New plans for a long-awaited major residential development next to Birmingham's hisotric canal network will go on show next week.

Last summer, a joint venture of Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital acquired the Soho Loop site off Dudley Road with the intention of building up to 800 new houses and apartments.

The team has now said the project is likely to contain around 680 units when a final planning application is submitted later this year.

A public exhibition is being held to showcase the designs which will also include ground floor commercial space, public landscaping and a pedestrian and cycle link connecting the site to Birmingham city centre.

Planning permission was initially granted for demolition and regeneration of the vacant site in late 2015 but there has been little activity there since.

The 12-acre Soho Loop sits alongside the old BCN Main Line canal and forms part of the wider Greater Icknield Masterplan.

This has already seen the green light handed to Urban Splash and Places for People to build more than 200 houses and apartments at the Port Loop site close to Edgbaston Reservoir.

The overall vision is for 3,000 new homes and 1,000 new jobs in an area which neighbours the Jewellery Quarter and Edgbaston.

Early CGI of how the Soho Loop site could look
Early CGI of how the Soho Loop site could look

Richard Jenkins, from the joint venture, said: "As Britain's second city, Birmingham is experiencing an exciting time.

"With the imminent arrival of HS2 and the Commonwealth Games comes a demand for new homes.

"The proposed development provides an opportunity to regenerate a brownfield site close to the city centre, providing much-needed housing for key workers and young professionals in and around the city.

"We are keen for people to come and see the plans and speak to members of the team and share their thoughts.

"We are very excited about the benefits that the development could bring to this growing part of the city."

The exhibition is being held from 3pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday April 17 at Summerfield Community Sports Centre, in Winson Green Rd.

For those unable to attend, the plans will be available to view on the Soho Loop Birmingham website and the public consultation ends on April 24.