Work to start on city Paradise transformation
Work will start next month on the £500 million transformation of Paradise Circus in the heart of Birmingham city centre. Wolverhampton construction group Carillion will be among the first firms to be involved, carrying out work on the roads and infrastructure around the site.
The announcement that work starts on the 17-acre site in January came from the joint venture company, Paradise Circus Limited Partnership, PCLP, a partnership between Birmingham City Council and BT Pension Scheme.
The scheme will be managed by Hermes Real Estate, one of the UK's biggest property companies, with Argent as the development manager.
Chris Taylor, chief executive of Hermes Real Estate, said: "This is the moment we have all been working towards during the years of planning this transformational project. We are now in the position to move the development forward rapidly and with absolute certainty.
"The transformation of this significant site at the civic, cultural and historic heart of the city will start with a programme of enabling and infrastructure works funded through the approved investment by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership – GBSLEP."
These works, which include changes to the highways surrounding the development, will begin on January 5.
As well as changes to the roads and other parts of the infrastructure of the area, the first phase of the development will include major demolition work and improvements to public areas including Chamberlain Square. The infrastructure work will be carried out by Wolverhampton-based Carillion.
Two of the office buildings overlooking Chamberlain Square will be redeveloped creating more than 300,000 sq ft of top-grade office space, which is currently in short supply in Birmingham. They are due to be completed in 2018.
A detailed planning application for the buildings will be submitted in early 2015.
The development will now be known simply as 'Paradise', reflecting the fact that the 'circus' element of the site will disappear when the section of Paradise Circus Queensway road running alongside Birmingham Town Hall from Great Charles Street is pedestrianised as part of the approved scheme.
Andy Street, chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) and managing director of John Lewis, said: "The long awaited transformation of Paradise is truly exciting and has been made possible by a £61 million investment from the Enterprise Zone.
"Paradise will revitalise this part of Birmingham; creating a substantial number of jobs and helping to attract significant commercial investment."
Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore believes Paradise will prove to be a pivotal development for the city: "Birmingham is building a growing reputation as the country's leading international business and tourist destination outside London. This will be further boosted in 2015 when we all start to benefit from the many significant improvements to the city's infrastructure together with the commencement of a number of important projects.
"Paradise is, perhaps, the most strategically important of these. Not only will it attract new businesses and jobs, it will draw new visitors, open up the city and give our historic buildings the high quality setting they deserve – and Birmingham City Council is proud to be an integral part of it."