Council gives nod to Birmingham’s 2 Snowhill Plaza scheme

Residential developer HUB and pan-European real estate investment manager MARK have secured planning approval from Birmingham City Council for a BTR development at 2 Snowhill Plaza in central Birmingham.

The scheme will deliver 462 homes, with on-site affordable and provision of three-bedroom family homes.

Designed by architecture and urban design practice Metropolitan Workshop, the proposal for 2 Snowhill Plaza will replace a vacant commercial property.

The 48-storey building will be one of Birmingham’s tallest, and a new addition to the emerging cluster of taller developments in Birmingham city centre.

The scheme represents MARK’s first project in the UK build to rent market.

Brad Burridge, senior development manager at HUB, said: “Securing planning permission for this scheme – HUB’s second in Birmingham – means we are a step closer to delivering much-needed high quality homes in the city centre. 2 Snowhill Plaza will be a striking landmark building for Birmingham, with a new public route that will open up this part of the city centre for pedestrians. Our vision for the project is to offer exemplary living in one of Birmingham’s bustling commercial districts, ensuring convenient access to the abundant offerings of this thriving city.”

Lily Lin, UK & Ireland managing director at MARK, said: “Planning approval for 2 Snowhill Plaza reflects the high quality of the scheme’s design, which will provide much-needed rental housing. This project – our first UK build-to-rent investment – will be a strong addition to our portfolio of residential-led developments in the UK, through which we are delivering hundreds of homes across a range of price points and tenures in a mix of geographies. HUB has a proven track record of delivery, and we look forward to working with them in progressing the site from construction through to completion.”

Neil Deely, co-founder and partner at Metropolitan Workshop, said: “This is our first project in Birmingham, and we were really inspired by the city’s challenge to ‘Be Bold, Be Birmingham’. Our approach recalls and celebrates the city’s proud post war architectural traditions, delivers new connectivity for pedestrians on Snowhill and uniquely provides residential amenity on five levels.”

The plans were passed on a vote of seven to 6.