Birmingham’s tallest apartment block cleared to proceed

The second phase of a high rise residential scheme in Birmingham city centre has been given the go ahead by councillors.

Regal Property Group’s Left Bank development received consent at yesterday’s meeting of Birmingham City Council’s planning committee.

The 31-storey tower (pictured below) will be Birmingham’s tallest residential block and will be located on the plot at the corner of Sheepcote Street, Broad Street and Oozells Way.

The tower, designed by Glancy Nicholls Architects, will be next to a smaller residential block and will provide 205 one, two and three-bed apartments, internal and external residential amenity space and a commercial retail unit fronting Broad Street.

The design is different to that originally proposed for the tower which included plans for a hotel.

Regal decided to amend the scheme to become completely residential.

The plans overcame criticisms about the height and scale of the development and the impact it would have on the city’s skyline.

There were also concerns about the noise volumes coming from Broad Street’s nightspots during the weekend but special acoustic dampening glazing will be incorporated into the design.

The block is situated alongside the 189 apartments of Tower I, which was funded by real estate investment company Aprirose.

Mark Holbeche, from Regal, said: “These new apartments will provide much-needed housing in the centre of Birmingham. The development is in a key residential location, especially with the growing number of professionals working nearby, and I’m sure demand for these new homes will be extremely high.

“What’s more, with its striking appearance and being Birmingham’s tallest residential tower, there’s no doubt that this building will become an iconic landmark in the city centre.”

Glancy Nicholls Architects’ design for both towers references and is intended in part, to commemorate Birmingham’s rich industrial heritage in metal working.

The currently under-construction brass clad Tower I pays homage to the brass works undertaken in the area, while Tower II’s filigree silver frame is a tribute to Broad Street’s past legacy of fine silver working.      

Following the successful planning result, Tower II will begin construction in the second quarter of this year.