Better news for construction as works starts on 3 Arena Central
Birmingham’s construction sector has received some welcome news with the announcement of the official start of work on the 3 Arena Central building.
Activity in the city centre has been somewhat subdued since the collapse of Carillion in mid-January which had immediate impacts on major schemes on site including One Chamberlain Square within the Paradise development.
The 3 Arena Central scheme has a far more positive outlook as the new 240,000 sq ft building has already been pre-let on a 25-year lease to the UK Government, with the development funded by L&G.
Representatives from developer Arena Central Developments (ACDL), funder L&G and the government were on-hand to mark the official start of construction work on the 14-storey building.
3 Arena Central (see below) will eventually accommodate more than 3,600 civil servants, who will move to the new building by 2020. They will predominantly be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but other staff from the Department for Work and Pensions will also be relocating.
The building is situated on a plot at the heart of the nine-acre city centre development site.
Arena Central is being delivered by ACDL, a joint venture led by Miller Developments.
Andrew Sutherland, ACDL, said: “Marking the start of construction on a building is always an exciting time and we are exceedingly pleased to be joined by our colleagues from the Government to mark this momentous occasion.
“From a development perspective, the start on site of 3 Arena Central is a big step as it enables us to maintain momentum on the site as we near the final stages of delivery of the new HSBC UK ringfenced bank HQ at 1 Centenary Square.”
Steven Boyd, HMRC’s Estates Director, said: “This is an important milestone in the delivery of the Government Hub in Birmingham, which will be the new home for HMRC in the West Midlands.
“When it is built, the new building will mean our staff can work in a modern and bright environment, while working collaboratively with other teams, to increase our effectiveness in collecting taxes. The building work is just the beginning of cementing HMRC’s presence in the local community to create a tax authority fit for the future.”
Ann Carter-Gray, Government Property Agency Programme Director, said: “Arena Central will be part of a network of government hubs, transforming central government’s offices by accommodating many different departments in shared buildings in cities across the UK.
“The new Birmingham hub will be a catalyst for regeneration and the modern design will make it easier for civil servants to collaborate and work flexibly, delivering the best quality service to the public.”
Designed by renowned architectural practice Make, 3 Arena Central will be clad in a geometric pattern of hexagonal metal panels, with a double-height colonnade along the northern face opening directly onto the site’s main public square, Bank Court.
The site will have excellent transport connections being close to New Street Station and the planned Midlands Metro extension to Centenary Square.
CBRE and GVA are appointed as joint letting and investment agents to Arena Central.
Pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony, from left: Neville Myers, Government Property Agency; Irene Masterton, DWP; Frances Khan-Msuya, HMRC; Andrew Sutherland, ACDL; Adam Kerr, L&G.
3 Arena Central viewed from Bank Court
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