762 homes planned across seven canalside blocks in Birmingham's Learning Quarter, less than half a mile from the HS2 Curzon Street station site. An independent look at what's confirmed, what it costs, and what buyers should know.
Glasswater Locks is a large canalside development by St Joseph, the West Midlands brand of FTSE 100 housebuilder Berkeley Group. It sits on a three-acre brownfield site between Jennens Road, Lawley Middleway and Belmont Row, with around 155 metres of frontage onto the Digbeth Branch Canal — in the city's "Learning Quarter", within walking distance of Aston University and Birmingham City University.
The scheme delivers one, two and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes across seven blocks built in three stages, alongside roughly 20,000 sq ft of commercial space. Berkeley currently markets one and two-bedroom homes with 90% of the current release sold.
Why it matters: this is one of the closest large residential schemes to the HS2 Curzon Street station site — Berkeley puts it at less than half a mile. When Curzon Street opens, London Euston is planned to be around 49 minutes away.
| Detail | Information | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Development name | Glasswater Locks | Verified |
| Location | Belmont Row, Birmingham B4 7RQ (Digbeth Branch Canal) | Verified |
| Developer | St Joseph — Berkeley Group | Verified |
| Structure | 7 blocks, delivered in 3 stages | Verified |
| Homes planned | 762 (1, 2 & 3-bed apartments and duplexes) | Estimated |
| Current pricing | From £218,000 (developer's published from-price) | Verified |
| Sales status | 90% of current release sold | Developer Claim |
| Tenure | Leasehold, 250-year leases · 10-year NHBC warranty | Estimated |
| Completion | In stages through to 2028 | Estimated |
Berkeley's own listing puts new homes from £218,000. Third-party sales portals indicate one-bedroom apartments from around £260,000 and two-bedroom homes from approximately £335,000 — treat those ranges as estimated, since pricing varies by phase, floor and outlook, and the lowest-priced homes sell first.
At £218,000 as a first-time buyer you'd pay no stamp duty (under the £300,000 nil-rate threshold). A 10% deposit is £21,800. Run your own numbers with our mortgage and affordability calculators, and see the full cost of buying guide for everything beyond the deposit.
Prices at active developments change with each release. Confirm current availability and pricing directly with the sales team before making decisions. Figures above were checked in July 2026.
The site sits at the meeting point of Eastside, Digbeth and the Learning Quarter. Aston University and Birmingham City University are both walkable, the city core is moments away, and the HS2 Curzon Street station site is roughly an 8-minute walk. Digbeth's regeneration — including the BBC's move to the Tea Factory and the wider £1bn+ Eastside investment zone — surrounds the development.
Resident amenities (developer-described): the Canalside Club with 24-hour concierge, gym, cinema room, yoga studio, games room, co-working spaces, lounges, library and landscaped residents' gardens.
Agents anticipate rental yields around 5.4% at Glasswater Locks — a third-party projection, not a guarantee. The fundamentals investors typically weigh here: two universities in walking distance (steady tenant demand), the HS2 effect on connectivity, Berkeley build quality and warranty cover, and Digbeth's regeneration trajectory.
Balance: yields depend on the price you pay and real-world rents; service charges on amenity-rich buildings reduce net returns, and we have not yet verified service charge levels here — ask the sales team for the estimate on your specific plot and factor it in before committing.
Our first home checklist and buying timeline guide cover what happens after you reserve.
Deciding between the two? Read our side-by-side Edition Birmingham vs Glasswater Locks comparison — or browse everything in Property Intelligence.