The Birmingham Alliance has announced that Birmingham City Council planners have resolved to grant planning consent for Martineau Galleries, signalling a green light for the next phase of regeneration of the city center.
Outline plans were submitted three months ago, in December 2005, further to consultation with a range of stakeholders. Todays decision is a vote of confidence from the City Council, enabling the plans to go forward to the next stage which will involve referral to the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM), to gain their support for the proposals.
Martineau Galleries is the name given to a 5.5 hectare site between Corporation Street, Masshouse, High Street, Moor Street Queensway and the Priory Queensway, with up to 266,000 sq.m. of mixed use space.
The £500 million scheme will include a mix of offices, residential, leisure space and up to 85,000 sq.m. of retail together with underground car parking. It will be landscaped to include airy, open streets and squares and benefit from public spaces and public art.
Bob De Barr, development director for the Birmingham Alliance, said, This is a really significant moment for the city. Martineau Galleries will be a critical piece in the jigsaw, linking the existing retail core, through to Eastside. We are thrilled at this resolution and, if all goes well over the next few months, look forward to developing our plans in detail.
Councillor Ken Hardeman, Cabinet member for Regeneration, said, Its superb to see this enormously significant project move forward. The City Council has been working hard with its partners for some years to bring about the quality and scale of regeneration that Eastside deserves. This decision will help attract new jobs and further investment and ultimately reinforce Birminghams position as a truly world class city. I look forward to seeing more detailed plans in the near future.
Following the period of referral to GOWM, the Birmingham Alliance will develop plans for Martineau Galleries and establish timescales for the project. However, redevelopment is not anticipated on site until 2008 at the earliest.
Source: Land Securities
