Hammerson has proposed a major office and residential regeneration for Birmingham’s long-awaited Martineau Galleries development.
It will seek to deliver around 2.75m sq ft of mixed-used floorspace, with provision for 1.4m sq ft of offices, 1,300 apartments and a 400-bedroom hotel. The EIA includes plans for 300,000 sq ft of retail and leisure floorspace.
Plans propose four to seven buildings of up to 50 storeys in height on the 6.5-acre site. This would include the tallest building in the city.
Currently, the tallest tower approved by Birmingham City Council is Moda Living’s 42-storey BTR scheme the Mercian on Broad Street. However, Court Collaborations is working up plans for a 51-storey BTR scheme at One Eastside, next to the HS2 Curzon Street station.
The retail REIT lodged an Environmental Impact Assessment with the council last month for demolition of all buildings and major redevelopment, 20 years after it launched the redevelopment.
The city centre brownfield site is one of Birmingham’s largest strategic developments, located on the edge of the CBD on Corporation Street, opposite Moor Street station and minutes from the upcoming HS2 hub at Curzon Street.
It will also benefit from the extension of the tram line through the city centre up to Snow Hill station, expected in 2021.
The retail REIT is the sole owner of the scheme, which was previously earmarked for predominantly retail uses.
In 2001, Hammerson, Landsec and Phoenix Group Holdings developed the first phase of the site at Martineau Place, which was subsequently sold. Phase two plans approved in 2006 – proposing a 2.86m sq ft development with 915,000 sq ft dedicated to retail – never took off, and in 2015 Hammerson bought out partners Landsec and Pearl Group.
Last year, Hammerson’s director of retail development, Robin Dobson, said the REIT was working up a masterplan for the site, with a planning application to follow.
Dobson said: “The scheme is part of our City Quarters concept, which looks at evolving our venues and landbank beyond pure retail to deliver residential, workspace, cultural and leisure uses, all of which enhance the offer in major cities such as Birmingham.”
The EIA can be viewed at the Birmingham City Council planning portal (application number 2019/03575/PA).
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