Longbridge

Public transport

Longbridge is described as a hub for public transport with a number of bus services run by Kev's Coaches and National Express West Midlands passing through it with destinations including Birmingham City Centre, West Bromwich and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston. West Midlands Railway serves Longbridge railway station on the Cross City Line, with destinations at Redditch or Bromsgrove and Four Oaks or Lichfield with connections to Hereford and Nottingham at University station or nationwide at Birmingham New Street station. In 2020 a large multi-storey carpark was built near Longbridge station as a park and ride facility to reduce car journeys into the city centre. Some improvements to Longbridge station were also carried out in 2020 though one side of the station remains without a lift facility.

Situation

Longbridge is surrounded by Frankley, Frankley Beeches, Rubery, Rednal, Bromsgrove, Northfield, West Heath and Kings Norton. Longbridge is in close proximity to and can be viewed from the Lickey Hills.

Longbridge plant

Main article: Longbridge plant

Since 1906, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars. The factory became dormant, and some parts of the older sections of the site were demolished after MG Rover fell into administration in April 2005. The plant was one of the main employers of the local population and the resultant layoffs caused local decline. The company, renamed MG Motor (owned by MG Rover's would-be partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) resumed limited MG TF sports car production within a small portion of the factory in August 2008 and in late 2010 started final assembly of the MG6. Production ceased completely in 2017, when the Chinese car maker decided to ship the fully assembled cars to the UK. The remaining disused sections of the factory were demolished on 4 August 2006.

Regeneration

25,410 people live in Longbridge.

Work began in 2005 on the Longbridge Technology Park on 16 hectares (40 acres) of the former MG Rover site in Longbridge, Birmingham, including the Devon Way area, with plans for research, development and production facilities expected to create around 2,500 jobs as part of the site’s long-term regeneration.

In November 2011, Birmingham City Council approved the next phase of Longbridge Technology Park, including the 21,000 sq ft Grade A office building Three Devon Way, as the park expanded to meet demand from technology-led businesses such as electronics design consultancy ByteSnap Design, which occupied space at Two Devon Way.

In February 2025, St. Modwen sold the 29,479 sq ft Two Devon Way office building at Longbridge Technology Park to UKO Serviced Offices, a subsidiary of UK Land Limited, for £3.75 million, reflecting growing demand for office space in the area.

As part of the Ward of Longbridge And West Heath, Longbridge is represented as of the 2022 Birmingham City Council Election on Birmingham City Council by Debbie Clancy and Ron Storer who are both of the Conservative Party.

Population

The 2001 Population Census recorded that there were 30,964 people living in Longbridge with a population density of 3,789 people per km2 compared with 3,649 people per km2 for Birmingham. Longbridge has a small ethnic minority population: only 6.8% (2,117) of the ward's population consists of ethnic minorities, unlike more centralised areas such as Aston, Handsworth and Small Heath.

Notable people

• Mark Frost, actor
• Lewis Goodall, journalist
• David Haddleton, academic

References

References

1. "Birmingham Ward population 2011".
2. Press Association. (18 May 2025). "New park to be built at Longbridge". The Guardian.
3. (14 November 2011). "Green light for next phase of Longbridge Technology Park". Insider.
4. Beech, Adam. (10 Feb 2025). "St. Modwen offloads Longbridge office building in £3.75m deal". Insider.
5. (19 August 2002). "Culture: Frost thaws away from the limelight; Birmingham-born actor Mark Frost has made a career out of playing baddies – his latest is a wife beater. But he's a nice guy, really, as Caroline Foulkes found out.". [[Trinity Mirror]].