Skip to content

Unit 9a, Birkdale Avenue Birmingham B29 6UB

2026/00006/PAPermitted Development Commercial from May 2013Refused
Outline / PiP

Refused on 25 February 2026

Council decision: Prior Approval Required and to Refuse2 reasons for refusal

Approximate location: the centre of the postcode, not the exact property.

Proposal

Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed change of use from Commercial, Business & Service (Use Class E) to 15 no. residential apartments (Use Class C3)

Received
1 January 2026
Ward
Bournbrook & Selly Park
  1. Received1 Jan
  2. Validated5 Jan
  3. Consult.
  4. Target
  5. Decided25 Feb

Decided in 51 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is an outline application for a change of use at Unit 9a, Birkdale Avenue Birmingham B29 6UB. Birmingham has handled 2,571 applications of this type. This one was decided in 55 days. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 105 applications across Bournbrook & Selly Park. We hold 1,066 applications in total for the B29 postcode area.

86% of outline applications at Birmingham City Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. The proposed level of accommodation for 11 no. of the 15 no. total residential units (specifically Unit numbers 1-5 and 8-13) would fall short of the 'Technical Housing Standard - Nationally Described Space Standard (NDSS) 2015' in terms of each aforementioned residential unit containing a double bed (aka 2 bed spaces as per the NDSS) but only exceeding the total minimum 39 sq. metres gross internal floor area size requirement for '1 bed, 1 person, 1 storey' residential unit and not the minimum 50 sq. metres gross internal floor area size requirement for '1 bed, 2 person, 1 storey residential unit. Therefore, it is considered that these 11 no. residential units would consequently have a sub-standard form of accommodation to the detriment of residential amenity for any future occupiers of these units. As such, the proposal would be contrary to the provisions of Schedule 2, Part 3, Class MA of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).
  2. The submission fails to demonstrate that the impacts of noise from adjacent commercial premises and the Cross City railway line on the future occupants of the proposed residential units would not significantly harm the residential amenity of residents of this development. As such, the proposal would be contrary to the provisions of Schedule 2, Part 3, Class MA of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
B29 6UB
Application type
Permitted Development Commercial from May 2013
Scale / size
Medium
Number of dwellings
15
District
Selly Oak

Planning application dates

Date validated
5 January 2026
Application expires
26 February 2026

Planning decision

Statutory period
52 days

Appeal history

6009473
Allowed
Type: Planning AppealProcedure: Written RepresentationsDecision: 17 September 2026Dev Type: Major dwellingsReason: refused

Additional information

Documents
11

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.

  • Article 4 direction: City Wide Hmo
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Also checked, none recorded (23)

flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, tree preservation orders, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Birmingham

Track this application

Get email alerts when there is a planning decision or status change.

Get email alerts near B29

New planning applications delivered to your inbox daily.

Around this site

Discuss this application on r/PlanningPermissionUK

For applicants and trades

Planning something similar?

See what the council approved and refused for changes of use on your street. Pick your home and get the evidence before you pay for drawings.

See what gets approved on your streetBuying this property? Report on this address