Next phase of Arena Central given thumbs up by planning chiefs
Revised plans for the next building on the Arena Central site have been recommended for approval by Birmingham City Council’s planning chiefs.
The council’s Planning Committee is set to vote on the proposals for 5 Centenary Square, which was previously known as 1 Arena Central, on Broad Street – close to the Hyatt Hotel.
The nine-storey office building would include 170,000 sq ft of office space and could bring 1,300 jobs to the city centre
A statment by planning bosses recommending the scheme be approved reads: “In principle, redevelopment of this site for offices is consistent with the previous reserved matters consent and Masterplan. It is also consistent with local and national planning policy. Furthermore the scheme would help to bring to bring forward significant economic benefits by providing Grade A office space to accommodate growth in the financial and professional services sector.
“This building would also complete the frontage of Arena Central facing Centenary Square and act as the northern gateway to the ‘Serpentine’ pedestrian route through the site.”
The site received planning approval in 2014 with the latest designs making some changes to reflect how the overall Arena Central masterplan has evolved.
It has added one storey, increasing the building’s height by 3.4 metres, in response to interest in Arena Central and wider market confidence.
Discussions with potential, unnamed, occupiers resulted in the updated design reallocating the ground floor retail as space for tenants’ use, while a proposed top floor terrace has also been removed.
