No. 1 Hagley Road, the 140,000 ft² (12,970 m²)19 story landmark office tower, is the latest building to benefit from regeneration plans for the Five Ways area, in Birmingham. The building's owners, Henderson Global Investors, have submitted a planning application to ensure the building's viable future and to develop an underutilized car parking area. Local architecture practice, Associated Architects, who masterminded the Mailbox, has developed plans to ensure the building will be an icon for a future generation.
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The 1970's tower will be transformed into a bright and modern apartment block.
The 1970's tower will be transformed into a bright and modern apartment block, providing up to 182 well proportioned city center homes. Four new penthouse floors with spectacular views will add a new skyline feature at the top.
The plans also propose the development of the extensive car parking area, which at present provides a lifeless frontage to the busy Hagley Road. Here, Henderson has proposed a new building, up to 14 stories high, to provide up to 165,000 ft² of either hotel or student accommodation with scope for retail and leisure uses on the ground floor.
Martin Payne, Fund Manager at Henderson Global Investors, said: "Although No.1 Hagley Road continues to provide economical office accommodation for current and potential tenants through a flexible leasing structure, we are aware of the changing needs of the business community and the local area. We want to ensure that the building will continue to be utilized to its best potential for many years to come.
"The proposals will not only give a viable long term use to the building, but also generate the ability to greatly enhance the external appearance of this major landmark which sits in one of the key gateways to the city centre. The flexibility allowed by the planning proposals will also allow us to work with a development partner to realize the potential of the underutilized car parking area. In the mean time, it's business as usual at the office tower, and we continue to invest in the short term occupation of the building with a number of sustainability initiatives."
The planning application, submitted by GW Planning on behalf of the owners, is currently undergoing public consultation and local views on the proposals are welcomed.
Source: Henderson
