Go ahead for plans to improve neglected part of Birmingham city centre

New plans to improve the viability of a neglected section of Birmingham city centre have been approved.

The Martineau Place area has been neglected over the past 20 years as first the Bullring shopping centre and then Grand Central swallowed up massive amounts of investment.

The result of this has been large numbers of empty shops and abandoned eateries as shoppers shift focus away from the traditional Corporation Street retail area to the newer developments.

Colony Capital had applied to the city council for planning permission to change the leasing conditions for Martineau Place to improve the short to medium term viability of the area.

The application covers 21 out of a total of 35 units within the Martineau Place development. Of the 21 units, 10 are currently vacant and the applicant’s agent said changing usage conditions would hopefully encourage new tenants to move in, especially if they did not have to wait for planning permission to be secured.

The idea is that it would also allow existing units to expand into the existing vacant units without requiring planning consent.

The aim is to make Martineau Place a more resilient centre that could compete – or at least hold its own – with other city centre attractions.

The proposals were approved by the city’s planning committee yesterday (Thursday).

The plans, which could see the area become a new food and drink quarter for the city, are only likely to apply in the short to medium term as the arrival in the city centre of HS2 in several years’ time is likely to see the Martineau area become a commercial property hotspot.