95 affordable homes planned for Birmingham’s Tower Ballroom site

By Danny BallPublished On: March 18th, 2026Categories: Top Stories

Birmingham City Council and Keon Homes have reached an agreement to deliver 95 new affordable homes in Edgbaston, marking a significant step in the city’s ongoing housing and regeneration programme.

The development will include a mix of apartments (one- and two-bedroom) and family homes (two-, three-, and four-bedroom), with tenure split between social rent and shared ownership. Construction is expected to begin in early 2027, forming part of a wider initiative to deliver 3,000 new homes across key Birmingham sites.

Site Transformation and Public Space

The former Tower Ballroom site will be redeveloped to include a fully accessible public walkway and square, alongside enhanced landscaping of at least 25 metres along the water’s edge, which will contribute to local biodiversity and nature reserve provision.

Plans also include the refurbishment of the Grade II listed Reservoir Lodge into a hub for communal use, providing space for local charities and community groups.

Cllr Sharon Thompson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said: “The Tower Ballroom redevelopment aims to create a vibrant new community, offering high quality energy efficient affordable homes and attractive outdoor spaces. It will give residents the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of waterside living while remaining just a short distance from the city centre.

“Delivering more decent affordable homes for Birmingham families is a key priority for this council. Every project like this helps us move closer to our goal of building 2,000 homes a year that create thriving communities and transform people’s lives. We have consulted extensively with the public over many years to regenerate the area – and we have listened to the feedback and made changes to the development to deliver a site.”

Construction, Planning, and Collaboration

Keon Homes will work with housing association Midland Heart to deliver the scheme.

Oliver Thompson, Senior Land Manager at Keon Homes, said: “We are delighted to have finally exchanged contracts on this historic and distinctive development site within Birmingham, adding to our growing portfolio of schemes across the Midlands. This milestone reflects the huge amount of work that has been undertaken by all parties, including months of collaboration between Birmingham City Council, Midland Heart and ourselves.

“The focus now is on submitting our planning application for the scheme, with the genuine hope of starting the development in early 2027, eventually delivering 95 high-quality homes alongside attractive landscaped areas and public open space to benefit the local community.”

Sustainability and Net Zero Ambitions

The Tower Ballroom development will form part of Midland Heart’s £295 million investment programme, which is set to deliver 1,200 new affordable homes in Birmingham by 2028.

The scheme is being designed to meet the forthcoming national net zero standard in 2026, making it one of the first projects in the country to adopt this benchmark.

Joe Reeves, Deputy Chief Executive at Midland Heart, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Birmingham City Council and Keon Homes to bring forward plans for this landmark site. The former Tower Ballroom is an iconic location in the city’s landscape and transforming it into much needed affordable homes marks an important step for Birmingham.

“This is also where we plan to deliver our next generation of sustainable homes. The scheme is being designed to meet a new national net zero standard coming into force in 2026 and, to our knowledge, will be among the first in the country to adopt this standard.”