Park Central Zone 1
Birmingham
Park Central is a residential, commercial and leisure project being developed over 10 years.
Set around three hectares of parkland, it is a 10 minute walk from Birmingham city centre. Park Central is the first phase of the regeneration of the wider Atwood Green area.
Park Central will provide nine different residential zones and four business quarters as well as shops, restaurants and a landmark hotel. On a large scale (over 1800 new residential units are planned) and with a genuine mix of uses, Park Central is physically, economically and socially regenerating what was formerly a wasted and dangerous no-go parkland area.
The built form of zone 1 is designed to a variety of scales. Three 6 storey apartment blocks run along Wheelys Lane and Bath Row. A U-shaped block of apartments sits on the corner of Wheelys lane and Lea Bank Middleway. Running into the site from Wheelys Lane, The Boulevard is lined with smaller scale three storey townhouses. South from The Boulevard is a more intimate mews section with close-knit two and three storey mews units with first floor terraces.
The design is urban and contemporary and every unit has a balcony or private outdoor space. The units currently run off a communal district heating system but were designed to be linked to a central heating and power plant, which will be added to a later phase of the scheme. This will provide electricity efficiently and reduce the environmental impact of the development.
Homes are available in a range of sizes for private sale, housing association rental and shared ownership, providing a truly mixed community. The aim for Park Central is to create a village community that also provides amenity for existing surrounding neighbourhoods. This will be built around the re-landscaped park, the largest within Birmingham’s ring roads, to create a secure and pleasant place to live, work and play.
Related case studies
Situated on the edge of Basingstoke, this mixed scheme of houses and flats incorporates shops and community buildings, replacing an overspill estate of four and five storey walk up maisonettes and flats.
The Cannon and Cornwall Street housing project at Gun Wharf, Plymouth has fulfilled the need to replace a run down post-war estate with a mixed occupancy development that reflects the current needs of the area. The mixed-use units vary from 1-bedroom flats to 3-4 bedroom town houses, and sit on a stepped terrace overlooking the river Tamar.
