At the Perry Barr Residential Scheme, Willmott Dixon is creating 430 apartments for private sale and rent across two plots. Together with Lendlease and others we’re celebrating the social impact that the scheme has had so far, as we meet a major construction milestone.

The Birmingham scheme is well on the way to beating the targets it was set to help support the local economy and bring wider community benefits. More than 200 new jobs have already been created for local people and over 1,000 have learnt new skills as part of the onsite training and development offered through the project.

More than £100m has been spent with local businesses within 30 miles of the residential scheme, and the workforce have put in more than 1,000 hours of volunteering for local charities including Birmingham Crisis Centre and the food bank at Eden Boys’ School. News of these achievements was released as the Scheme reached a significant milestone as it ‘topped out’, by reaching the highest point in the construction of all the buildings on the scheme.

When complete, the Perry Barr Residential Scheme will provide 1,400 much-needed new homes for Birmingham. The tallest building on the scheme tops out at fifteen storeys and the first residents are expected to move in by 2023. The scheme is part of the wider regeneration in the north west of the city, including improved leisure and community facilities along with upgraded transport infrastructure.

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

“There is an urgent need for high-quality new homes in this city – so it is great to see yet another significant milestone being reached on the Perry Barr Residential Scheme.

“Despite the recent challenges presented by Covid-19, the team working on this project have continued to demonstrate the highest levels of commitment and professionalism at all times. On behalf of the city council, I would like to thank everyone involved for their work so far towards the creation of a vibrant new neighbourhood at Perry Barr.”

Lendlease are the Management Contractor for the Perry Barr Residential Scheme, working with Willmott Dixon, Kier and Vinci UK to deliver the project. The contractors on each plot continue to work alongside Lendlease to ensure the development continues effectively and safely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anna Evans, Lendlease’s Project Director for the Perry Barr Residential Scheme, said:

“This is a significant milestone for the Perry Barr Residential Scheme. Helping communities to thrive is one of Lendlease’s core values so I am particularly proud of the positive economic impact the scheme is already having on the local area. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone on site.”

Marie Wilkes, Senior Social Value Manager in the Midlands at Willmott Dixon said:

“Delivering local social value and supporting the local economy and supply chain is at the heart of our business. Each year we invest more than £2.5m to improve the communities we work in, as well as committing to positively impact more than 100,000 people over the next decade through the Building Lives strand of our ‘Now or Never’ 2030 Sustainability Strategy. Working in collaboration with Lendlease, we are proud of the local social impact and opportunity our project at Perry Barr has delivered so far.”