The affordable housing joint venture between Pension Insurance Corporation, Muse and Homes England will build 228 one and two-bedroom apartments for rent, with rents set at 20% below local market levels.

The project forms phase two of the wider Holbeche Place masterplan, which will transform Solihull town centre with around 1,600 homes alongside shops, cafés, restaurants and new public spaces.

Designed around low carbon, low energy principles, the red brick development draws inspiration from Victorian mansion blocks and will feature landscaped communal gardens, cycle storage, EV-enabled parking and ground-floor retail space.

The site is within walking distance of Solihull station, Birmingham International and the future HS2 Interchange station.

The approval comes as the wider regeneration gathers pace. Graham Construction is preparing to start demolition of the Mell Square multi-storey car park this summer, clearing the site for the first phase of the masterplan, which will deliver nearly 350 build to rent flats.

Seven-hectare masterplan for Mell Square in Solihull

The Holbeche Place masterplan has been developed in partnership with Solihull Council since 2023 and forms part of a wider push to diversify the town centre economy and respond to shifting shopping habits and lifestyles.

The scheme will introduce two new public spaces – Drury Gardens and Poplar Yard – alongside flexible green areas designed to create a more open, pedestrian-first civic heart. Vehicle movement will be scaled back in favour of people-focused streets and stitched-through public routes.