House building rates in the West Midlands will have to more than triple for Birmingham to reach an ambitious target to deliver 70,000 new homes by 2026, and some development on green belt land is highly likely, it has been confirmed.
A projected figure for new-build of 3,500 dwellings a year is required to address a worsening housing shortage, according to planning experts. It would require construction at a rate rarely seen in the private sector since the post-war boom of the late 1950s.
Fewer than 1,000 homes a year have been built in recession-hit Birmingham during the past three years, while the average since 2004 is less than 2,000 new dwellings a year, according to the city council.
Birmingham Council leader Sir Albert Bore has set a provisional target of 70,000 new homes based on the latest research into population growth and likely demand for housing over the next 15 years.
However, there is only sufficient vacant land inside the city boundary to provide for about 43,000 new dwellings, leaving Birmingham with the tough challenge of
