House of Fraser transformation showcased in £110m Birmingham city centre project
Plans for a £110m transformation of Birmingham's House of Fraser and its neighbouring Lloyds Bank have moved a step closer.
City Council development officers have recommended that ambitious proposals, which aim to create a new ‘destination’ for the city centre, be approved by the planning committee when they determine the scheme this week.
The application documents also reveal that the vision to transform the Rackhams building has been in the pipeline since at least 2015 when owners Legal and General invited architects to submit their ‘vision’.
The proposed scheme looks to convert most of the upper floors of the department store into office space while allowing for ‘flexibility’ on the first floor and basement which could be used for shops, bars, restaurants, professional services, cafes or takeaways.
The neighbouring building on Temple Row, occupied by Lloyds, would be turned into a 200-bedroom hotel.
One of the most exciting aspects of the scheme would be a rooftop terrace where people could eat and drink.
Some concerns have been raised by Historic England, the Civic Society and the Brutiful Birmingham group, particularly around a three-storey extension to the roof and its potential visual impact on St Philip’s Cathedral.
But in a report council officers advise the committee that the plans are ‘acceptable’.
