800 more students homes planned for Selly Oak, Birmingham, at The Triangle

Huge plans have been put to Birmingham City Council to transform a former supermarket site into two new apartment blocks for more than 800 students. 

Known as ‘The Triangle’, developers want to build two blocks – plus a high-quality public realm, shops and a medical centre – where the former Sainsbury’s once stood between Bristol Road and Chapel Lane in Selly Oak.

Sainsbury’s relocated to the Selly Oak Shopping Park back in 2018 with the vacated building – and car park – remaining derelict and fenced off ever since.

A planning document reads: “The proposed redevelopment of the site will bring an important brownfield site back into use, reactivating Bristol Road with commercial uses and providing additional purpose-built student accommodation (836 units), including the provision of a medical centre.

“The proposals will revitalise Selly Oak District Centre whilst improving connectivity between the traditional High Street retail experience to the east, the retail park to the north and the residential areas to the south and beyond.”

The two accommodation blocks will be five and six-storeys high, while small courtyards will also be introduced. The site was purchased by The Galliard Apsley Partnership in March 2023.

In 2021, though, plans to turn the site into student accommodation were initially scrapped due to the scale of the development and its potential impact on the neighbourhood. 

Over 100 letters of objection were received in the early stages of the application. Fast-forward two years and developers now believe it’s all systems go. Those wishing to comment on the proposals have until January 11, 2024 to do so. To view the plans in full, search for 2023/08290/PA on the Birmingham City Council planning portal.