Planning chiefs in Birmingham have given the green light to the city's latest tall tower - a 37-storey canalside apartment block.
St Joseph, a division of housing giant Berkeley Homes launched specifically for projects in Birmingham and the West Midlands, has won permission to build 753 apartments on land at the Eastside Locks project off Jennens Road.
The development will be constructed across range of different blocks from one storey up to 37 at its highest point and contain 364 one-bedroom, 369 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units.
It will also have nearly 20,000 sq ft of commercial space for shops, bars and cafés and parking for 108 cars and 769 bikes.
Elements of the project, which will sit on the doorstep of the HS2 station in Curzon Street when it opens in 2026, will be named Glassworks Square, Lawley Plaza and Pound Basin.
The project has been designed by Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects and will rival the second phase of The Bank and both in Broad Street, as the tallest apartment block in the city.
But the scheme did not escape without criticism from Birmingham City Council's planning committee which said the project provided a "pitiful" amount of affordable housing.
Birmingham Commercial Property News
Just 37 of the 753 units will be allocated for affordable housing but St Joseph argued it was investing heavily in public realm instead and having a higher number of affordable units would reduce profits and threaten its financial viability.
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Committee member Cllr Peter Griffiths said: "Five per cent affordable housing is pitiful.
"In displacing affordable housing and social housing to the outer city and to neighbouring authorities, we are reneging on our need to get developers to build an appropriate amount of affordable housing in the city."
Richard Cowell, the council's assistant director for development, pointed to the "significant investment" into Digbeth Branch Canal which runs through the centre of the application site.
He added that a five per cent provision of affordable housing provision was "over and above" what was expected, according to the developer's viability assessment which he confirmed met government guidance.
Cllr Gareth Moore told the meeting he was concerned the homes would be swallowed up by overseas investors to rent out instead of going towards meeting the city's housing needs.
Further concerns were raised around the number of apartments which would not receive enough sunlight, the volume of parking spaces and the high levels of nitrogen dioxide surrounding the plot.