The University of Birmingham is selling off a part of its beautiful Selly Oak campus. Approximately two miles from the main Edgbaston campus, the sale of the vacant, 8.9-acre site will fund the university’s ambition to be counted among the world’s top 50 educational institutions.
Proceeds from the sale will be reinvested into the Edgbaston campus as part of UoB’s 2045 Campus Vision. This involves an in-depth programme of improvements over the next 20 years, with plans including “enhanced sustainability, an improved student experience and capacity for future growth.”
UoB announced its intentions to sell two sections of the campus last year (which actually spans 80 acres in total), having acquired the land in 2001. It has only just now appointed commercial property estate agent, CBRE, to sell the “prime redevelopment site”, with marketing expected to begin in the next few weeks.
“Selly Oak campus represents a compelling opportunity for developers to deliver a high-quality scheme in a well-established and well-connected part of Birmingham,” said Jack Jones, Associate Director at CBRE. “The site itself is a blank canvas, ideal for any purpose from housing to a care facility. The heritage buildings add character and are a selling point to the right buyer.”
The former Selly Oak campus consists of a mix of open land and heritage buildings. The University of Birmingham will work closely with CBRE to identify a buyer that recognises and appreciates “the heritage status of the site,” while also bringing new investment to the area—calling it fit for any purpose, from housing to a care facility.
“We are proudly rooted in the city of Birmingham and in the local communities that we’ve been a part of for the last 125 years,” said Steve Jordan, director of estates at the University of Birmingham. “We look forward to seeing how the site will be restored and given new purpose.”
