BT’s offices in Birmingham will be redeveloped as a £25m hotel when the communications giant moves into new premises at Argent’s Bridleyplace scheme this summer.
Argent and operator Chamberlain have applied for planning consent to convert the 16,443 sq m (177,000 sq ft) block on the corner of Broad Street and Berkley Street into a 441 bedroom hotel – the largest in the city centre. Birmingham Council is recommending that the scheme gets the go-ahead at today’s planning meeting. The development is scheduled to be complete by June 1998.
BT premises in Newcastle upon Tyne and Cardiff are also being converted into hotels, underlining the strength of the sector. The properties are being vacated as part of the company’s Workstyle 2000 programme.
Argent acquired the long lease on the Birmingham block as part of the deal in which BT signed up for 11,148 sq m (120,000 sq ft) of new offices at Brindleyplace. The company will move in with 1,200 staff in June.
Richard Ellis is advising Riverdale, the development arm of Chamberlain, while Grimley are representing Argent.
EGi News 09/01/97
