Redevelopment and sensitive refurbishment of Queen’s Hospital listed buildings, alongside new PBSA and BTR accommodation, brings forward 759 bed spaces and 189 apartments

Birmingham City Council has granted a resolution to approve a full planning permission to McLaren Property, the leading residential and student accommodation developer and Aventicum Real Estate, a pan-European value-add real estate investment platform owned by UBS, for the development of Queen’s Hospital Close, Birmingham.

The plans will bring forward two sensitively restored Listed buildings, alongside purpose-built student accommodation (“PBSA”) and build-to-rent apartments (“BTR”), delivering 759 bed spaces and 189 units respectively, set within a reimagined landscaped canal side site in central Birmingham.

Queen’s Hospital Close is located to the south-west of the city centre and in close proximity to Five Ways railway station and within easy reach of a range of retail and leisure facilities.

At the heart of the scheme the West Listed building will be refurbished and brought back to life to house commercial and amenity facilities for students and the wider community. Surrounding the building will be new public pathways creating a civic and neighbourhood space, with associated public realm and a tree lined avenue.

The East Listed building will be refurbished to contain 52 studio apartments while the new PBSA buildings of 707 study bedrooms and 31 storeys will replace the current provision, which is outdated and no longer meets the demands of today’s student market.

Set back from the student accommodation and located alongside the canal will be the new seven and 10 storey build-to-rent apartment blocks. The new scheme targets a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Charles Frost, Senior Development Manager at McLaren Property, commented:

We are thrilled to be able to progress our plans to bring new life to the Queen’s Hospital Close site and restore the original listed buildings, as well as deliver much needed student accommodation and new homes to the City of Birmingham. We very much look forward to continuing to work with Birmingham City Council and with Aventicum to regenerate the area and help deliver the next generation of high quality accommodation.

Jan Dijkstra, Senior Director at Aventicum Real Estate, commented:

Our commitment to the redevelopment of Queen’s Hospital Close reflects our long-term conviction in the European living sector and in particular Birmingham as one of the UK’s most dynamic cities. Partnering with McLaren Property enables us to further expand this strategy and deliver a high quality development with strong ESG credentials to the benefit of the local community.

The redevelopment will include extensive amenities, including a gym and commercial unit, with social well-being and the creation of community central to the scheme.

There will be landscaped public realm, creating spaces for people, nature and wildlife, introducing ecology and biodiversity, with the retention of existing trees as well as new trees and planting. For the students a terraced woodland garden will provide a quiet space and a vibrant green courtyard will provide opportunities for socialising and relaxation, along with courtyard lawns and private outdoor amenity for residents via courtyards overlooking the canal.