Thumbs up for £45m Clarendon Suites residential
Plans to build 165 homes on a former Birmingham masonic lodge which burned down in 2019 have been given the thumbs up by council planners.
City-based developer Wavensmere Homes put forward proposals for an apartment block on Hagley Road in Edgbaston, along with three separate rows of town houses between Clarendon Road and Stirling Road, in September last year.
The plans were approved unanimously by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee on 13 August.
A total of 75 three-bedroom townhouses and 90 one- and two-bedroom apartments will be constructed on the Glancy Nicholls-designed scheme, which is around a mile away from Birmingham city centre.
“This development will help to address the significant unmet demand for family houses in Edgbaston, while transforming a prominent derelict site in the process,” said Ben Clarke, development director for Wavensmere Homes.
“Our design ethos places a significant emphasis on placemaking, intricately pairing requirements of modern living with the timeless charm of Edgbaston’s grand residences.
Plans to build 165 homes at a fire-hit former masonic lodge have been approved. Credit: Wavensmere Homes
“Clarendon has been designed to overcome various brownfield site complexities and it will greatly enhance the street scene along Hagley Road, Clarendon Road and Stirling Road.
“We are pleased that Birmingham City Council’s planning committee shares our vision for this prominent site and has approved our plans.”
The three-and-a-half site has sat in varying states of decay for around a decade. The statement modernist masonic hall opened in 1971 but closed down in 2014, before the subsequent fire and eventual demolition of the building around four years ago.
According to Wavensmere, the development will have three distinct character zones, the first of which draws reference from the traditional housing along Clarendon and Stirling Road, incorporating contemporary detailing to reinterpret the historic form.
The central zone features more unique, contemporary housing styles, whole the third zone comprises a six-storey apartment building fronting Hagley Road, which is designed to establish its own identity and respond to the scale and character of its urban setting.
Glancy Nicholls designed the scheme, with planning provided by Tetra Tech. The project team includes Rogers Leask, FPCR, Georisk, Focus and Newsteer.
“This is a fantastic scheme in a sustainable location with great public transport connections,” added Jacob Bonehill, planning director for Tetra Tech.
“The future residents will have access to a shared communal garden at the heart of the development, with the houses also benefitting from private terraces. These innovative design features ensure that Wavensmere’s development plans will make efficient use of this long vacant brownfield site.”
Documents and plans relating to the application can be found on Birmingham City Council’s planning portal using reference: 2025/04544/PA
