Plans submitted for major new Birmingham cultural quarter

Developer Cole Waterhouse has submitted plans for a new mixed-use scheme that will create a new cultural, commercial and residential neighbourhood in the Digbeth area of Birmingham.

The proposed development comprises almost 6,000m² of mixed creative, retail, leisure and workspace, and over 900 new homes with a mix of private sale and build to rent apartments that will help to meet the local housing need.

Also included in the proposal is a 133-bedroom hotel that is said to occupy a key location overlooking the proposed Skypark on Duddeston Viaduct. There will also be a new public park called ‘Pump House Park’; named after the former Victorian Pump House, a vital piece of canal infrastructure and the inspiration for a large new industrial art installation by renowned local artist Tim Tolkien.

Commenting on the planning submission Cole Waterhouse CEO Damian Flood said: “We are committed to delivering a high-quality design which enhances the surrounding environment and community. Our vision is to create a new neighbourhood right in the heart of Digbeth.

“We’ve worked really hard to involve the local community as much as we possibly can and look forward to this next stage of the process. Now that the planning application has been made, we will be moving into the funding phase of the project whilst we move through the planning process and await a decision.”

Antony Harding, Planning Associate at planning consultancy Barton Wilmore added: “This is an important scheme in Digbeth’s continuing evolution. It’s a site which has largely been forgotten about and unloved for decades.”