3,000th new home built for Birmingham

The four-bedroom property in Teviot Grove, Kings Norton, was officially handed over to its tenants by the Leader of the Council, Cllr Ian Ward and the Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, Cllr Sharon Thompson, in a ceremony which was also attended by the Council’s house building partners, Kier and BM3 Architects.

Through its BMHT programme, the Council has become the largest house builder in the city, delivering between 20-25% of all new homes built. The 3,000th home milestone is a culmination of 1,714 homes built for rent and almost 1,286 built for sale since the council launched the BMHT programme.

Cllr Ian ward said, "Thanks to the continued success of BMHT, the city council is the largest housing developer in the city and has now completed its 3,000th home in Birmingham.

"If the Government are serious about tackling the housing crisis, they really do need to invest in local authorities and in solutions like BMHT, because we are the answer to this problem.

"If anybody from Government wants to see how it's done and how local authorities can be successful in providing quality homes for a growing population, they're more than welcome to come to Birmingham."

Moving forward, the Council has more than 367 homes under construction on sites across the city, with a further 264 due to start on site later this year.

Cllr Sharon Thompson said, "I am delighted that we have reached this hugely significant milestone. The Council has ambitious plans to ensure that we are playing our role in meeting the demands Birmingham has for building affordable and modern family homes.

“However, this achievement represents so much more than the bringing together of bricks and mortar. Housing has a proven impact on people's physical health, mental health and on educational attainment as well as many other aspects of people’s lives. The 3,000 homes built have transformed lives across this city and we will be continuing to work with our partners to ensure that we will reach our goal of 2,000 more properties built over the next four years.”

The council, through BMHT, provides new homes that are economic to run, look attractive and meet the needs of Birmingham’s residents. Homes are carefully developed to Code 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and are Secure by Design compliant, incorporating the latest building technologies for creating lower running costs for both tenants and owners.

Martin Bessant, regional director for Kier Living, states: “Delivering the 3000th home at our Kings Norton development marks an important milestone for the Birmingham Municipal Housing Trust’s delivery of vital new homes in the area. Working collaboratively with the council over the last eight years, we are proud of all the high quality houses we have built that people are pleased to call home.”

For more information on BMHT, please visit our housing webpages.