Birmingham Council to issue CPO on city centre office scheme
Birmingham City Council is to compulsorily purchase interests in the site of a major city centre office scheme.
The council’s cabinet has today been urged to back proposals for a Compulsory Purchase Order to be made for the site of the Axis building, off Holliday Street.
The move would see the council acquire third party interests in the site in order to secure vacant possession.
This will enable the regeneration scheme for the 4.2-acre site to progress as quickly as possible.
Plans for the redevelopment of the Axis site were unveiled last year as part of the One Axis Square development.
Following initial approval for the demolition of the existing Axis building and its replacement with a new nine-storey building, property owner London and Continental Railways submitted plans for the wider site.
These included plans for a 23-storey office block, in addition to two other buildings – one 14-storeys tall and the other, six storeys high.
The location of the Axis site, between the Mailbox and Arena Central, and close to the Paradise redevelopment, make it a very desirable location for office space.
Full planning permission for phase one of the scheme was granted last April following the signing of a Section 106 agreement.
Outline planning consent for phase two was granted in October, again following completion of a Section 106 agreement.
The plans would see the demolition of the inefficient 1970s building and its replacement with up to 114,380sqm of office space, coupled with 3,900sqm of retail space and a new public square.
The report to today’s meeting states: “As the consented proposals demonstrate, the existing use of the site is extremely inefficient and the site is under-utilised. The site’s urban design and environment are very poor for the public and pedestrians, and the existing configuration acts as a barrier to movement.
“The current building no longer meets the requirements expected by those seeking Grade A office space. Rather than complement the wider regeneration of the city centre, this key and prominent site detracts from it.”
The council said the redevelopment of the site offered “significant regeneration benefits” for the city, supporting economic growth and enhancing the overall environment, as well as improving pedestrian connectivity between the various destinations in the immediate area.
“The approved proposals will transform this key site acting as a catalyst for continued transformation of this part of the city centre,” adds the report.
It is also believed that the completed scheme could create a net figure of around 8,000 permanent new jobs and 300 temporary ones during the construction.
An indemnity agreement between the council and the developer, LCR, will be drafted to ensure that all the costs associated with the CPO will be borne by the developer.
