Wednesday 30 June 2010

Evenbrook Group gets the go ahead for 155 new homes

The 155 new homes for rent are part of a 10 acre residential community of 377 privately rented low-rise flats in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham which are all owned and managed by the Evenbrook Group.

The Group have said that all the new homes will be available at rents which are affordable, 40 of which will be offered at intermediate rents - 80% of open market rent.

A launderette and a small convenience store are also included within the planning permission.

Chairman of Evenbrook, John Coles, said: "These 155 new homes, all of which are for rental rather than sale, will meet an identified local need for this type of housing and will be truly affordable for a wide range of people".

Monday 28 June 2010

Conservatives divided over plans to build 50,000 new homes

Plans to build at least 50,000 new homes in Birmingham by 2026 have exposed divisions in the city council’s Conservative group.

Council leader Mike Whitby is behind a plan to “grow the population” by around 100,000 in order to kick-start the economy. But a number of his colleagues fear growth on such a large scale will mean cramming new homes Birmingham into inappropriate sites and damaging quality of life.

Thursday 24 June 2010

75 jobs to be created in Birmingham

A new private healthcare centre opening in Birmingham is set to create 75 new jobs.

Hunters Moor Neurorehabilitation, a private treatment firm, has spent £3.5 million on a two stage transformation of a disused nursing home in Hall Green. The centre will treat people with brain injuries.

The first stage, the Olive Carter Unit, is set to open in mid July creating 25 jobs. The second stage, the Janet Barnes Unit will open in November and create a further 50 jobs.

The company said it would be looking to create both clinical specialist and administration jobs.

Tuesday 22 June 2010

George Osbornes "tough" package puts V.A.T upto 20%

So the day we all dreaded results in a rise in V.A.T by 2.5% effective of January 4th 2011. Amongst other increases, today's budget sees the biggest package of tax increases and spending cuts in a generation.

Income tax allowance is to be increased by £1,000 in April to £7,475. This is worth £170 a year to basic rate taxpayers.

There is no change to cigarettes, alcohol and fuel, however Labour's plan to increase the duty on cider by 10% above inflation will be scrapped from July.

To see all the changes visit the bbc news website.

Monday 21 June 2010

Castle Comfort Stairlifts

We thought we'd put a mention into our friends over at Castle Comfort Stairlifts.

Whether a new home or used, for someone young or old, a day may arrive when a Stairlift is needed. Or maybe someone in the family needs one now?

Contact one of the UK's favourite Stairlift companies here for a quote that will amaze you!

How will the Budget affect your search for a new home?

On the eve of the Budget we ask how it will affect your search for new homes Birmingham. We all know that the Budget will hurt, but just how much and who will it hurt most? As of tomorrow many of us will be paying more tax and receiving fewer public services.

Tomorrow i'll be analysing how the Budget will affect new home buyers so keep an eye out for the post.

Freeview HD reaches 50% of the UK

Freeview HD has now reached 50% of its target UK coverage according to Ofcom. The coverage has risen by 43% in the last 6 months.

As of the June 10th, Freeview HD is available to homes in Birmingham, Manchester, London, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool and the majority of Wales. Households in these areas will be able to watch the World Cup via ITV1 HD and BBC HD. However going by ITV's catastrophic HD coverage of the first England game maybe this isn't such a great thing. Those watching England vs USA on Friday 11th June via ITV1 HD missed the England goal following technical issues, I being one of them!

Following the World Cup, Freeview HD will continue to roll out in-line with the digital switchover towards the target of 98.5% availability throughout Britain by the end of 2012.

Saturday 19 June 2010

£150m scheme under threat as developers go into administration

A £150 million development scheme near Digbeth Coach Station is under threat after developer Connaught Square Ltd went into administration. Development backers Allied Irish Bank withdrew funding for the scheme causing Connaught to collapse into administration.

The development would have included 658 new apartments, a hotel, shops, offices, bars, restaurants and 1,000 underground car parking spaces.

The development was scheduled to be completed by 2011.

Friday 18 June 2010

QE super hospital opens

The new £2.6 billion Queen Elizabeth super hospital has opened in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

6,900 staff will treat around 650,000 patients a year as the hospital replaces two hospitals. The QE will include Europe's largest organ transplant programme and the largest critical care unit treating trauma, burns, plastics, brain conditions and cancer. The new super hospital has strong links with the Cancer Research UK Centre and Cure Leukaemia as it bids to become one of the first centres in the UK to deliver a new cancer treatment called Proton Therapy.

Shard End Crescent to be revived

Stoford Retail and Barratt Homes are joining forces to revive the old Shard End shopping parade in Birmingham.

The £43 million transformation will see 191 new houses and apartments, shops, The Shard and a new library to create a state of the art urban village centre.

Building on the estate is due to begin later this year.

Thursday 17 June 2010

Plans to build new homes on green belt scrapped

Plans to build 400,000 new homes that threatened green belt land in the Birmingham area have been scrapped.

The Government is to scrap the Regional Spatial Strategy, which ordered local councils to build nearly 400,000 new homes by 2026, some in the West Midlands. This included 57,500 new homes Birmingham and 10,500 in Solihull.

Chris Crean, of Friends of the Earth, said: “While the Regional Spatial Strategy had its critics, it was a way of creating a long-term strategy for housing. Ripping it up without anything to replace it will lead to chaos. If these homes are needed, where are they going to go?"

Royal seal of approval for housing development in Northfield

HRH the Duke of Gloucester gave the new £25 million housing development in Northfield the royal seal of approval last Wednesday (9th June) when it was officially opened.

The development includes 167 two, three, four and five bedroom houses as well as two bedroom flats for sale and to rent.

A £6.6 million grant from The Homes and Communities Agency helped pay for the revamp of the new complex in Lower Shenley which includes a new community hall, equipped with OFSTED approved before and after school care, arts and craft areas, a youth centre, recording studio and an IT suite.

Kier Partnership Homes are the contracted builders behind the development.

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Crest Nicholson invite you to Park Central this evening

First time buyers are invited to visit Park Central in the city centre this evening where new homes developer Crest Nicholson will be introducing the next generation of homeowners to the government backed scheme HomeBuy Direct. The scheme can help Park Central buyers purchase new homes Birmingham from the Liberty phase of the development from just £63,000.

Property at Park Central currently starts at £90,000 for a one bedroom apartment, or from just £63,000 with the HomeBuy Direct scheme. Two bedroom apartments are currently priced from £148,500, or from £103,950 with the HomeBuy Direct scheme.

Crest Nicholson is urging first time buyers to visit the development, set out on 8 acres of landscaped public parkland, this evening between 5pm and 7pm.

WMHG appoint Lovell to develop a £4.5m housing scheme at Longbridge

West Mercia Housing Group have chosen affordable housing specialist Lovell to build a £4.5 million housing scheme at Longbridge in the city.

The new development in Thelbridge Road will create 48 new homes and apartments, 28 of which for affordable rent and the remaining 20 for shared ownership. The development will be made up of two, three and four bedroom houses and 6 two bedroom apartments.

The development, set to be completed in June 2011, will include Birmingham’s first affordable zero-carbon homes, built to Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the system used for measuring the sustainable performance of new housing.

You can visit new homes Birmingham to see the latest Lovell developments currently available in the area.

New £5m design studio opens at Longbridge

A £5m design studio and technical centre for MG has opened at the former Longbridge site in the city. The centre will become the company's global design headquarters and employ around 300 designers and engineers.

The firm said that it is a "very significant day and a major new investment in UK automotive engineering and design".

This latest development sees the biggest investment at the former plant since the collapse of MG Rover back in 2005.

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Are you looking for a new home in Birmingham?

We want to hear whether you're looking for a new home in the area. Tell us the experiences that you have had in your search for a new home including whether a particular development has caught your eye.

Affordable city living without the price tag

New homes developer Redrow Homes are doing there bit to offer affordable city centre housing without the expensive price tag.

The new Jupiter development is within walking distance of the city centre with culture, art, entertainment and nightlife all on your doorstep. The development offers studio and 1 bedroom apartments however time is running out for those who would love the city life without the expense as only a handful of properties are left. Studios start at £64,995 and the one bedroomed apartments at just £104,995.

You can find out more information about this development at New Homes Birmingham

Housing development funding at old MG Rover plant scrapped

The proposed £3.6 million funding from the government for the housing scheme on the former MG Rover site has been scrapped with prime minister David Cameron keen to defend the government's decision.

The Labour government had agreed to provide £3.6 million to subsidise the construction of 115 new homes Birmingham at the Longbridge site. This was part of a large scale development to include 1,450 new homes together with shops, offices and a new college.

The funding was set to be provided under a scheme called Kickstart, which provides subsidies for developments that would normally be funded privately, in an effort to assist the construction industry in the credit crunch.

Monday 14 June 2010

Chaddesley Grange properties running low

The Chaddesley Grange shared ownership development by Bromford Homes in Birmingham is down to its last selection of properties. Only 2 bedroom apartments remain now starting at £49,500.

You can find out more information about this development by visiting New Homes Birmingham.

Crocodile Works Update

The £25m Crocodile Works development in Birmingham is on schedule for completion in February 2011. HCA, Urban Living and Midland Heart are working together to create 168 new homes from the former factory in Newtown; 126 apartments and 42 townhouses.

Paul Spooner, regional director for the Homes and Communities Agency, West Mids, said: "We see this scheme as a real catalyst for the wider regeneration of the area" implying that more new homes Birmingham can be expected.

Work began on the development in March last year.

Fibre-optic broadband to launch in Birmingham

Good news for people looking to move to or within the area. BT has announced that its superfast fibre-optic service will be introduced to homes in Birmingham.

Almost 19,000 homes in the city's Soho district are to be connected to the superfast network.

Regional director for BT West Mids, John Dovey said: "This is an exciting development in the region's fast moving broadband story."

"Households and businesses switching to superfast broadband will soon be experiencing the internet as they have never experienced it before."

Does news like this affect your search for new homes Birmingham? Post your comments below.

Welcome.....

Welcome to our blog dedicated to information about new homes in Birmingham. We'll be bringing you all the latest news regarding new housing developments in and around the city and all other news relative to new homes Birmingham.

Watch this space!