PJA are delighted to support on ‘West Works’, one of the most significant regeneration schemes in the UK. The development, happening on the former MG Rover West Longbridge site, will see a vibrant mixed-use area of homes, businesses and public spaces, all centred around the newly uncovered River Rea, which has been hidden for nearly a century.
The West Longbridge site, once home to the ‘West Works’ of the MG Rover Car Factory, formerly the largest car factory in Europe, employed thousands of people and produced ground-breaking vehicles. In the 1960s, Longbridge was one of the world’s biggest car factories. However, the decline in business over the 1980s and 90s led to the collapse of MG Rover in 2005, resulting in the loss of 6000 jobs. After the collapse, the West Works buildings quickly fell into disuse, and a large area of the factory remained alongside an old railway line and a one-mile section of the River Rea covered for decades. Following demolition, the site, including the long-concealed river, became the focus for ongoing redevelopment efforts as part of one of the UK’s most important regeneration schemes.
Following the closure of MG Rover, St. Modwen acquired the site and started the long-term regeneration project, an ongoing £1 billion redevelopment that has transformed Longbridge, creating a sought-after place to live and thousands of new jobs. A major piece in the Longbridge redevelopment sees the West Works brought to life and made iconic once again.
Making use of a direct connection to the A38 and other local amenities in the newly developed Longbridge Town Centre, the plans are to redevelop the 75-acre West Works into a mixed-use vibrant area of new homes, new business spaces and open spaces all linked by high quality walking and cycling routes for residents and visitors to enjoy.
An important part of the development, the formerly culverted and canalised River Rea within the site, has been re-naturalised opening a mile-long section for the first time in almost 100 years. The River Rea is a well-established wildlife corridor with vegetated banks which provides potential habitats for water voles and otters. The Area Action Plan for Longbridge identified the River Rea and the connecting Callow Brook as important local wildlife corridors, and this green lung in the heart of Longbridge provides a linear park open space for people to enjoy. This restored section will also provide a number of new habitats as well as providing flood alleviation for the downstream Longbridge Town Centre.
New cycle and footpaths along the river corridor will link Rubery and Longbridge town centre creating a naturalised green corridor for walkers, cyclists, and wildlife. This enhanced connectivity will promote active travel and its associated physical and mental health benefits. Furthermore, this will improve accessibility to local amenities and public transport for the new development and its surrounding area.
A riverside park is also being created to provide high-quality outdoor space and help develop a sense of community, promote wellness, create clean air, and enhance biodiversity. The park will provide a space for the local community to use, creating social opportunities, with the inclusion of recreational equipment such as the outdoor gym and play equipment, as well as a public orchard and new woodland natural trails.
The enhanced watercourse will provide a variety of habitats for wildlife, enhance water quality and contribute to the downstream flood protection for Longbridge Town Centre whilst the SuDS design for the residential development will provide permanent pond areas and seasonally wet areas of land to create diversity in the landscape, new habitats and interest for park users.
The development of Longbridge’s West Works heals what was one of the most painful manufacturing collapses in the region’s history and is a symbol of a new, brighter era for the West Midlands. The regenerative development will be an asset to the existing community, and it gives the once iconic site the treatment it deserves for future generations to enjoy.
