Birmingham City Council approved a wider regeneration scheme for the Perry Barr area which will provide around 1,400 new homes.

They are being built on the site of the former Birmingham City University in the English city, and will be home to 6,500 athletes and officials at the 2022 Games.

The development, unanimously approved by Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee, will also include a retirement village and a community centre.

Work will begin early next year.

Birmingham was only awarded the Commonwealth Games on December 21, 2017 after Durban in South Africa was stripped of the hosting rights for financial issues, so has a shorter time to prepare.

They will celebrate the one-year anniversary of their awarding tomorrow.

"Since we announced our intention to bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, I've always said the event is about so much more than just 11 days of sport," said Ian Ward, the leader of Birmingham City Council.

"The regeneration of Perry Barr will be the most tangible and transformative legacy we achieve as a result of hosting the Games, bringing investment and regeneration to an area that has long been crying out for it.

"I commend everyone involved with the development of this planning application. 

"It shows the 'can do' attitude of the City Council and its commitment to partnership working - by securing planning permission today, 364 days since the Games were awarded to Birmingham, we've successfully completed work that would normally a take a host city three years to complete in just one."

Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee chairman John Crabtree said he was happy with how plans are progressing ahead of tomorrow's milestone.

"It has been a busy 12 months for the city and the region," he said.

"Much of the work has been going on behind-the-scenes, as we set up the Organising Committee, but we are delighted with the progress we’ve made so far.

"Twenty-nineteen will see tangible, visible progress as we see the start of construction for the Athletes' Village, the development of plans for the brand new aquatics centre and the unveiling of designs for the redeveloped Alexander Stadium. 

"It will be such an important year to engage widely with local and regional communities, to ensure they get the absolute most out of the Games. 

"We're very much looking forward to sharing more of our ideas and plans with people from across the city, region and the whole Commonwealth in 2019 and beyond."