Birmingham’s city centre is experiencing a significant surge in new housing supply, with 4,594 new homes completed in 2025, according to the Deloitte Birmingham Crane Survey 2026. This marks the highest level of completions in the survey’s 24-year history, signalling a major shift in the city’s skyline and housing market.
The survey, reported by TheBusinessDesk, reveals that 40 separate developments are currently under construction across the city centre — indicating sustained high-level activity that extends well beyond the newly finished projects.
Key Findings from the Deloitte Birmingham Crane Survey 2026
The data presents a clear picture of a city undergoing rapid vertical expansion.
- Record completions: The 4,594 homes finished in 2025 surpass all previous figures in the survey’s 24-year history.
- Construction pipeline: A further 6,822 units are in the pipeline across various stages of planning and development.
- Surge in new starts: New construction starts more than doubled in 2025, with 23 new projects beginning compared to just 11 in 2024.
Two Major Developments Now Dominating the Birmingham City Centre Skyline
Two large-scale projects are currently among the most active sites in the city centre.
- Jewellery Quarter development: A project comprising 504 apartments with an estimated value of £150 million.
- Brindley Drive project: A development of 581 apartments, valued at approximately £145 million.
Birmingham Eastside Tram Extension Handed Over, Connecting Key City Districts
In a separate development relevant to city connectivity, the Midland Metro Alliance has completed the handover of the Birmingham Eastside extension, according to a Colas Rail UK press release.
Passenger services are expected to begin running from Bull Street to the Clayton Hotel. Work continues on the second phase of the extension, which will connect the line to the new HS2 station at Curzon Street and onward to Digbeth, though the timeline for this phase remains subject to ongoing work and official approvals.
The tram extension represents improved accessibility between key districts in the city centre — a factor that can influence both commercial and residential demand in affected corridors.
Zagdim Analysis
Record completions are a meaningful data point, but context matters. The current pace of delivery, while historically high for Birmingham city centre, is taking place against a backdrop of reported long-term housing need in the city. Based on available reporting, some estimates put Birmingham’s long-term housing shortfall in the range of tens of thousands of homes through the 2040s, though this figure has not been independently verified against an official source. Readers researching Birmingham’s structural supply-demand position should consult Birmingham City Council’s local plan documentation directly.
Near-term micro-market considerations
The concentration of completions in the city centre, particularly in tower-heavy development clusters, may create localised conditions where similar unit types enter the market in close succession. This is an analytical observation based on the volume and typology of active schemes, not a confirmed market finding. Investors focusing on city-centre apartments should consider how micro-market supply concentration may affect short-term rental and resale conditions in specific locations.
Birmingham’s record construction output marks a genuine shift in supply momentum — but the pace of delivery needs to be read against long-term demand conditions and the specific characteristics of individual micro-markets. For investors and relocation planners considering Birmingham, understanding which districts are most affected by new supply concentration remains a useful first step.
Have questions about what Birmingham’s construction pipeline means for your property plans? We can help you think it through.
This article draws on the Deloitte Birmingham Crane Survey 2026 and reporting by TheBusinessDesk and Colas Rail UK. Figures and development timelines are subject to change. Always conduct independent due diligence before making property investment decisions.
