Plans to build up to five storeys of apartments on Birmingham Road in Sutton Coldfield town centre have been officially abandoned, with the new owners choosing to concentrate on revitalising the existing retail parade instead.
The proposed development, which would have demolished 18 retail units to make way for 75 apartments and 12 ground-floor retail units, faced strong opposition from 64 objectors, including local residents and councillors. Concerns raised included loss of privacy for residents in College Hill, who said they would be overlooked, and claims that the blocks would be 'overbearing' on the main gateway into town.
New Owner Cites Building Costs
London-based property company Tri Capital, which purchased the site from Mercia Real Estate Limited, has decided to scrap the flats plan. Matt Pegg from Creative Retail, the agents for the new owners, said: "The apartment block plan wasn't viable. Building costs are up massively."
The decision has been welcomed by local councillor David Pears, who described it as 'double good news'. He said: "It looked like a block of apartments that you could see anywhere in the country... with no apartments it will be reducing the pressure on parking."
Retail Parade Revitalisation
The shopping parade, which includes popular venues like Rudy's pizzeria, currently has 10 occupied units and eight vacant ones. Creative Retail hopes to achieve full occupancy within six to 12 months through improvement works and new lettings.
Tri Capital's head of asset management Iain Blakeley said the company was already seeing "strong interest from both local owner-occupiers and national operators" for the revamped parade.
