Masshouse office scheme moves a step closer

MOMENTUM is gathering behind a large-scale office development scheme planned for central Birmingham.

Developer Nikal has appointed a design team for its proposed multi-use scheme at Masshouse, over the road from its Hive residential development and Hotel La Tour and in front of the McLaren building.

A revised application for planning consent for the three acre site has been submitted to Birmingham City Council and comprises 600,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, 200 hotel rooms and apartments all set around a new public square. 

Savills will be acting as planning consultants with Glenn Howells Architects appointed to deliver the masterplan for the site, which connects Birmingham city centre to Eastside.

Nikal design director James Payne said: “The appointment of the design team is a huge step towards the realisation of this project and the delivery of the next stage in Birmingham’s vision for the expansion of the city core.

“This development gives us the opportunity to spearhead the extension of Birmingham’s traditional business district, creating a link with Eastside and ultimately HS2 that will deliver high-quality office accommodation to a burgeoning city, the demand in which will continue to grow.

“The second phase of Masshouse represents one of few large-scale, deliverable, new build commercial sites within the city. With the site already cleared and low-carbon infrastructure in place it will, when completed, go a long way towards easing the predicted shortage of Grade A commercial space that we will be facing in the next few years.”

Glenn Howells Architects director Dav Bansal said: “In reappraising the masterplan for phase two of Masshouse, we are extremely keen to ensure that we create a deliverable, attractive and sustainable commercial environment, offset by high quality public realm.”

Identified by Birmingham City Council as a key area for regeneration, the Eastside area of the city is due to undergo extensive redevelopment in the next few years. Projects include the City Park – the first public park to be built in Birmingham for more than 130 years.

Savills director Paul Rouse said: “Masshouse will provide the missing link between the city’s established business district and the rejuvenated Eastside area. 

“As an Enterprise Zone site there is already acknowledgment from Birmingham City Council that Masshouse has a key role to play in the economic recovery of the City. With the prospect of the HS2 terminus on the doorstep Masshouse will become a front door to the city’s enlarged business district.”