Major Developments

Regeneration project at flagship St. Modwen site to create further 7,500 jobs

Sarwjit Sambhi, St. Modwen CEO, Gary Sambrook, MP for Birmingham, Northfield, Rt. Hon Christopher Pincher MP, Housing Minister
• 7,500 additional jobs and 1,300 new homes to be created as part of vision to regenerate world-famous site that built the Mini
• Adds to 3,000 full-time jobs and 1,450 homes already created at flagship St. Modwen development
• Housing Minister welcomes project as example of regeneration needed to deliver manifesto pledge to build 300,000 new homes each year
• £1bn project is one of the largest in the UK

Birmingham, 11th November 2021. One of the country’s biggest regeneration projects will take a step closer to completion today as St. Modwen, the UK’s leading developer of new communities and high-quality homes, announces the latest phase of development at Longbridge in Birmingham.

The announcement will be made alongside Housing Minister, the Rt. Hon Christopher Pincher MP, and MP for Birmingham Northfield, Gary Sambrook.

These latest phases of development bring the total of full-time jobs being created by St. Modwen at Longbridge to 10,500 – seventy-five per cent more than were employed at the site by MG Rover in 2005.

St. Modwen, which was acquired by Blackstone in August this year, has already created a thriving community at Longbridge – one of the UK’s most iconic brownfield sites. Since beginning development in 2007, the developer has delivered jobs for 3,000 people and built 1,450 homes, as well as offices, a new town centre and park, Bournville College, and facilities such as the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

Southern area of the MG Rover site connecting the town centre to the historic car manufacturing area

Planning applications for the ‘West Works’ and ‘MG Rover’ sites at Longbridge, which form part of the latest phase of development, are expected to be determined by Spring 2022.

The MG Rover factory floor site will feature a mix of new homes, 10 acres of green space, and will preserve world-famous buildings including the International HQ, Roundhouse, and Car Assembly Building.

Development of the West Works, producing 900,000 sq. ft of commercial space as well as an attractive 350-home neighbourhood, was unlocked through partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority and a £6m grant funding contribution.

The Government has identified brownfield development as key to achieving its target of delivering 300,000 homes a year, with an additional £1.8bn in funding earmarked for brownfield regeneration in the Chancellor’s Budget in October.

The closure of the car plant at Longbridge in 2005 left a 500-acre site unused and unloved for years. The success of Longbridge proves that thriving communities, beautiful homes, and thousands of jobs can be created by regenerating disused land, and that this must be a national priority to help solve the housing crisis.”

Sarwjit Sambhi, CEO, St. Modwen
Aerial photo of the West Works site where 900,000 sq. ft of commercial space and a 350-home neighbourhood is planned

It is fantastic to see the progress being made at Longbridge. The development is an excellent example of what can be achieved when derelict land is used to regenerate local areas, create jobs and help people onto the property ladder. As we level up the whole of the United Kingdom, we are investing an extra £1.8 billion to bring a further 1,500 hectares of brownfield land into use across the country.”

Rt. Hon Christopher Pincher MP, Minister for Housing

When MG Rover closed in 2005, 5,000 local livelihoods were lost. The work of St. Modwen to regenerate the site and deliver 10,000 new jobs brings a new future for our community. I am excited for what is to come and continue to work with St. Modwen to make it happen.”

Gary Sambrook MP