The 462 Birmingham homes being built with no car parking - only cycle spaces

One of Birmingham’s biggest skyscrapers which will feature 462 homes will have no car parking spaces - only cycle spaces.

There will also be a bicycle workshop on site for residents to use as part of the building’s communal facilities, which will also include a co-working space and gym.

The development, called Snowhill Plaza, was voted in by the council despite objections from Historic England who warned it would harm the character of nearby heritage assets, namely St Chad’s Cathedral and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, once it is constructed next to the Holiday Inn near Snow Hill station.

BirminghamWorld previously reported on how the planning committee was split on prioritising the need for housing against potential viability concerns in the location. Despite the room being split, those in favour won the vote, leaving residential developer HUB and pan-European real estate investment manager MARK free to begin the works. A vacant commercial property will be demolished to make way for the new tower.

"It’s an incredible-sized building – the scale of it dwarfs everything else," councillor David Barrie said. "A lot of the benefits of this could be promoted on the back of this could be delivered in a much less intrusive development." Brad Burridge of HUB said it will be a "striking landmark for Birmingham" which will result in a "new public route that will open up this part of the city centre for pedestrians".

Lily Lin, UK & Ireland managing director at MARK, said: “Planning approval for 2 Snowhill Plaza reflects the high quality of the scheme’s design, which will provide much-needed rental housing. This project – our first UK build-to-rent investment – will be a strong addition to our portfolio of residential-led developments in the UK, through which we are delivering hundreds of homes across a range of price points and tenures in a mix of geographies. HUB has a proven track record of delivery, and we look forward to working with them in progressing the site from construction through to completion.”