This multi award winning Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust (BMHT) programme of work is now moving into the final phase of construction. Our role at BM3 Architecture started as masterplanners for the estate. Following planning approval of the outline Masterplan, we have delivered over 70 new homes in the local community. 30 more are under construction and the remainder due to start later in the year. Newtown is an inner-city area in the Aston area of Birmingham. This project has made a huge impact on the local community on what was one Birmingham’s most notorious housing estates often reported as the most poor & deprived neighbourhood in the whole of the UK.
North-East Newtown, Birmingham, is planned to provide 350 new dwellings including mixed tenure houses and apartments, a My Place Youth Centre and public open space across a 6.2 hectare site.
The mix comprises 2, 3, 4 & 5 bed dwellings, for social rent, private sale and intermediate ownership. The design concept set out to provide high quality, contemporary and sustainable housing that is contextual to the local surroundings.
Two public open spaces are included, comprising a mix of green landscaped space, together with quality hard landscaping and forms part of a pedestrian route which links north to the south.
Extensive community consultation throughout the design and construction process of the whole estate has been undertaken. The overall regeneration included new schools, a Myplace centre, refurbished tower blocks with communal heating system in addition to our Housing and Public realm work. It has been an all encompassing regeneration in one of Birmingham’s most notorious estates. Local employment has been compulsory for both contractors and developers including 8 full Apprenticeships on the programme. The Myplace centre opened early and has given the young people of the area a positive place to meet and now acts as a strong community hub which has been augmented by our public square.
Public/Private sector involvement is fundamental to the success of this project.
The land and impetus provided by the Local Authority supported through various government funding packages including Urban Living and PLI. Private sector involvement through the delivery of new homes for sale has ensured a viable scheme. This was crucial in the early construction stages where high levels of infrastructure cost were required to be spent to ensure quality regeneration.
The success of the project can be measured in one way by the excellent sales of new private homes. The first phase sold under sealed bids during a housing slump.
