Apartments plan for historic factory gets thumbs up
Vacant former industrial units in central Birmingham will get a new lease of life as more than 200 apartments, after city council planners unanimously approved proposals for a historic factory building.
The former Lee Bank Business Centre on Holloway Road has been vacant for more than a decade, but a total of 215 apartments will now be built in the 1950’s era “flatted factory”, alongside nine townhouses and around 6,500 sq ft of commercial space in four shop units.
The building was constructed by Birmingham City Council in 1958, part of a post-war construction programme to repair the city’s decimated industrial infrastructure, and is described as an “interesting and well preserved example of an unusual building type that is quite characteristic of Birmingham” by the city’s conservation officers.
Following approval by Birmingham City Council on Thursday, 22 January, a five-storey extension will be added to the structure, while the “dated and unmaintained” curtain wall facade will be replaced under the proposals, which were first put forward by developer Beyond in October 2024.
The townhouses will be built adjacent to the factory, on Chapmans Passage.
Architects for the scheme are JBVJ, while Made it Together are planning advisors for the project.
A factory redevelopment in Birmingham’s former Lee Bank area has been approved. Credit: JBVJ Architects
Due to viability concerns, a total of 6% of the scheme is ringfenced as affordable housing, with a financial contribution of £875,000 secured from the developer towards off site affordable housing for social rent, proposed as part of a condition to meet the local authority’s target of 35%.
Approving the scheme, councillors on the city council’s planning committee described it as a “high quality” proposal for the building.
“What’s encouraging is that there’s townhouses as well and it’s good to have those townhouses in the city centre,” said planning committee chair, Cllr Lee Marsham.
“It’s always disappointing when affordability is not available on site, but we have secured an off site contribution. There are over 25,000 households on the housing waiting list in Birmingham, families and children who are stuck in temporary accommodation, and using that money to take them out of temporary accommodation and some of the poor conditions they’re getting… even if it’s just one family that’s taken out of those conditions then it’s the right thing to do.”
Plans and documents relating to the application can be found on Birmingham City Council’s planning portal under reference: 2024/05852/PA
