Gun Quarter to rival Jewellery Quarter for city living in the next decade

The Birmingham Gun Quarter is set to become the City’s most attractive area for residential development, according to KWB’s Mark Lenton, who has worked in the Gun Quarter for more than 20 years.

Mark Lenton, Head of Property & Asset Management at Birmingham commercial property agents, KWB, says that the number of new residential developments underway in the Gun Quarter is growing all the time.

For many years, a centre of the world’s gun-manufacturing industry, specialising in the production of military firearms and sporting guns, the Birmingham Gun Quarter remains a predominantly industrial area to the north of the city centre, bounded by Steelhouse Lane, Shadwell Street and Loveday Street.

However, as manufacturers relocate out of the area, more developers are acquiring sites for development of residential blocks.

Mark Lenton, who manages a number of industrial properties in the area, said: “The Birmingham Gun Quarter has an increasing number of student blocks, thanks to its proximity to Aston University and Birmingham City University, but it is still largely unexploited for residential development, although it is close to the City’s central business district.

“This is now starting to change, as developers start to appreciate the potential and location of the Gun Quarter.”

Recent successful planning applications have seen St Joseph Homes win permission to build more than 400 apartments across five canalside buildings rising up to 21 storeys in Shadwell Street, citing the Gun Quarter as ‘a largely untapped area of huge potential.’

CGI of St Joseph Homes’ new residential  development in Birmingham Gun Quarter

Mark continued: “The Jewellery Quarter has undergone significant improvement over the past decade with historic buildings being transformed into plush apartments, modern businesses and trendy restaurants and stylish bars – property website Zoopla has even named the area as one of the top ‘hipster hotspots’ in the UK. It is even drawing older residents back to live there, and they are contributing to building quite close-knit communities.

“However, the Gun Quarter has as much, if not more, to offer, including the historical buildings, such as the listed pub The Bull’s Head, with the same or more potential than the Jewellery Quarter, so I believe we will be mentioning the Gun Quarter and the Jewellery Quarter in the same breath when it comes to city living in the next 10 years.”

For more information on the residential development potential in Birmingham’s Gun Quarter, or any of KWB’s services, contact Mark Lenton on 0121 233 2330 or email mlenton@kwboffice.com.