Work underway on BTR neighbourhood

Goodstone Living and contractor Elements Europe have officially broken ground on the construction of a build-to-rent neighbourhood in Digbeth, Birmingham.Once completed, the Smith’s Garden scheme will comprise 550 homes centred around more than an acre of private garden. Other amenities include a co-working space, fitness centre and a creche. The buildings will be manufactured offsite by Elements Europe at its nearby modular factory in Telford.The ground-breaking ceremony was held to mark the occasion, attended by Birmingham City Council councillor Yvonne Mosquito, Korean conglomerate GS E&C – owner of Elements Europe – and other key stakeholders. Project stakeholders include Walsh Construction, Cast Consultancy and Darling Associates Architects.Lee Hawkins, construction director, Goodstone Living, said: “Construction start at Smith’s Garden is another important milestone for Goodstone and a further illustration of our long-term commitment to the areas in which we operate.”Smith’s Garden will raise the bar for sustainability, social impact and innovative construction methods. Relative to industry benchmarks, we will be reducing embodied carbon emissions by over 30 per cent and operational emissions by over 50 per cent. This will be achieved by pioneering new technologies, full electrification of the scheme, and the prioritisation of local materials wherever possible.”As part of our social value strategy, we will also generate at least 75 jobs and deliver over £2m of socio-economic benefits for the local community.”The first building at Smith’s Garden is expected to complete in January 2025, with the entire scheme to complete in 2026.David Jones, chief executive at Elements Europe, said: “Elements have been supporting Goodstone Living for the past two years to develop the scope and design to enable this landmark ground-breaking ceremony to be realised.”Smith’s Garden is one of several schemes that Elements Europe are involved with that demonstrate the significant benefits of modular construction as a viable option to deliver projects both quicker and with reduced community and environmental impact.”Councillor Yvonne Mosquito added: “This development will bring much-needed housing to the local area. It will do so in a sustainable manner and offer long-lasting employment and socio-economic benefits to the local community.”