Ladywood police station to make way for 137 flats

The former Ladywood police station is to be demolished and replaced with 137 flats after councillors unanimously approved the plans.

The scheme on Ladywood Road will create two four-storey blocks with parking and landscaping. It will replace the derelict police station and a fire-damaged former social club next door.

"An excellent application"

Councillor Martin Brooks, who chairs the planning committee, praised the scheme for providing 47 affordable homes. "In principle, this is an excellent application," he said. "It develops a brownfield site that's been derelict for some time and provides fairly substantial affordable housing."

No family homes

But he was disappointed that none of the homes would have three bedrooms. "All the evidence that we've got indicate the need for family housing," he said.

Council officers accepted that the Ladywood ward has "particularly acute shortages" of larger family homes, but said more than half of the flats would have two bedrooms and could meet "the needs of a range of household types".

Why demolition was allowed

Officers found both buildings had "limited historic and communal interest" and were not suitable for conversion into modern homes. They concluded that the scheme would bring economic, environmental and biodiversity benefits to the area.

A long-empty site

The police station has stood empty for some time. Disused public buildings like this one are often prime candidates for housing because they are already in built-up areas, close to shops and transport.

Earlier this month, Birmingham Live reported that the scheme was due to go before the planning committee; the decision means work can now move towards demolition once conditions attached to the permission are met.

The family housing gap

Councillor Brooks' concern reflects a wider problem in Birmingham. The city has a long waiting list for social housing, and large families can wait years for a home with enough bedrooms. Thousands of households live in temporary accommodation, much of it unsuitable for children.

Developers argue that flats are often the only way to make the numbers work on small urban sites, especially where land and building costs are high. Planners must weigh the benefit of new affordable homes against the mix of sizes the city most needs.

Ladywood, just west of the city centre, is one of the most deprived wards in England and has seen a great deal of new building in recent years, much of it in the form of flats. The council's local plan sets out targets for the number and type of new homes it wants across the city, including more family homes.

Affordable homes in new developments are usually offered for social or affordable rent, or through shared ownership, and are allocated through housing associations and the council's waiting list.