Derelict pub site will be transformed

Twenty-two new affordable homes are set to be created on the site of a derelict pub in Kingstanding, Birmingham. 

Energy and regeneration specialist ENGIE will begin the construction of the new homes on behalf of Sanctuary Homes, after receiving a £343,000 grant from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP). 

The site of the former Hare and Hounds pub, on Kingstanding Road, has been vacant since June 2014, becoming derelict and subject to frequent acts of vandalism.  

The funding from GBSLEP’s Unlocking Stalled Housing Sites Programme will now enable the site to be demolished and remediation work take place to ready it for construction. The mix of 22 new houses and flats will also feature 13 shared ownership homes and nine homes for affordable rent, the funding for which will come from Homes England, the government’s housing agency. Work is expected to be complete by Autumn 2021. 

Jake Fellows, development director at ENGIE, said: “We’re pleased that work is now beginning on this exciting new project for Kingstanding. There have been a number of challenges in getting to this point but, by working closely with our partners and with the support of the LEP, we’re now able to start transforming this derelict site into a development of much-needed new affordable homes that local people can be proud of.” 

Chris Cole, Sanctuary’s development director (south), said: “We have worked in partnership with ENGIE on a range of developments and are proud to be doing so again to bring significant regeneration to Kingstanding. These properties will be a significant addition to the landscape and provide local people with affordable homes on their doorstep.”  

Cllr Sharon Thompson, cabinet member for homes and neighbourhoods at Birmingham City Council, said: “Throughout the UK, affordable housing is increasingly scarcer and the burden of this is being placed firmly on low-income families. The situation is no different in Birmingham and so, I’m delighted to see creative projects like this which take unused land and ingeniously use the space to help solve the problem of affordable housing. I hope to see more projects like this given the necessary help and funding needed.” 

Louise Brooke-Smith, GBSLEP board director, said: “Redevelopment projects like this help bring forward much-needed affordable housing to local communities and bring unused land back into good use. The provision of affordable and quality housing is essential to the continued economic growth of the region.  

“This is a great example of how the Unlocking Stalled Housing Sites fund is successfully accelerating housing developments within Greater Birmingham, and GBSLEP are proud to have offered a helping hand in enabling the regeneration of this site.” 

Andy Green, investment director at Finance Birmingham, said: “It’s a great moment to see this development being awarded the funding required for it to progress. Not only does it create much-needed affordable housing for families in Kingstanding, but it regenerates a derelict site that has been detrimental to the surrounding area. This will be a great boost to the local community.”