Apartments planned for a Birmingham field which was a fly-tipping hotspot

Plans are being discussed which would see the large field on Brockworth Road in the south Birmingham district of Druids Heath transformed into 12 apartments.

The site has previously been a target for fly-tipping and the development has been welcomed by some residents. But worries have been raised by others about privacy, loss of green space and noisy new neighbours.

There are the complaints that the new development would overlook nearby bungalows. Developers say they have hosted several meetings with residents and promised their concerns would be taken on board.

The representative for the developer said: “Local public consultation events took place at Bells Farm Community Centre. At the sessions, some residents made comments generally in support of development on the site as it was underused and had suffered tipping of rubbish.

“Other residents raised concerns about the loss of the open space, over development of the site, preference for houses and concern over who might live in the flats. Residents did not want high-rise apartments and one resident raised concerns about overlooking of the bungalows at the rear.”

“The comments, where relevant to planning, have been taken on board as far as possible whilst balancing this with the need to deliver an efficient use of land to meet housing needs and having demonstrated through a full Open Space Assessment that the land is no longer required to meet public open space and recreation requirements for the ward.”

What kind of homes are being planned in the development?

The homes, all of which would be affordable, are being proposed by Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust, and would include parking spots and fresh landscaping.

The proposed residential units would sit on two levels of one and two-storeys and all apartments would have one bedroom and their own parking space. Eight of the apartments are ‘ground floor’ flats and the other 4 ‘walk-up’ flats. The development will now go before Birmingham City Council planning department.