Plans for a vital safe centre dedicated to housing and supporting highly vulnerable children have made significant progress in Birmingham. Birmingham Children’s Trust has submitted an application to demolish three existing buildings at 18 Gravelly Hill North, Erdington, to construct the West Midlands Safe Centre — a modern children’s home designed to serve young people aged 10 to 17 from across the region.
This new facility will offer 20 bedrooms along with comprehensive healthcare, educational, and sports amenities tailored to children who have experienced trauma, emotional challenges, or instability. The proposed centre is described in planning documents as bespoke, fit-for-purpose, and modern, providing specialist residential care in a secure and supportive environment.
The West Midlands Safe Centre will accommodate welfare placements, allowing local authorities to protect vulnerable children by placing them in a safe setting closer to home. Currently, the region lacks such a facility, often resulting in children being sent to distant centres at high expense to Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children’s Trust.
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With an estimated national waiting list of 60 children needing secure beds, the new centre responds to a pressing demand. It promises to reduce costs and improve local access to essential care for children across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
According to a council officer’s report, the redevelopment will not only deliver a safe, high-quality residential and educational facility but also enhance the area’s character. The project is expected to have no significant negative impact on local residents, landscape, highway safety, or infrastructure.
While primarily focused on welfare placements, the safe centre may also, depending on demand and availability, provide secure accommodation for young people within the justice system.
The site currently hosts a three-storey villa and adjacent buildings, including a chapel previously used by the city’s youth offending team until its closure in late 2023. Although the project involves the loss of a non-designated heritage asset, the public and economic benefits of the new development are considered to outweigh this.
The plans have been recommended for approval and will be reviewed by Birmingham’s planning committee on Thursday, December 18.