WORK is underway on the development of nearly 700 homes on the site of the former Austin Rover factory, 20 years-on from its closure.
Birmingham’s leaders joined Vistry, a provider of mixed-tenure homes, to celebrate the beginning of their 688 home development, alongside the developer’s partners, Bromford and Sigma.
The site will play host to much needed homes with Vistry working alongside housing association Bromford to deliver 250 of the homes, ensuring more than 40 per cent of the development will be offered in affordable tenures.
Sigma Capital Group has also partnered with Vistry to take on 215 private rental properties.
The remaining 197 will be available on the open market, and the final 26 will be offered as First Homes.
Michael Moore, managing director of Vistry North West Midlands, said: “Like many major cities, Birmingham has a severe shortage of affordable homes; that’s something we’re aiming to address by going the extra mile to deliver affordable and social rent homes over and above what is required of us and delivering them at pace.”
The homes will be built with a focus on sustainability, featuring air source heat pumps and PV panels for renewable electricity, whilst wastewater recovery systems will minimise water usage.
They will be manufactured off-site using open panel timber frames from the Vistry Works East Midlands factory in Leicestershire.
Each home built, using these panels, emit 14,460kg CO2e less than a traditional brick-and-block house.
The scheme will also stimulate economic growth through on-site employment, as well as creating designated spaces for community use and public open space.
Laurence Turner, MP for Northfield said: “The redevelopment of one of the final parts of the Austin site comes at a symbolic moment – twenty years on from the collapse of MG Rover.
“It is positive that the symbolism of the site will be retained with the preservation of the industrial heritage.”
