Huge skyscrapers set to transform Birmingham skyline - including 41-storey tower that will provide 500 homes
Take a short stroll through Birmingham and it’s hard to miss the skyscrapers springing up across the city centre’s ever-chaning skyline.
Towers such as One Eastside and the Octagon are just two of the latest developments which have become recognisable sights in the heart of the city.
And they are now set to be joined by a number of schemes which were given the green light by council planners in 2025.
They include a “refreshingly bold and unique” 41-storey tower which was approved after being considered for a third time by the council’s planning committee.
Another development which got permission to go ahead was a “dynamic destination” with multiple towers, which could create a “beautiful and accessible gateway” in the city centre.
As the end of 2025 approaches, here’s a look at the skyscrapers approved this year that are set to forever change Brum’s skyline.
41-storey tower
Amended proposals for a huge skyscraper in Birmingham city centre were approved in June after being considered for a third time.
The planned development, which boasts a 41-storey tower, is set to provide more than 500 homes in central Brum.
The design of the scheme, based on land at Bristol Street, Bromsgrove Street and Essex Street, was praised in a council report as “refreshingly bold and unique”.
However, the committee first delayed a decision on the plans last September amid concerns about the housing mix – particularly the number of one-bedroom flats.
Concerns were again raised at November’s planning meeting, with Coun Colin Green saying he was still concerned about the mix, which he described as “pretty poor”.
“I have some concerns myself – it seems this scheme is a very monolithic block on Bristol Street,” Coun Martin Brooks, former chair of the committee, added.
But the plans were ultimately given the green light at the third meeting in June after both the housing mix and building design were amended.
Committee chair Coun Lee Marsham said: “I think members when coming to make a vote on this will need to judge whether use of brownfield land to help regenerate an area outweighs any concerns you may have.”
The benefits of the scheme include new public realm, the provision of housing, temporary construction jobs and an enhancement of the ecological and biodiversity offer at the site, the council said.
‘Beautiful gateway’
An unassuming site in Holliday Street, just off A38 Suffolk Street Queensway, is set be home to a “dynamic destination” with multiple towers.
Plans for a mixed-use development, consisting of apartments, student accommodation and a hotel, on the site of the former Axis Building were approved earlier this year.
The scheme is set to provide five buildings in total, including a 49-storey residential tower, as well as a public square.
“This re-imagined site will become a beautiful and accessible gateway within Birmingham city centre, creating a new destination that connects people, ideas, and communities,” developers said.
Another key objective, according to a design document, was to create a “sustainable and dynamic green destination in the heart of Birmingham city centre”.
Buildings one and two of the scheme will be residential towers, 49 and 39 storeys, and comprise 868 residential units across them both.
The student residential tower was proposed to be 29 storeys and provide 720 bedspaces as well as a food hall at lower levels.
The fourth building is set to be used as a hotel with 229 serviced apartments while the fifth, a residential building, will deliver 122 homes across ten storeys.
