Birmingham picks Lovell for Druids Heath regeneration
The city council has committed to making 1,800 of the project’s 3,500 new homes affordable as it selected its preferred developer to revamp the post-war estate.
Outline plans for 400 homes were lodged in March, all to be made available through social rent. In all, the scheme is intended to deliver a sustainable community of around 3,500 new homes, alongside green space, new infrastructure and transport links, as well as a revitalised commercial and community spaces.
Beyond the initial 400-home tranche, the remaining affordable homes will be delivered in partnership with registered providers.
The wider plans also include proposals for the market-sale housing and homes to be designed for the later-living sector. The project also includes proposals for sports facilities, and a high street intended to be a social hub.
Plans to breathe new life into the historically under-invested Druids Heath, six miles south of Birmingham city centre, date back to 2016, when government cash was levered in to carry out a consultation, the main outcome of which was a recommendation to relocate people from six tower blocks, buildings which would be replaced by new homes.
Birmingham City Council was advised on the selection process by Arcadis and Trowers & Hamlins.
BCC and Lovell, part of the Morgan Sindall Group, have now begun work on a partnership agreement, which is expected to be agreed upon and signed in spring 2026.
This agreement will set out the obligations between the developer and the council to deliver the regeneration.
Cllr Nicky Brennan, BCC cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: “This is a landmark moment for the residents of Druids Heath and for Birmingham. It brings us another step closer to delivering on the plan to regenerate the area that we have spent two years working with the community to develop.
“The regeneration will not only deliver thousands of high-quality, energy-efficient homes, we are also committed to ensuring that more than half of them will be affordable – helping to meet the urgent housing needs of our residents.
“This regeneration is about building a sustainable, greener, and more connected community for generations to come.”
Stuart Penn, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “Lovell has been part of Birmingham’s story for more than 30 years, and our commitment to this city runs deep.
“Druids Heath represents the next chapter in that journey. And this is about more than bricks and mortar: it’s about creating opportunity, improving lives, and working in genuine partnership with Birmingham City Council and the community – leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
“True partnership isn’t just a label, it’s a way of working – one that sits the community at the heart of the regeneration of their area. It’s only by approaching projects in that spirit can we deliver places that people are proud to call home for generations to come.”
