Today (18 January) building started on the UK’s first development of specialist City-centre Apartments for Single People at Affordable Rents. Apartments of this kind are planned for other cities and the second development is scheduled to go ahead in Leeds later in the year.

Forty-six CASPAR apartments will be built in Charlotte Street, beside the canal (next to the DSS building), on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter.

The homes are designed for single people and are built to a high density in a very modern style: a glass atrium connects two 4/5 storey blocks, looking out toward the canal and affording access to each apartment from central ‘walkways in the sky’. Rents are expected to be around £100 per week. The project is an investment by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, based in York, and is intended to demonstrate to other investors that high quality rented housing can achieve good returns.

The development has resulted from a high level of co-operation between the Foundation and Birmingham City Council.

‘We believe that inner city regeneration can be accelerated by the presence of relatively inexpensive, good looking apartments to suit single people close to city centres,’ said Richard Best, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He congratulated the City Planners – Members and officers – whose support meant a £3m investment for the benefit of Birmingham, the first project of its kind. He added: ‘There are environmental gains from helping people live closer to work and leisure, cutting out traffic congestion and pollution. But there are also social gains from enhancing city living by enabling economically independent people who do not want to buy at this stage, to live down town.’

The architects are Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, with Alsop Zogolovitch.

The contractor is John Sisk & Son Ltd from Solihull. The intention is to complete
the development in the Autumn.

Further details from CASPAR, c/o Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Homestead, 40 Water End, YORK, Y030 6WP.

Press enquiries to:
Richard Best, JRF Director: 01904 615901

(Issued by David Utting, JRF Adviser, 0171 278 9665)