Premier League star’s hotel plan is a winner with planners

The conversion of a Birmingham city centre office building into a new boutique hotel has been approved by councillors.

Beneficial House (Birmingham) Regeneration is proposing to convert the upper floors of Beneficial House on Paradise Street into a 130-room facility.

The developer has a number of high profile investors including Manchester City footballer Sergio Agüero and Olympic gold medal winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave.

The former office building sits next to a prime piece of real estate in the city centre – the new Paradise Birmingham development – making it a very desirable site for such a scheme.

Members of Birmingham’s planning committee welcomed the scheme saying the extra accommodation was needed if the city was to cater for an expected increase in visitors.

Cheekily, Cllr Peter Douglas-Osborn said: “We need this for all the people coming to visit Channel 4.”

The hotel, situated immediately off the main Suffolk Street Queensway, is expected to benefit from the extension of the Midland Metro to Centenary Square.

The Midland Metro team had initially raised concerns the conversion could interfere with the extension work. However, the committee was told the organisation was happy that a construction management plan would cover this.

Beneficial House was previously the subject of a hotel conversion plan. In 2012, plans were submitted by Gethar Ventures, led by city entrepreneur Anthony McCourt, to convert the building into a mixed-use hotel and apartments scheme.

However, the scheme never progressed and the permission has since lapsed.

Beneficial House was originally built between 1959 and 1962 to a design by architects Seymour Harris. It is said to be a good example of Birmingham’s modernist heritage.