Games village to leave 1,000 new homes in Perry Barr

The athletes' village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games will be built in Perry Barr, and will become around 1,000 new homes once the Games are over, the city council has announced.

The village will stand on a 24-hectare site off the Aldridge Road, the former Birmingham City University campus near the greyhound stadium and the One Stop shopping centre, just a mile from the Alexander Stadium, which will host the athletics.

From athletes to residents

Up to 6,500 competitors and officials will stay in the village during the Games, in a mix of one and two-bedroom flats and three and four-bedroom town houses. As well as accommodation, the village will provide dining, medical, transport and other services for teams.

After the Games, the homes will be converted and made available for sale and market rent, as well as for social and affordable rent through the council's Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust and its In-Reach rental scheme.

The village is expected to be the first phase of a wider programme to build up to 3,000 homes in Perry Barr. That will contribute to the Birmingham Development Plan's target of 50,000 new homes within the city's boundaries by 2031.

Better transport

There are also plans to invest in the surrounding area, including local access improvements, a new bus interchange, a rapid Sprint bus service along the A34, and an upgrade of Perry Barr railway station.

"A meaningful and lasting legacy"

Council leader Ian Ward, who chaired the bid team, said the village would be the biggest new-build part of the Games.

"The development of the Village is therefore the largest new-build element of the Games - and will help rejuvenate Perry Barr and the wider surrounding area, meaning there will be a meaningful and lasting legacy for the people of Birmingham, in particular those living near the heart of the action in 2022," he said.

"We have a desperate need for high-quality housing in the city and it would have been much trickier to meet that demand if we had not been successful in our bid to host the Games."

He acknowledged that a project of this size would cause some disruption. "A major regeneration programme like this will result in some degree of local disruption in the short-term and we recognise that patience will be required, but the long-term gains will far outweigh this," he said.

Local voices

Councillor Jon Hunt, who represents Perry Barr and leads the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said the area faced challenges linked to housing, employment and deprivation, and that the Games offered the chance to kick-start its regeneration.

"It is crucial that people within the local area feel the Games are delivering something for them," he said. "Perry Barr will be hosting thousands of people from all over the world for the Games. We want it to be a warm Brummie welcome."

A programme of public engagement is being planned, starting with a ward committee meeting at the Alexander Stadium on 15 February, so that residents and businesses can keep up to date with the project.