Hundreds of homes to be built on former MG Longbridge site

Plans for 700 new homes have been approved on the site of the former MG automotive plant in Birmingham.

The area on Lowhill Lane, Longbridge will be turned into a huge complex which also includes a park and a cafe.

Some people raised concerns about fly-tipping and noise disturbances, but the plans were approved by Birmingham City Council.

The site was mostly cleared in 2020, but some heritage buildings including the roundhouse have been retained.

Planners for the new complex said it would help to preserve "the important history linked to the site", the Local Democracy Reporting service said.

The cafe will also be built next to an old World War Two tunnel system.

The site originally formed part of Longbridge Motor Works and was home to MG.

Praising the heritage features, Labour councillor Lee Marsham said the "massive site" would accommodate "a huge number of homes", adding it was "very much needed in South Birmingham".

Fifteen per cent of the new-builds are expected to be affordable homes.

However, Conservative councillor Adrian Delaney said: "With an increase in the population and movement on and off the former factory site, this is putting additional strain on many local services including doctors' surgeries, schools and the local road network."

He added before the plan was approved, that the first focus of the development should be the flooding risk which has been "an ongoing problem for many years", urging more investment to improve the capacity of local drains.

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