IM Properties (IMP) has submitted plans for a new neighbourhood centre and apartments at Blythe Valley Park (BVP) – on the outskirts of Solihull – as part of its strategic vision to create a new high quality and sustainable mixed-use community.
The proposal will include an eatery, convenience store and a further retail unit, plus 48 one and two-bedroom apartments, 25 per cent of which will be affordable and managed in partnership with Bromford Homes.
Richard Knight, technical director at IM Land, the strategic land arm of IM Properties, responsible for coordinating and working to deliver the residential element at BVP said:
“The neighbourhood centre and apartments will create a new hub for the community and is a crucial step towards seamlessly blending the residential with the existing commercial elements of Blythe Valley Park.
“It’s exciting to be able to shape a community from the ground up along with the infrastructure works that are ongoing to the public realm. We’re investing a huge amount of time in our placemaking strategy, looking at how the community will engage as a collective and with the wider neighbourhood.”
BVP, located at junction 4 of the M42, is surrounded by 122 acres of parkland and includes a mix of residential, commercial, industrial and leisure use.
Octopus Real Estate has also submitted plans for a 1.4-acre site at BVP to create an 80-bed care home facility which includes extensive landscaping and a high-quality finish.
The residential phase at BVP commenced in March 2018 with Bloor Homes and Crest Nicholson on site working to deliver 295 of the planned 750 homes.
Further planning applications have been submitted by both housebuilders which will see an additional 300 homes delivered between them.
Richard continued: “IM Properties has worked hard to create a thriving business community and new economic asset for the region at Blythe Valley Park, attracting many forward-thinking occupiers who identify with the park’s wellbeing agenda.
“The next stage is to connect the commercial element with the residential and complement the existing amenities on BVP, creating a new neighbourhood centre which will provide a focal point for the park, alongside the proposed play areas, public open spaces and walkways.”
The investment across BVP reflects IMP’s confidence in its strategic vision to create the first genuinely mixed-use, sustainable new community in the Midlands and a lasting legacy for future generations.
BVP is already home to leading companies across a range of sectors including Gymshark, Infor, PKF Cooper Parry, Siemens and Zenith.
BVP’s connectivity with the broader community was enhanced earlier in 2019 with a new bus service part funded by IMP alongside Transport for West Midlands.
If proposals for the new neighbourhood centre are approved, IMP hopes to be on site in 2020.
