Major Birmingham redevelopment plans fail residents on green space, campaigners say

Lendlease, the developers working with Birmingham city council, have said the project would not be viable if they meet the guidelines. Photograph: Smithfield Birmingham

Campaigners are warning that a major development project that will be approved by Birmingham city council falls far short of the city’s own guidelines for open green space.

The £1.9bn Smithfield scheme will bring 3,500 new homes as well as restaurants and offices to 17 hectares (42 acres) of fenced brownfield land in the centre of the city. But the new park – Smithfield Park – will be only 0.8 hectares, smaller than a football pitch.