, it is an established economic hub served by excellent public infrastructure
- It is an established economic hub served by excellent public infrastructure and benefiting from a diverse mix of cultural, recreation and leisure uses, including the regional shopping centre (The Bullring).
- Its role as an economic hub is reflected in its status as one of the UK’s largest financial centres outside of London and attraction as a location for business and professional services with a significant number of regional and national HQs. The diversity of the centre’s economic role is supported by its reputation as a hub for creative industries and as the UK’s fastest growing place for digital media ventures.
National Planning Policy
NPPF 127
- Development for the long term, that will function well and add to the overall quality of the area.
- Attractive architecture, layout and appropriate and effective landscaping
- Sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape
- Establish or maintain a strong sense of place
- Mixed development, including green place and public space
- Safety, crime and disorder stopped
NPPF 131
High level of sustainability and design
NPPF 185
(c) A positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment and desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character
NPPF 195
(d) Harm or loss is outweighed by the benefit of bringing the site back into use.
NPPF 200
Enhance significance of conservation area
Warwick Bar Character Appraisal and Supplementary Planning Policies
- Development must be sympathetic to the conservation area
- Changes and alterations must be sympathetic to the building in scale materials, detailing proportion and street scape.
- Positive contribution to the conservation area
- Signage must fit with design and character of building, not over scaled or visually intrusive
- Contain a continues street frontage (Fazeley street)
- Rooftop plant/service must be subtle.
- Accessibility to all users including disabilities
- Redevelopment of vacant sites is a priority and highly encouraged
- Developer contribution to public realm
Section 106
- Enhancement of the local environment
- Replacement of local wildlife habitats
- Affordable housing
- Local employment initiative
Digbeth, Birmingham 