Selly Oak (Birmingham) Regeneration

LDN_EUROPE · January 1st, 2006, 06:43 PM

Sorry if there is a thread on this but the Selly Oak Regeneration is a major development in our city.

I saw someplans in Sainsburys a few weeks ago and there are going to be a couple of nice towers built in Selly Oak.

BIRMINGHAM POST:
Sainsbury's £300m facelift Dec 2 2005

By John Marsden

A huge £300 million regeneration scheme which could create more than 1,000 jobs has been unveiled for a Birmingham suburb.

The proposal by Sainsbury's builds on a previous plan to breathe new life into Selly Oak's former Battery Works area, and would be one of the biggest schemes of its kind in the city. Now the supermarket giant is set to seek permission for a 98-bed hotel, and 380 apartments in two complexes at Selly Oak's "Triangle" site - and expand on its plans for the old Battery Works site.

Overall the project would create a 54-acre centre with a waterfront residential and shopping area as its heart.

A spokeswoman said previous outline permission had been granted for a 65,000 sq ft Sainsbury's store at the ex-Battery Works site. That would be double the size of its existing Selly Oak outlet and be among the company's largest UK stores.

The previous outline permission also proposed a new canal basin connected to the Birmingham and Worcester canal with canal-side shopping and residential areas.

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The company is planning to apply for new permission to create more homes and more shops on the Battery Works sites.

A spokeswoman said overall the scheme would lead to new restaurant and leisure facilities providing "a vibrant focus for the development, and nearby over 330,000 sq ft of office and technology buildings will form a new commercial quarter, providing flexible commercial space for a variety of end users."

She said the company would be seeking partners in the project, which would cost around £300 million, and create more than1,000 jobs when complete. An application for the Triangle site and a fresh application for the old Battery Works site are due to be submitted to Birmingham City Council early next year.

The proposals would also include a petrol station.

Sainsbury's would also provide the first stage of the long-awaited Selly Oak New Road, and in conjunction with the City Council is already creating 85 new allotments for the local community.

Over the next month, a consultation programme will be held in Selly Oak, involving exhibitions for the general public together with briefings to local councillors and organisations as part of a preapplication exercise to generate feedback from the community.

Anthony Shapland, Sainsbury's project director, said: "Although we have worked closely with the community for some years, we continue to place great importance on the views of local people and believe the final proposals will benefit from their input.

"This is currently the largest Sainsbury's development in the UK, and amongst other benefits is set to provide over one thousand new job opportunities for Selly Oak."

The exhibitions will be held at the Sainsbury's store and at other locations in the local area from today.
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/...story_continue

birminghamculture · January 1st, 2006, 08:21 PM

What are the heights of these towers in question? - could you get a sense of scale?

morestoreysplease · January 2nd, 2006, 11:56 AM

The existing Sainsbury's site should be turned into multiple retail / leisure / eatery outlets after the new store has opened. The building could be spruced up with shop fronts facing the Bristol Road (because at the moment there are no frontages), maybe a hotel added to the site and a free carpark for shoppers. The top end of Selly Oak suffers more than the lower end (Bournbrook) because of the lack of shops.

Spread · January 2nd, 2006, 02:35 PM

I thought that the existing Sainsbury's was being demolished to make way for the road and that is why they needed a new store (could be wrong as I haven't seen the plans).

Biosonic · January 3rd, 2006, 10:36 AM

The existing Sainsbury's is staying (I believe) and it is likely to be turned into either student flats, apartments or the 98-bed hotel (but that is just the rumour mill working).

I like the existing Sainsbury's because it fits well when viewed from the Harborne Lane side. However, the City Planners should be shot for not letting it have a proper frontage on to the Bristol Road. Hopefully this will be addressed in due course.

The Battery Retail Park will undergo a major reconfiguration (I read in the Selly Oak Plan) and I believe B&Q are moving to a new site near the new Sainsbury's.

They need to desparately reconfigure the top end of Selly Oak in terms of roads. The 'flight' of traffic lights is ridiculous (it can take ages to travel 200m) and why both having the stupid 'round-the-block' way of getting to SOH/Bournville? A simple crossroads would be better. Traffic volumes will drop when Selly Oak Hospital closes anyway.

Selly Oak will be pretty good when all the work is done

***woodhousen*** · January 3rd, 2006, 04:11 PM

no, the existing sainsbury is gound to be demolished and replacedwith all that u said (flats, student accom and a hotel)...this section is called the triangle site...hmmmmm i wonder why lol

however, there is a new super store, with leisure facilities, flats shops all being built around the canal in a new complex, and a new road

Biosonic · January 3rd, 2006, 04:49 PM

Oh, I stand corrected.

I might object to this because, having an eye on environmental issues, I am sick and tired of seeing perfectly good buildings demolished to build others, especially when there are other shitty ones nearby.

Why not reconfigure the road between Homebase and Sainsbury's, demolish Homebase, Halfords etc (they are only sheds) and build there? I thought the old battery factory offices were going to be the frontage of the hotel?

I think the old triangle stretched to where Halfords etc is so you will understand my confusion!

Where's the info from Woody?

They've just got to clear out the scum that keep peppering Selly Oak with graffiti now...

***woodhousen*** · January 3rd, 2006, 08:13 PM

if u actually go to sainsbury you can pick up a leaflet with all the plans in. i have one ere but until i go back to newcastle on thurs i dontactually have a scanner....anyway, im impressed!

birminghamculture · January 4th, 2006, 12:18 AM