Demolition starts on first phase of 1,600-home Holbeche Place scheme in Solihull

Developer Muse has started demolition in Solihull town centre to clear the site for the first phase of Holbeche Place, which will deliver 346 build-to-rent homes as the opening stage of a masterplan for up to 1,600 homes.

Muse said on 5 October that Mell Square Car Park and a former petrol station are being taken down, the first visible step towards the wider redevelopment. Once complete, the neighbourhood will include shops, cafés, restaurants and public spaces alongside the homes.

The developer, part of Morgan Sindall Group, said the milestone follows three years of working with Solihull Council. The first phase is backed by around £20m from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), it said.

Lisa Turley, Development Director at Muse, said: "This is the moment the transformation of Holbeche Place becomes real. After three years of working side by side with Solihull Council, seeing demolition begin is a significant first step."

Phase 1

According to Solihull Council, phase 1 will provide the 346 homes across four residential blocks, with a retail offer, private resident amenity space, car parking and landscaping.

The council said in March 2026 that the Mell Square car park and public toilets would close on 31 March so services and equipment could be decommissioned ahead of demolition. It also said the MFG Brueton Park Service Station on Warwick Road sits within the phase 1 boundary and was due to close later in 2026.

Councillor Karen Grinsell, Leader of Solihull Council, said: "Throughout the demolition works, shops and businesses remain open and we will continue to work with retailers and partners to minimise disruption".

Funding and timeline

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, announced the £20m investment at UKREiiF in Leeds on 20 May 2026. The WMCA said the money will support the first two phases of the scheme: the 346 build-to-rent homes followed by 228 affordable homes.

The WMCA said the mixed-use neighbourhood will be built in phases over the next ten years and will form a new gateway into the town centre from Warwick Road.

Phase	Homes	Tenure
Phase 1	346	Build to rent
Phase 2	228	Affordable rent

Solihull Council acquired Mell Square in 2021, according to its masterplan page, and Muse said it has worked with the council on the masterplan since 2023. The council approved Muse's plans for up to 1,600 homes, retail and new public spaces in February 2026.

Muse said the masterplan introduces two new public spaces, Drury Gardens and Poplar Yard. The Holbeche Place name refers to the Holbeche family, who lived at Touchwood Hall in Drury Lane, part of the redevelopment site, the developer said. When the plans were approved in February, Turley said the redevelopment would create 170 net new jobs during construction.

What happens next

The second phase already has consent. Solihull Council approved 228 low-carbon, low-energy affordable homes to be delivered by Habiko in July 2026, Muse said. All of the phase 2 homes will be one- and two-bedroom homes for rent, with rents set at 20% below local market rent, and the scheme is Habiko's first in the West Midlands.

Muse's regional teams are based in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester.