Rockspring has received planning permission to build Birmingham’s tallest office tower at 103 Colmore Row with development partner Sterling Property Ventures.
Birmingham city council has given Rockspring the go-ahead to demolish the 22-storey, 1970s-built NatWest Tower, which has been unoccupied since 2003, and replace it with a £60m 26-storey landmark building.
At 346ft high and with the apex to stand 807ft above sea level, the new tower will be the tallest office building under construction in the UK outside London.
Designed by Doone Silver Architects, an international practice with a strong track record in designing award-winning skyscrapers, it will comprise 200,000 sq ft of grade-A office space over 19 floors with floorplates of up to 12,000 sq ft.
At street level, plans include a winter garden, a café facing Colmore Row and a retail unit fronting Newhall Street. At the top of the building there is provision for an 8,600 sq ft restaurant with a 3,250 sq ft ‘lantern’ space offering 360-degree views of the city.
Eric Linden, european director at Rockspring, said: “We have been encouraged by the support for our plans for this landmark development from the people of Birmingham and potential occupiers, as well as from the council and other stakeholders.”
Peter Graham, construction director at Sterling, said: “We are very pleased that Birmingham city council has acknowledged our unwavering commitment to this project and this great city. It means we can now move this project off the drawing board and on to site, replacing an outdated, inefficient building with a modern, landmark office development.”
