Plans in for 218,000 sq ft office scheme in central Birmingham

Plans for 218,000 sq ft of new office space in Birmingham city centre have been submitted to the city couhcil.

Lambert Smith Hampton has filed the planning application for the new scheme at Upper Gough Street. It includes two office buildings, public realm, an extension of Chapmans Passage and a car park.

The new scheme is being designed by Corstorphine + Wright. It will open up a new passageway between the city and the Peace Gardens, connecting with the existing Chapmans Passageway.

Construction on the site is expected to start in 2023.

Stephen Hemming, director in LSH’s Birmingham planning, development and regeneration team said: “Recent LSH research shows that occupiers will look for Quality over Quantity when seeking new office space and this development will deliver that with a fantastic design and specification which will be a welcome addition to the current office stock.”

Ben Rayner of planning consultancy Holland Lloyd said: “This is another exciting regeneration scheme in Birmingham city centre that highlights the confidence in the city, bringing jobs to the local area. The site is close to existing amenities, and we expect this proposal will encourage wider regeneration local to this site.”

Tony Mead of Corstorphine + Wright said: “This is a unique opportunity to introduce a landmark office building to a key route through the city, whilst integrating the Peace Gardens into our proposals with new pedestrian routes linking the city centre and canal side developments.

“With a current focus on what a Post Covid city centre would look like, we believe that there will still be a strong demand for creative workspaces where people can come together and work collaboratively. How we work and utilise these open spaces in a sustainable way are going to be key challenges for the city, especially relevant following the launch of the city’s own vision for 2040, and we see this this as a perfect
time to create high quality office accommodation that aims to achieve BREEAM Excellent performance.”