Ghost town Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village to be sold at multimillion pound loss to taxpayer
Charlotte Cross reports on the financial loss from the sale of homes at the abandoned ‘Athletes’ Village’ in Perry Barr.
Hundreds of homes which have never been lived in will be sold off by Birmingham City Council at a huge financial loss to the tax payer.
They were then intended to be sold off, to recoup the cost, and provide much needed housing and regeneration for the surrounding area.
But the project was blighted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the flats weren’t finished in time for the Games. Athletes were instead housed in student accommodation.
Attempts so far to sell the properties have failed. The homes have stood empty ever since.
Birmingham City Council spent £325m on the properties, and figures suggest a potential income of £279m, which is £46m less than spent.
In addition, the council built up debt which will cost at least £8m a year for 40 years, coming to £320m by 2064.
People in the area do want the buildings sold, as they’re becoming an eyesore and a hotspot for flytipping.
Gaurav Kalsi runs a business nearby:
“It’s really bad, it’s the taxpayers’ money, at the end of the day it’s the people’s money…it’s a big loss.
“We have seen some antisocial behaviour…but yes those buildings, they know they’re not used for anything, they’re just sitting there on their own so anyone can dump”.
Lewis Warner, Political Correspondent
The council is keen to point out this area has been regenerated, and they describe it as a “destination of choice for visitors and for those looking to relocate.”
They say their efforts have “brought massive benefits locally with upgraded public transport links.”
The problem is this council is hardly known for its sound financial management at the moment, given it’s had to declare effective bankruptcy not once, but twice.
It has an equal pay bill totalling hundreds of millions of pounds and has spent millions more on the rollout of a problematic new IT system.
They council blames the market conditions for selling on the pandemic and the mini-budget under Liz Truss’s premiership.It will be pleased though to finally have this issue dealt with – even if sold at a loss. Not least because it will go some way to easing the city’s housing crisis.
Even if the first people to actually sleep here – will be doing so almost three years later than planned.
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