Plans for 146-home development in Birmingham approved

Prosperity Group has this week had plans for a 146-home development in Birmingham’s gay village approved.

The Birmingham-based developer will demolish existing building and developer a scheme ranging from nine to 12 storeys in height.

The planned development will be in an L-shaped block along Kent Street and Lower Essex Street in Southside, consisting of 111 one-bedroom apartments and 35 two-bedroom units.

The development will not provide any on-site affordable housing. The council has a policy of seeking 35% affordable as a developer contribution where possible. However, council planning committee papers said an independent assessment had shown this would make the scheme unviable.

Instead, as a condition of planning permission, Prosperity has agreed to contribute £1.05m to mitigating noise from the nearby Nightingale nightclub, rising to £1.3m if necessary.

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Any monies left over from the £1.05m after the works have been carried out will be put towards off-site affordable housing provision. The scheme had previously been rejected due to a lack of mitigation of noise from the nightclub.

Joe Billingham, chief executive of Prosperity, said: “Southside is an area with a diverse range of cultures and communities and we’re proud to be playing our part in its evolution. From the Gay Village, Chinese Quarter and the developing Smithfield area, our new homes will ensure that people can not only enjoy what Southside has to offer but live as part of the vibrant community here.

“In keeping with these ambitions, we’ve worked closely with Birmingham City Council and other partners including the Nightingale Club to find an agreeable solution which ensures that the key cultural venue nearby is protected as part of this transformation. We look forward to working harmoniously with the LGBTQ+ community to deliver this exciting project.”