Jobs created as Costa Coffee opens at former BBC site

A Costa Coffee has opened on the former BBC Pebble Mill social club site in Birmingham, creating 10 jobs for the city.

The 1,800 sq ft premises on the Calthorpe Estate will initially operate as a drive-thru only but has been built to cater for 64 of customers internally and 24 externally, when it opens its doors fully later in the year.

Costa is the latest occupier to be confirmed at the former BBC Pebble Mill site, which now offers healthcare and medical facilities as part of Edgbaston Medical Quarter.

It will cater for staff and visitors to the award-winning Birmingham Dental Hospital & School of Dentistry, the 62-bedroom Bupa care home, as well as students from Vita student accommodation and the nearby University of Birmingham, in addition to residents and businesses from the local community.

The coffee shop will also sit alongside the new Circle Health private hospital, which opens later this year, and the 114,000 sq ft medical facility on plot 4, comprising cancer treatment operator and oral theatre suite, which received planning permission in late 2019.

Construction of the Costa Coffee building was completed in March, however the fit-out was halted when Covid-19 hit.

Paul Gillott, developments manager for Calthorpe Estates, said: “The arrival of Costa Coffee to the site brings us a step closer to completing Pebble Mill. The redevelopment of this landmark site is the result of more than a decade of strategic planning, with a vision to create an outstanding centre for medical, healthcare and life sciences.

“It has seen the transformation of the 27-acre location; Calthorpe Estates has invested in the infrastructure, a new substation, a Tranquillity Garden and partnered with the Environment Agency in £4million flood alleviation scheme around part of the site. Once finished Pebble Mill will deliver over 46,450 sq m (500,000 sq ft) of innovative medical and healthcare centres for the region, and encourage top specialists, further investment, visitors and jobs to Birmingham.

“As we welcome leading specialists and pioneering medical treatment providers, it’s imperative we cater for their teams and patients with desirable food and beverage offerings within Pebble Mill. That’s why we’re delighted to announce the opening of Costa Coffee in a prominent and accessible location within the site.”