A skyscraper in Birmingham, which once complete will contain 462 flats over 48 floors, is to have no car parking, instead offering residents 464 cycle spaces and a bicycle workshop.

The news, reported by Birmingham World (link is external) comes as plans for the city centre build were approved at the back end of last week by the city's council, with the planning committee voting in favour of the Snowhill Plaza development by seven votes to six.

Objections came from Historic England who believe it will harm the character of nearby heritage assets, namely St Chad's Cathedral and Birmingham Children's Hospital, once it is constructed next to the Holiday Inn near Snow Hill station.

However, the objections did not prevent the voting councillors approving it.. In February, Southwark Council approved a planned office development in south east London despite residents raising concerns about the 200 bicycle parking spaces meaning the road would become congested with "bottlenecks and noise" from those commuting by bike. The views of the objectors to the development on replacing the bike parking spaces with ones for motor vehicles were not reported.

In the case of Snowhill Plaza however, concerns of that nature were not heard, the construction to now go ahead with more than 450 cycle spaces as well as a bike workshop as part of the building's communal facilities, which also include a co-working space and gym.

The planning committee was reportedly split on prioritising the need for housing against potential viability concerns in the location.

"It's an incredible-sized building – the scale of it dwarfs everything else," councillor David Barrie said. "A lot of the benefits of this could be promoted on the back of this could be delivered in a much less intrusive development."

However, those in favour outnumbered those against the development, Brad Burridge of HUB saying it will be a "striking landmark for Birmingham" which will result in a "new public route that will open up this part of the city centre for pedestrians".

A 2020 planning ​permission application was refused for part of a major redevelopment to the area around Cambridge railway station, because it "fails to provide high quality cycling infrastructure commensurate with Cambridge as the leading cycling city in the UK", including accommodating the long-planned Chisholm Trail cycle route which will cross the city.

Cambridge City Council voted not to grant permission to developer Brookgate for the development, known as the Devonshire Quarter, which would have been built on the existing car park at the station, with plans for an aparthotel, office block, and a multi-storey car park.

https://road.cc/content/news/skyscraper-swap-car-parking-464-bicycle-spaces-302451

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> A skyscraper in Birmingham, which once complete will contain 462 flats
> over 48 floors, is to have no car parking, instead offering residents 464
> cycle spaces and a bicycle workshop.

If they are single-person flats, that just might be enough cycle parking.
It’s nowhere near enough if there are families in the block.

[full article at]

> https://road.cc/content/news/skyscraper-swap-car-parking-464-bicycle-spaces-302451

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Spike

residents raising concerns about the 200 bicycle parking spaces meaning the road would become congested with "bottlenecks and noise"

ahhh that explains why they included:

Quote:

as well as a bike workshop as part of the building's communal facilities

to help quieten down those noisy gear changes and squeaky brakes.

It is definitely cyclists that keep me awake at night and not hooligans racing up and down the street in their cars.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> residents raising concerns about the 200 bicycle parking spaces
> meaning the road would become congested with "bottlenecks and noise"
>
> ahhh that explains why they included:
>
> Quote:
>
> as well as a bike workshop as part of the building's communal facilities
>
> to help quieten down those noisy gear changes and squeaky brakes.
>
> It is definitely cyclists that keep me awake at night and not hooligans
> racing up and down the street in their cars.

Live somewhere less chavvy.

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Spike

AlsoSomniloquism replied to brooksby | 4225 posts | 7 hours ago
4 likes

There are two multistorey car parks right behind the plot of land so I suspect they will just give subsidised use to any residents to them. One plus point is the new building is right next to WMP HQ so I doubt they will be as lenient to pavement parking or stealing of space from them.

a4th replied to Sriracha | 59 posts | 2 hours ago
2 likes

Quite a lot of new flats in London (and I assume other places) are granted planning permission on the condition that residents of those buildings will never be able to get a residents parking permit. Council then has an incentive to introduce residents parking so that they can raise money and collect fines from the residents who have nowhere to park the cars they aren't meant to have.

> a4th replied to Sriracha | 59 posts | 2 hours ago
> 2 likes

> Quite a lot of new flats in London (and I assume other places) are
> granted planning permission on the condition that residents of those
> buildings will never be able to get a residents parking permit. Council
> then has an incentive to introduce residents parking so that they can
> raise money and collect fines from the residents who have nowhere to park
> the cars they aren't meant to have.

That policy sounds rather like the ‘building stable communities’ project of
a few decades ago, or the sort of places into which people, of one camp or
another, are concentrated. A sort of hell-hole. It’s time London became a
separate city-state.

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Spike

I'd say its a Curate's Egg.

The appearance of the building is a horrible mess. The no parking spaces is excellent.

What it will require is effective enforcement.

Fortunately iirc Brum Cathedral has stained glass windows, so it can't be seen from inside.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'd say its a Curate's Egg.
>
> The appearance of the building is a horrible mess. The no parking spaces is excellent.
>
> What it will require is effective enforcement.
>
> Fortunately iirc Brum Cathedral has stained glass windows, so it can't be seen from inside.

What a pity it can’t be seen from the outside.

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Spike

"A few years ago an area of derelict land behind my office was developed and a six-apartment building was put in there. Part of the planning application was that - since it was about a minute's walk from the city centre - there would be no car parking (there was no room for any, anyway), just bike parking and bin storage. Once the building was finished, the inevitable happed: cars parked in the access lane, meaning bins couldn't be accessed, and cars turning up in our office's small car park.

So that's at least 462 cars in Birmingham which will end up being parked on surrounding roads..."

On 11/07/2023 02:12 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> "A few years ago an area of derelict land behind my office was developed and a six-apartment building was put in there. Part of the planning application was that - since it was about a minute's walk from the city centre - there would be no car parking (there was no room for any, anyway), just bike parking and bin storage. Once the building was finished, the inevitable happed: cars parked in the access lane, meaning bins couldn't be accessed, and cars turning up in our office's small car park.

> So that's at least 462 cars in Birmingham which will end up being parked on surrounding roads..."

Exactly.

County planning department parking standards exist for a reason.

Not providing off-street garaging at residential addresses does not mean
that residents won't own motor vehicles.

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:

> Not providing off-street garaging at residential addresses does not mean
> that residents won't own motor vehicles.

It’s just an additional discouragement in the drive (LOL) to
de-motor-vehicle the general population.

Cycle lanes and other infrastructure, the general policy of not pursuing
criminal activity by cyclists, the reduction of car park facilities in
towns, the mandating of EVs that mysteriously are far more expensive than
ICE vehicles, ULE zones, congestion charging zones, fifteen-minute cities…

None of which will affect those who tell us how we should live, while
dining on Kobe steaks and sipping fine French wines in silver-service
first-class comfort at 30,000 feet, on yet another fee-paying guest
lectureship to bemoan ‘climate change’ and how we should all cut back.

We saw all this at COP26. Well, some of us did.

--
Spike

LOOKS GOOD!

Checking the dimensions of this space, it is very generously max 300m^2 which at 0.7m^2 per bike is 429 spaces - completely filled. And measuring the layout as represented probably only about 60 meters of 2 tier racks.

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/bikestore.png

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> LOOKS GOOD!

JUST WAIT FOR THE FIRST E-BIKE BATTERY FIRE!

> Checking the dimensions of this space, it is very generously max 300m^2
> which at 0.7m^2 per bike is 429 spaces - completely filled. And measuring
> the layout as represented probably only about 60 meters of 2 tier racks.
>
> https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/main_width/public/bikestore.png

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Spike

Only one bike per flat. I'm out. 🙂
Easy way round this, buy two flats, one to live in and one for the bikes.

:-)

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Only one bike per flat. I'm out. 🙂

> Easy way round this, buy two flats, one to live in and one for the bikes.

> :-)

So the glister is already falling off the bicycle-only tower block! 🙄

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Spike

Plans for another skyscraper in Birmingham city centre have been approved by the City Council.

The Snowhill Plaza scheme survived criticism regarding potential harm caused to nearby heritage assets such as St Chad’s Cathedral and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

The giant building on Snow Hill Queensway will be built next to the Holiday Inn Express and to the rear of West Midlands Police’s Lloyd House headquarters near Snow Hill railway station. Historic England concluded the building would cause some harm to the character of the heritage assets in the area.

Inside the tower will be 462 build-to-rent flats with a new public realm, shop space on the ground floor and amenities for residents such as a co-working space, a gym and a cycle workshop. No parking would be provided on-site – instead, 464 cycle spaces will be available to residents.

The development survived a scare at the planning committee when six councillors voted to refuse the application, versus seven approvals. The room was torn between the city’s need for housing and the scheme’s viability in the chosen location.

Cllr Gareth Moore (Cons, Erdington) said: “There are some very serious heritage concerns that have been outlined in this. I appreciate they are less than substantial but there is still harm being caused to St Chad’s Cathedral, St Philip’s Cathedral and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

“I struggle to see how the benefits outlined in the report are unique to this application and couldn’t be delivered through another development on the site. We need to send this back to the drawing board – I’m not convinced this can be done in a way that won’t compromise the heritage assets.”

His Conservative colleague Cllr David Barrie (Cons, Sutton Walmley & Minworth) said: “It’s an incredible-sized building – the scale of it dwarfs everything else. A lot of the benefits of this could be promoted on the back of this could be delivered in a much less intrusive development.”

Cllr Lee Marsham (Lab, Nechells), who said he worked opposite the site for three years, added: “This scheme makes use of brownfield land in our city centre which could only ever be a tall tower realistically, it provides a much-needed mix of homes and jobs for our city. Overall I think the benefits outweigh.”

Cllr Colin Green (Lib Dems, Sheldon) said: “I shall make my usual two comments on a scheme like this. Firstly, Birmingham is in desperate need of all types of housing except one – one-bedroom flats in the city centre. Secondly, this scheme doesn’t even get a third of the way to our target of affordable homes. With those two things in mind, I don’t think this is a particularly great development.”

Despite the room being split, those in favour won the vote, leaving residential developer HUB and pan-European real estate investment manager MARK free to begin the works. A vacant commercial property will be demolished to make way for the new tower.

Brad Burridge, Senior Development Manager at HUB, said: “Securing planning permission for this scheme – HUB’s second in Birmingham – means we are a step closer to delivering much-needed high-quality homes in the city centre. 2 Snowhill Plaza will be a striking landmark building for Birmingham, with a new public route that will open up this part of the city centre for pedestrians. Our vision for the project is to offer exemplary living in one of Birmingham’s bustling commercial districts, ensuring convenient access to the abundant offerings of this thriving city.”

Lily Lin, UK & Ireland managing director at MARK, said: “Planning approval for 2 Snowhill Plaza reflects the high quality of the scheme’s design, which will provide much-needed rental housing. This project – our first UK build-to-rent investment – will be a strong addition to our portfolio of residential-led developments in the UK, through which we are delivering hundreds of homes across a range of price points and tenures in a mix of geographies. HUB has a proven track record of delivery, and we look forward to working with them in progressing the site from construction through to completion.

https://www.birminghamworld.uk/news/birmingham-snow-hill-48-storey-skyscraper-4212200

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

Second skyscraper already? There was one announced only a day or two ago…

> https://www.birminghamworld.uk/news/birmingham-snow-hill-48-storey-skyscraper-4212200

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Spike

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 2:29:35 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Plans for another skyscraper in Birmingham city centre have been approved by the City Council.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2023/07/08/15/Screenshot%20%28715%29-1.png?crop=3:2&width=800