Construction work on a new retail park and 18-storey student halls are set to begin in 2016 after plans were passed on a narrow vote by councillors.

The scheme in Selly Oak, which is backed by Sainsbury's, was passed by five votes to four amid complaints the canalside student block would cut off the new retail park from the existing town centre area.

But the decision to approve the scheme, described as a key regeneration project for the city, has been welcomed by developer Harvest - a joint venture between Sainsbury's and Land Securities.

Chris Fleetwood, development director for Land Securities, said: "We're delighted to have received planning approval for the detailed design of key elements of the scheme.

"The key themes of the development remain mostly unchanged but the design of certain aspects has rightly evolved, taking into account feedback from consultees.

"With the remediation of the Battery site well under way, we are now looking forward to making a start on construction in 2016."

Development follows 18 months of decontamination work on the Battery Park site, formerly home to a metal working factory.

While the retail part of the scheme has not altered significantly from outline plans submitted earlier, the footprint of the canalside student accommodation has been slightly reduced and its design has evolved into a set of three interlinked buildings facing the canal.

It is the height and design of the student block which provoked most comment from Birmingham City Council's planning committee.

Coun Fiona Williams (Lab Hodge Hill) said the fact the new shops would be facing away from the busy Bristol Road meant the retail park had no relationship with the rest of Selly Oak.

"Sainsbury's is killing Selly Oak town centre," she said.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital can be seen from the vacant Battery Park site
Queen Elizabeth Hospital can be seen from the vacant Battery Park site

She was backed by Coun Gareth Moore (Con Erdington), who added: "The student accommodation barricades the rest of the centre off. It's like a giant wall."

Coun Moore was also unimpressed with the design of the student block.

"It looks like an ordinary office block. We should demand something exceptional," he said.

The Community Partnership for Selly Oak, while supporting development in general, had earlier criticised the design and raised fears a vacant patch of land might be used for more student development.

They suggested a series of amendments to the development.

Dav Bansal, a director with Glenn Howells Architects which designed the student accommodation element of the scheme, responded: "We believe this is a well designed sequence of buildings."

And the council's chief planning officer Richard Goulborn told the committee the regeneration of Battery Park was a vital development for the city.

He said: "This is a really exciting opportunity to put some big investment into Selly Oak."

A life sciences campus, for cutting edge pharmaceutical and medical research companies, is to be developed separately by Birmingham City Council to the north of the retail park.

Designed as a distinctive building in its own right, the new 70,000 sq ft Sainsbury's store and restaurant will be located at first floor level, with ground floor undercroft parking below.

Sainsbury's west-facing façade will feature extensive glazing with timber panels and the main entrance will be via a bright atrium hall with travelator, lifts and stairs.

The terrace of shops will be fronted by a colonnaded arcade and built with materials such as ceramic tiles and timber cladding while the areas outside the cafés and restaurants will accommodate terraces with outdoor seating.

There will be two groups of 20 cycle bays at either end of the parade as well as parking for more than 860 cars.

The pedestrian access has altered slightly with the aim of allowing cyclists to cross the site more easily, including along the greenway, a route reserved for the potential future canal link to Selly Oak Park.

The community remains concerns that a linked piece of land across the canal from the student block could be used for further student accommodation.

They were told the committee could not block a future planning application.