Studio Egret West wins permission for enormous Birmingham masterplan

Studio Egret West has received permission for a plan to regenerate an enormous swathe of post-industrial land to the east of Birmingham’s city centreThe Digbeth masterplan will see 67 plots covering 42 ha of land redeveloped in eight phases over the next 15 years. A total of 1,850 homes and more than 200,000m2 of commercial space will delivered in buildings up to 15 storeys tall.Studio Egret West teamed up with Glenn Howells Architects and Bryant Priest Newman Architects for the first phase, which received full planning permission as part of the hybrid application approved by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee last week.The plans were originally scheduled to be ruled on in April, but councillors postponed a decision until after a site visit – despite planners recommending the scheme for approval. However, councillors approved plans by eight votes to zero on Thursday (27 May).Phase one will see a three-storey rooftop extension added to the Custard Factory, a former warehouse, with office space and a flexible function space added to the building, while a ground-floor extension will add further office and shop space.The first phase will also see the erection of Custard Factory Living, a seven-storey building containing 40 homes as well as ground-floor shops and bars or restaurant. Further commercial floorspace will be delivered through the redevelopment of two more buildings – Wild Works 2 and Wild Works 3 – with four new blocks from one to eight storeys.West Midlands mayor Andy Street was among those to welcome the planning decision, saying ‘what is happening in Digbeth is truly transformational’ with the area also set to benefit from the BBC moving into it, and the Midland Metro tram being extended to it.Studio Egret West co-founder David West said Digbeth’s regeneration, which is being led by developer Oval, would ‘conserve the rich heritage of the past, whilst enhancing public realm and creating dynamic new buildings that will support Birmingham’s eclectic communities’.