Persimmon has bought Birmingham’s former Selly Oak Hospital and is planning to invest in £100m in building housing across the site.


The 42 acre site has been purchased by the house builder’s South Midlands office with outline planning permission already in place for the construction of 650 new homes.

Persimmon Homes South Midlands Managing Director, Andy Peters, said: “We are investing £100m in this iconic site and look forward to beginning work on what will be a six to seven-year long project that will breathe new life into Selly Oak and create up to 1,560 jobs.


“It is an exciting opportunity for us as developers to build homes which meet local needs and reflect the history and unique situation of the site, integrating into Bournville and the surrounding areas.


The site was originally built over 140 years ago as the areas workhouse, later becoming the Selby Infirmary which provides the potential to develop a mixed brown and greenfield housing site where it’s anticipated construction will commence in April with some of the historic buildings being retained for conversion into homes.

Iain McArthur, director of DTZ Residential Land Agency, who led the disposal on behalf of University Hospital Birmingham, said: “This is the largest brownfield residential regeneration site in Birmingham to be marketed and sold within the last 10 years.


“Developer demand for the former Selly Oak Hospital site was extremely competitive demonstrating stronger market appetite for developments within the region all positively contributing to the region’s growth. The gross land value paid by Persimmon Homes demonstrates a record price for land reflecting its premium position situated on the edge of Bounville Village Trust land but also renewed confidence within the development sector.”

 

It's great to see more construction jobs in the Birmingham area which is rapidly becoming the UK's construction capital and where we're seeing perhaps the highest concentration of large-scale construction activity both in terms of jobs as well as the sale of construction supplies outside Greater London.