Developers propose new hotel along the road to Paradise

Beneficial House

Former offices in Birmingham city centre are to be converted into a new hotel under plans lodged with the city council.

Beneficial House (Birmingham) Regeneration has submitted an application to convert the upper floors of Beneficial House on Paradise Street into a 130-room facility.

The 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.

It is located immediately off the main Suffolk Street Queensway and will benefit from the extension of the Midland Metro to Centenary Square.

Planning permission for a similar scheme – accompanied by proposals for an additional 53 apartments – was approved in 2012, however, the scheme never progressed and the permission has since lapsed.

In addition to the office conversion, the developer is also proposing a new loading bay in the south-east corner of the building, which would be accessed from Swallow Street, and the refurbishment of ground floor commercial and shop units.

A planning statement submitted with the application states: “Refurbishing a currently derelict, but historically significant building, will enhance the local area and reinforce the sense of place, contributing to Birmingham’s modernist architectural heritage.

“The scheme will reconnect the building to the city and contribute towards the council’s ambitions for redevelopment in the area. Creating active street frontages that respond to the development strategy for Paradise Circus.”

Submissions with the application suggest the conversion is also desirable because of the poor condition of the building’s façade.

The documents state the rainscreen cladding has failed on two occasions, with debris falling onto the pavement below.

“In light of the current defective cladding and degradation of the original material beneath this cladding, the application proposes a holistic re-cladding and upgrading of the existing fabric,” state the documents.

“We seek to overclad the original structure using glass reinforced concrete (GRC) cladding. It is intended that the colour and form of the panelling will be sympathetic to the original building.”

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.

Beneficial House

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