£200m mixed-use scheme takes major step forward
A £200m residential=led scheme planned for Digbeth has taken a major step forward after a Section 106 agreement was signed to take the scheme forward.
The deal, between Birmingham City Council and Seven Capital will see a 770-bed scheme called Connaught Square developed. The 500,000 sq ft scheme received planning permission back in 2019, and an agreement has now been reached for Seven Capital to bring forward a mixed-use scheme that will include not only apartments, but also commercial, retail and public space.
As part of the Section 106 agreement, Seven Capital has made a commitment to employ a local workforce. On phase 1 of the scheme the company says it will employ local graduates or apprentices for 60 “person weeks” (the equivalent of one person working for 60 hours) per £1m on the construction.
Seven Capital will also pay £1.25m towards affordable housing as part of the agreement and £250,000 towards public realm improvements in the Digbeth/Southside/Highgate areas.
The news is a landmark for the scheme, which was first mooted back in 2007 by Irish-based Naus Group. However, the plans fell foul to the 2008 recession. It was sold out of administration by the Marlborough Property Company in 2014 and quickly sold on to current owners Seven Capital.
Due to the scale of the project, Connaught Square will be constructed in two phases.
Once complete, it will feature a total of 770 apartments, including a 27-storey landmark tower, around 42,000 sq ft of commercial space, a community gymnasium and boxing academy – all of which have been included as a result of community consultation.
It will also incorporate a new riverside walkway and terrace alongside the River Rea, which runs through the middle of the development and will be opened up as a feature to the public for the first time in a century.
Surrounding the riverside feature will be the introduction of around 5,000 sq m of public open space.
Once completed, Connaught Square should provide around 250 full-time jobs within the proposed retail, community and commercial space plus around 100 supply chain and ancillary jobs as a result of the additional commercial floorspace.
When planning permission for the scheme was granted back in 2019, Damien Siviter, director at SevenCapital, said: “Connaught Square is already one of the most significant and talked about regeneration projects to date in Birmingham, as it bridges the gap between the main city centre and the growing creative quarter. So throughout the entire design process it has been imperative that what we create and deliver is the right fit for the area, the city and importantly right for the community that will form as a result of Connaught Square.”
