Langley Sustainable Urban Extension

THE CHALLENGE

Birmingham is faced with a significant demand for new houses, with limited space within its boundaries. As part of the examination of the Birmingham Development Plan 2031 it was found to be necessary to remove an area from the greenbelt in order to provide up to 6,000 new houses to meet this need.

Given the sensitivities over the site, it is necessary to ensure that the proposed development will be an exemplar of sustainable design and living, meaning that it is important to consider how people will travel to and around the site from an early stage.

SYSTRA’S ROLE

SYSTRA was appointed by a consortium of landowners and developers to provide ongoing transport consultancy advice, including preliminary evidence review, site accessibility and bus rapid transit integration studies. We are now working with the Consortium as they prepare to submit an outline planning application.

As well as up to 6,000 houses, the development will be self-servicing with a number of local and district centres, schools and community facilities. We are working collaboratively with a wide range of consultants and to ensure that transport is integrated into the masterplan for the site.

A key feature of the urban extension is the proposal SPRINT bus rapid transit services to link the site to Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham City Centre. SYSTRA has been working with the Consortium and Birmingham City Council to define what this will look like for new residents at Langley.