City skyscraper proposal recommended for approval

Plans to build a 37-storey residential skyscraper on a busy Birmingham road have been recommended for approval.

If agreed by planners on 8 August, the tower on Hagley Road, Edgbaston, would house 462 apartments, meeting spaces and gyms, according to a report.

A vacant office building, No. 1 Duchess Place, is set to be demolished to make way for the new block, which will be the tallest in the immediate area.

Those behind the project said the tower could become a "local landmark".

A council officer's report said a financial contribution of £1.9m had been put forward by the applicant to provide affordable housing off-site.

"This is the equivalent of providing circa 8% affordable housing on-site," the report said, adding a robust financial viability assessment had been independently verified.

The site forms part of the wider New Garden Square development and would see the development of a vacant brownfield site.

The new homes would suit a range of occupiers, the report added, and though the building was taller than others nearby, the area had already seen "significant change".

"I deem the character of the area to already be very urban and not the suburban setting this once was," it said.

In considering adverse impacts, officers said historic buildings in the area were already juxtaposed with more modern developments.

"It is considered the scheme has a good level of public benefits which suitably outweigh this level of harm," it said.

The proposal was recommended for approval, subject to no objection being raised by local flood authorities, an assessment being submitted to Birmingham Airport and a legal agreement.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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