PIC AND COURT COLLABORATION BREAK GROUND AT ONE EASTSIDE

We were invited by Court Collaboration to their ceremonial groundbreaking event held yesterday at One Eastside, a landmark 51- and 15-storey set to deliver 667 new homes.

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Pension Insurance Corporation plc (“PIC”), a specialist insurer of defined benefit pension funds and Court Collaboration, a leading UK property developer, officially broke ground on the 51-storey One Eastside build-to-rent development in the city yesterday (23 March).

The event, also attended by Birmingham City Council Leader, Councillor Ian Ward, marks a significant milestone for the exciting project which PIC has forward funded with a £200 million investment and which will be one of Birmingham’s first skyscrapers.

One Eastside will comprise 667 high-quality new homes for rent. The development will also feature a top-class co-working space and amenities for residents such as a landscaped garden, cinema room, sky lounge and gym.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Hayley Rees, Managing Director of PIC Capital, and Alex Neale, Managing Director of Court Collaboration, both emphasised their commitment to providing quality, innovative and sustainable BTR schemes in the region, as well as their strong ESG credentials.

One Eastside will create over 300 new jobs, as well as provide opportunities for hundreds of local students. Work placements, on-site courses and experience, will be provided at One Eastside part of Court Collaboration and PIC’s joint commitment to supporting future talent in the city and the next generation of professionals.

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Hayley Rees, Managing Director of PIC Capital, at PIC said: “With this, our fourth Build to Rent scheme, PIC is firmly establishing itself as a significant and purposeful investor across the UK’s infrastructure and housing footprint.

“With 667 new apartments being developed here in Birmingham we will be helping to grow a thriving community while contributing positively to the local economy, including creating hundreds of new job opportunities and supporting the training of local students. The development will provide long-term, secure cashflows underpinning our policyholders’ pension payments for many years to come.

“We look forward to our continuing partnership with highly experienced developer, Court Collaboration, on this best-in-class scheme and remain actively engaged on a number of similar opportunities across the UK.”

Alex Neale, Managing Director of Court Collaboration commented: "We are delighted to have broken ground on our truly ambitious and exciting One Eastside development today, and it’s an honour to welcome the Leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, to help us celebrate. This project is a reflection of our and our council’s commitment to help drive this city forward, creating wonderful, sustainable new places and spaces, and the homes for the next generation. Thanks also to Pension Insurance Corporation and other guests who have joined us today to mark this special occasion.”

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One Eastside is targeting a 2026 completion. Keep watching our social media channels for more.

Approval for the BBC's Move Into Digbeth

Proposals for the BBC's new home at Typhoo Wharf in Digbeth, which will house several of the organisation's editorial teams, has been unaminously approved!

The building will now become an 84K SF, custom-built broadcast centre.

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The 1929-built landmark, famous for its production of Typhoo Tea, will become one of Birmingham’s first net zero carbon in construction office buildings, and is on target to achieve a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ rating and an energy performance certificate (EPC) of ‘A’.

To kick start works, part of the building will see partial demolition (below in red) and the full removal of boiler house, in addition to the removal of its existing roof and bridge links.

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The building will then be conserved and will house several BBC editorial teams, including The Archers, BBC Newsbeat, BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio WM and Midlands Today.

The BBC will move out of their existing Mailbox home in late 2025, early 2026, when their lease ends, before making the short move into Digbeth.

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The move presents a golden opportunity to catalyse on reinvigorating the wider area and kick-starting investment in the area’s built environment and transport connections.

Stoford is working with the landowners, The Gooch Estate, with Glenn Howells Architects, Grant Associates, Turley and several public sector partners to complete the project and to prepare a vision for the wider area over the next decade.

This vision (below) includes the delivery of up to 800K SF of new residential, office and hospitality accommodation directly around the BBC and the adjoining canal basin.

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THE VISION

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PARTNERS: Stoford, Benacre 2022 LLP (The Gooch Estate)
ARCHITECTS: Glenn Howells Architects, Grant Associates
QS, PM: Arcadis
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER: Anstey Home
CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: BWB
M&E, SUSTAINABILITY: ESC
CONTRACTOR: TBC
AIR QUALITY, TRANSPORT: BWB
FIRE CONSULTANT: Jensen Hughes
AGENT: Savills & Wallis Real Estate
PLANNING CONSULTANT: Turley
PLANNING APPLICATION NUMBER: 2022/08628/PA

Typhoo Wharf, images from Glenn Howells Architects & BBC.

Drumming for Brum: Approval for 200K SF Hub

Approval has been given for 'Drum', a unique new workspace and amenity destination, which will inhabit the space once home to John Lewis at Grand Central.

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The vacant former John Lewis store, currently being stripped back awaiting its exciting new use, is to become Drum: a workspace and amenity destination catering for up to 2,000 people.

Plans have been given unaminous approval to proceed, with work set to get fully underway later this year, with a 2025 completion penciled in.

Enlivening a key gateway site, built on the principles of connectivity, amenities, and sustainability, the rethink is part of Hammerson’s strategy to reinvigorate its prime urban estates through new diversifying uses – and Drum fits that bill to aplomb.

The building will bring 160K SF & a new type of workspace to the city that meet the requirements for established and start-up businesses post-pandemic.

Designed by Birmingham-born Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects, all four floors will be transformed to facilitate a sweeping, open, communal entrance that widens as it rises.

This will be topped off by an external rooftop garden lounge, with internal green walls on each level giving the appearance of a garden spilling back down through the building.

Its ground floor will be repurposed to become a vibrant destination; one that complements Grand Central, whilst adding a combined hospitality space with restaurant, bar and food market.

There will be a grocery, gym, wellbeing amenities, and around 19K SF of flexible spaces which could potentially see the introduction of a new cinema, live music venue, theatre, VR, gallery and exhibition space, plus bars and drinking establishments.

The refurbishment will come with higher sustainable construction specs, as well as introducing low/ zero carbon energy production and efficient M&E.

Drum was approved unanimously.

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Drum Grand Central, images from Make Architects and Macgregor Smith.

Drumming for Brum: 200K SF Hub Set for Approval

It’s a big week for Birmingham’s Grand Central, with Drum, a new workspace and amenity destination earmarked for approval on Thursday.

Enlivening the key gateway site, built on the principles of connectivity, amenities, and sustainability, the rethink is part of Hammerson’s strategy to reinvigorate its prime urban estates through new diversyfying uses while maximising the reuse of embodied carbon.

Drum will bring 160K SF & a new type of workspace to the city that meet the requirements for established and start-up businesses post-pandemic.

Designed by Birmingham-born Ken Shuttleworth of Make Architects, all four floors will be transformed to facilitate a sweeping, open, communal entrance that widens as it rises.

This will lead to a newly created rooftop garden lounge and workplace garden, with internal green walls on each level giving the appearance of a garden spilling back down through the building.

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Its ground floor will also be repurposed to become an amenity destination – one that complements Grand Central, whilst adding a combined hospitality space with restaurant, bar and food market.

Plans will also see a grocery, gym, wellbeing amenities, and around 19K SF of flexible spaces which could see the introduction of a cinema, live music venue, theatre, VR, gallery and exhibition space, plus bars and drinking establishments.

The proposal refurbishes the building with higher sustainable construction specifications, introducing low/zero carbon energy production and efficient M&E.

Subject to consent, work is expected to begin later in the year, with completion set for 2025.

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Drum Grand Central, images from Make Architects and Macgregor Smith.

Victoria Square - Public Realm Works - March 2023 update

Since January 2023, most of Victoria Square has been closed for more repaving of the square. The Floozie fountain has been turned off. Mostly the area in front of the Council House to the River statue, and the area below the Youth statue. The bit near the Town Hall was done in previous years. In 2022 they returned the Iron: Man statue and Floozie in the Jacuzzi fountain repaired.

21st January 2022

The River and Youth statues in storage, while the fountain was repaired. It was back working in time for the Commonwealth Games that summer.

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10th February 2022

The Council House got a jet wash, while a spot in Victoria Square was being prepared for the return of the Iron: Man statue by Antony Gormley.

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28th February 2022

The Iron: Man is reinstated in a new position in Victoria Square, months before the Commonwealth Games, having been in storage for around five years.

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9th April 2022

Paving completed around the Queen Victoria statue.

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The River statue by Dhruva Mistry has been lowered back into it's basin. It was removed, back in September 2021, ahead of the repairs to the fountain.

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23rd April 2022

St George's Day with a massive flag on the Town Hall. Not long before the fountain was turned back on. The paving here looked tired after 30 years.

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11th June 2022

View from 103 Colmore Row, during Key to the City. The River and Youth fountains were back on. As you can see the paving around the fountain had yet to be done, this would have to wait until early 2023, due to events coming up, such as the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games that summer. It was at this time that the Queen Victoria statue was transformed by artist Hew Locke (Foreign Exchange).

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23rd July 2022

During the Commonwealth Games, local street artists painted over the old paving, as can be seen from 103 Colmore Row (during Key to the City).

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13th August 2022

After the end of the Commonwealth Games, Victoria Square was returned back to normal. This would not last long before PoliNations was installed here.

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8th October 2022

After PoliNations ended, this was the last time Victoria Square was fully opened, before the return of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market. Before that was Diwali on the Square in October. Work to resume renovating the square, only started up again at the end of December 2022.

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12th January 2023

A few weeks after the end of the last Frankfurt Christmas Market closed, most of Victoria Square was fenced off again for repaving works.

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22nd January 2023

The route past the Town Hall and Iron: Man statue is open from Victoria Square towards Chamberlain Square.

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Hoardings have gone back up again around the Council House, Council House Extension, Museum & Art Gallery again, the renovation and rewiring works will take until sometime in 2024.

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Near Starbucks, Colmore Row and Waterloo Street. Pedestrians can enter the path either side of this gate. It is the construction site entrance.

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A view to the Council House entrance. It will be closed until the renovation works here are completed by 2024.

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8th March 2023

From the bottom of Victoria Square, a view to the Council House through a gap in a gate. The lower paving looks almost complete.

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A view from Christchurch Passage, past one of the Sphinx guardian statues. Can't see much here other than the steps.

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During the week is workers on site, so didn't want to get my camera over the high fence, this is the path from Colmore Row / Waterloo Street, through the top of Victoria Square towards the Town Hall and Chamberlain Square.

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12th March 2023

From the top of Victoria Square, near the Council House. There is a gate and high fence, so bit hard to see what is going on up here.

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The 1993 paving has been removed and they are repaving from the Council House towards the top basin of the River and Youth fountain.

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The stone spheres / balls appears to have been removed. Is a lot of repaving needed here.

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Photography by Elliott Brown