Birmingham: Permission for Six Large Homes in Back Gardens

We have designed and secured planning permission for the construction of six new homes in place of a dilapidated bungalow and the out-sized rear gardens of two other houses. The site is located behind two detached houses on Hamstead Hill, Birmingham.

The client initially approached our Architectural Team having already received permission on the site for houses in an ultra-modern style. These were deemed too complicated to build, and did not receive any interest when marketed to developers. We were tasked with persuading Birmingham City Council to accept a redesign of the development, with the houses built in a more traditional style.

© Tyler Parkes Partnership Ltd

Even though the previous approval established the principle of a development on the site being acceptable to the council, the change in style required careful thought. As the approved houses had flat roofs, they were much lower than traditionally-built homes would be. Through pre-application discussions with the council, we agreed what would be an acceptable increase in roof height, giving a traditional appearance without appearing imposing from neighbouring houses.

Our preliminary discussions with Birmingham City Council meant the planning application itself was a smooth process, approved swiftly by the planning officer, without the need to be called in front of Birmingham’s Planning Committee.