Longbridge plans get government approval
by Pete Hayman | 12 Feb 2009
Plans for the £750m transformation of the 468-acre (189.4-hectare) Longbridge site near Birmingham have been given the green light by the government.
The Longbridge Area Action Plan (LAAP), which was submitted to the government last March, outlines a 15-year vision for a mixed-use redevelopment of the former MG Rover factory site. At the heart of the scheme is a new town centre incorporating public, leisure and retail facilities, as well as the proposed Austin Centre, a new museum and community resource designed to celebrate the importance of the area's automotive history and legacy.
New houses and urban parks are planned as part of the regeneration project, including plans to open up the Rivers Rea And Arrow for the first time in 70 years. Birmingham's Bournville College will also relocate to a new £84m facility at the site. The LAAP was developed by Birmingham City Council (BCC) and Bromsgrove District Council (BDC), along with regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, developer St Modwen and Worcestershire County Council.
Government planning inspector, Jill Kingaby, said: "In my view, the proposals for the future economy of Longbridge are founded on robust and credible evidence and will be effective, flexible and deliverable." BCC leader, Mike Whitby, added: "The Longbridge Area Action Plan sets out an ambitious vision for the transformation of the site in a way that will provide much needed jobs, homes and community facilities.
"Alongside New Street Station, the Library of Birmingham and airport extension, this is yet another example of how working through partnership working, we are bringing an ever increasing number of major projects online in the region at a time when the economy needs them most."
Plans for the £750m transformation of the 468-acre (189.4-hectare) Longbridge site near Birmingham have been given the green light by the government. The Longbridge Area Action Plan (LAAP), which was submitted to the government last March, outlines a 15-year vision for a mixed-use redevelopment of the former MG Rover factory site. At the heart of the scheme is a new town centre incorporating public, leisure and retail facilities, as well
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