Midland Heart announces huge house building plan

A total of 1,200 affordable homes will be built over the next two years in a bid to ease Birmingham’s housing crisis, a major city social housing provider has announced.

Midland Heart, which manages more than 35,000 homes across the Midlands, says £295m of development is under way across 15 brownfield sites across the city, including schemes at Ladywood, Yardley, Longbridge and Winston Green.

Currently, more than 25,000 people are on a waiting list in the city, with an estimated 6,000 resident in temporary accommodation.

Midland Heart says nearly 900 of the homes will be available to local residents for social rent, the cheapest housing option available, the other 300 will be a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership schemes.

The first homes at the former Yardley Sewage Works will be ready for occupation by residents by the end of this year.

Joe Reeves Deputy Chief Executive of Midland Heart said the developments would take the number of affordable homes the company manages in Birmingham to more than 13,000.

“This investment in Birmingham is part of our commitment to build 2,250 new affordable homes across the Midlands by 2030,” he added.

The investment, announced today, is backed by funding from Homes England’s Social and Affordable Housing Programme and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Land Remediation Fund.

Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton says the plans will deliver a “transformational” change for the city.

“This significant investment from Midland Heart represents a huge boost for social housing in Birmingham and will transform thousands of lives across the city.

“Good quality social and affordable homes improve life chances, boost local economies through job creation and help families to flourish, so this commitment from Midland Heart is about much more than bricks and mortar, it’s about brighter futures.”