A major milestone has been reached by the in-house construction team at the community-owned Stirchley Cooperative building.
The achievement was marked with a visit from Selly Oak MP Al Carns and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker who took part in a ‘topping out’ ceremony which celebrated the completion of the highest point of the three-storey, 35ft co-operative building.
Al Carns said: "It was great to see the progress being made at the Stirchley Co-operative Development, and to catch up with the team who are doing fantastic work to create a pioneering co-operative housing and workspace on Stirchley High Street.
"This is a brilliant and innovative development, which is not only helping to meet the local housing need but is setting an example for others to follow in the provision of affordable and energy-efficient homes and workspaces. It's a fantastic step forward for Stirchley."
The £10.4 million development, located in the heart of Stirchley, which will be owned and managed by Stirchley Co-operative Development (SCD) will provide:
August Gawen, a SCD member who will be moving into an apartment in the building, said: “I was homeless three years ago and have seen the worst Birmingham has to offer in run down supported accommodation. So, to see the SCD almost at completion and the comfort and security that it offers not only me, but other vulnerable Birmingham residents as well, brings me immense joy.”
The community- owned development is being built by an in-house construction team who took over the contract in April 2024. Since then, works have continued at pace with all the UPVC windows for the apartments installed, brick and block work completed on the ground floor, sewage pipes connected, and the roof has been made fully watertight.
Carl Taylor, assistant director of new business and growth, said: “It was a real pleasure to show Al Carns around the site as we celebrated all the progress made to date. Once complete this unique development will become a thriving community hub embracing skill-sharing, creativity and the circular economy.
“We are delighted to be a key delivery partner on this exciting scheme and structural work has now commenced on the first floor.”
The SCD scheme on Pershore Road is being built using timber frame panels, provided by Walsall-based LoCaL Homes, which will reduce the overall carbon dioxide emissions and heating bills versus traditional built properties due to its fabric first design principles and high-quality factory-fitted insulation.
Mike Doolan, sales and partnership manager at LoCaL Homes said: "We are excited to be part of this innovative development which will help to meet local housing need.
“Our off-site manufactured timber frames are helping speed up construction times and reduce the environmental impact of this development. The main structure of the timber frame is finished and infall panels are now on site and being installed.”
The next stages of construction will see windows for the shop fronts put in place, utilities installed on all floors alongside plastering works.
The project plans were unanimously approved by Birmingham City Council in 2021, and SCD purchased the site from Seven Capital in August 2022 after securing significant funding from Homes England and the European Interreg NWE.
Chris Tomlinson SCD member and co-owner of Birmingham Bike Foundry said: “When we had our first meeting in 2016 to plan how we could build secure, sustainable housing for ourselves and our democratic businesses I had no idea of the challenges ahead of us. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved so far and excited to show others what we’ve achieved as a community.”
Construction of the SCD development is expected to be complete this Summer.
