The issue of the provision of new homes is an important topic of national political debate for the first time since the 1960s. We welcome this debate, because we believe that here in Birmingham we are leading the way in both providing new homes ourselves, but also ensuring delivery through partners in the private housebuilders and housing association sectors to close the ‘housing gap’.
We expect the population of our city to grow by around 150,000 people by 2031, creating a need for at least an additional 80,000 new homes. This growth reflects the success of our city, because people choose to stay here and raise families, or move to settle here from elsewhere. Office for National Statistics figures show that between June 2012 and June 2013, 58,220 people in their thirties left London, with 5,480 moving to Birmingham – the most popular destination
The resurgence of the city’s economy is also fuelling the strong demand for housing with the economic output from the city outpacing the average seen across the UK in both 2013 and 2014. This is just one of the signs that Birmingham is enjoying a post-recession renaissance, not only in terms of jobs and business growth but also in the fabric of the city, with billions of pounds being spent on transport and infrastructure improvements.
However, it also requires us as both the Strategic Housing and Planning Authority to ensure that there will be enough new homes, with a range of different sizes and tenures to reflect the mixed and sustainable community that we wish to preserve.
Quality is also important to us. The creation of high quality residential environments is important to attracting and retaining Birmingham’s economically active population and ensuring that wealth generated within the city is spent within the city too.
The development of carbon-friendly new homes not only reduces fuel bills for residents at a time of rising energy costs, but also contributes to the council’s carbon reduction targets. In this prospectus, we set out the major housing development opportunities that exist across Birmingham. We want to positively encourage partners in the private house building and housing association sectors to build on these sites with new homes.
This week we are launching our housing prospectus and for the first time, all of these opportunities are listed in a single document to enable prospective developers to easily identify those sites which they may find attractive. Every major site is listed, together with key information, planning status and contact details both for the appropriate officers within the council and the landowners.
As a council we are also doing our bit to increase the number of houses being built. The new homes developed through our Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust scheme are now making a significant contribution to meeting housing targets in the city. In the short space of three years, the council has moved from providing no new homes at all to being the major vehicle for the delivery of new housing in the city.
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Albert Bore is leader of Birmingham city council
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