Former General Office Block Site

Birmingham

Part of the Longbridge masterplan, this scheme provides new homes, access, parking and landscaping. Designed by Barton Willmore.

We have also reviewed the Longbridge masterplan.

We have significant concerns about the urban design of this scheme, and regret to say we are unable to support this planning application. We are not convinced by the layout of streets and homes. Whilst we think that creating terraces of houses facing Lickey Road could work well, the arrangement of houses on the remainder of the site appears fragmented. This scattered arrangement of houses will create poorly defined streets, and gardens lacking strong enclosure. In addition, houses backing onto the steeply sloping embankment are likely to suffer from overshadowing of gardens and living spaces. In our view, bespoke house types would be needed to work in this location, perhaps cut into the slope, with terraces at an upper level.

We also think that fresh thinking is required to reduce the dominance of car parking. There is currently a high level of parking provision per home, and in addition to garages and in-curtilage parking, parking courts are scattered throughout the development. We think there may be a need to reduce the overall amount of parking. A more rigorous approach to accommodating cars could also help minimise their impact on the scheme, for example by providing a strip of on-street parking at the base of the steep embankment. Finally, we think that the house designs proposed have the potential to create a clear identity for the scheme, but this will be dependant on the quality of detailing and materials.