Birmingham has unveiled its biggest ever house building plan to cope with a rise in population equivalent to Oxford over the next 16 years.

A housing prospectus launched by the city council will target £9bn of investment from property developers to help deliver 80,000 new homes by 2031.

With 40 major brownfield sites having been identified for residential building, the local authority hopes firms will now find it ‘easy’ to locate all the housing opportunities the city has to offer.

Birmingham’s population is expected to rise by 150,000 by 2031, with 100,000 new jobs to be created over the same period.

A recent PwC report suggested Birmingham was the 6th most attractive city in Europe for property investment, beating London into 10th place.

Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: ‘We need to provide quality housing for people. Today we set out our ambitions to achieve that, but also a practical plan to make it happen.

‘Today’s prospectus says loud and clear to developers that Birmingham is open for business, and that we mean business.

‘The city is unrecognisable from a decade ago thanks the unprecedented amount that has been invested in growth. Businesses are flocking in record numbers, legions of young professionals are arriving, and start-ups are thriving. That success has brought an exciting housing challenge. It is a challenge we are determined to meet.’

Waheed Nazir, director of planning and regeneration, added: ‘Traditionally, developers and investors have had to do all their own research, or employ land agents to find the best sites. We have made it easy for them by listing them all in this document all of the key sites for new housing.’