We knew Birmingham was on the cusp of big change when we finally got a decent train station.
Yes, when Grand Central in 2015 transformed our embarrassing old New Street station into somewhere visitors wouldn’t mind spending more than ten minutes, we knew things were getting better.
And they certainly have. Since then, we’ve welcomed the new Midland Metro tram extension – the tramline from Wolverhampton to Birmingham now extends to Centenary Square.
The second phase, which will see tram services extend to the new terminus at 54 Hagley Road via Brindleyplace and Five Ways, is due to be finished by 2021.
Other projects that have been taking place around the city over the last few years include the £10 million revamp of Birmingham’s largest public space, Centenary Square.
In 2017 we welcomed the £30 million redevelopment of 55 Colmore Row – one of the city’s most historic office buildings. Its Grade II listed Victorian terrace facade houses over 160,000 sq ft of grade A office as well as high profile eateries Fazenda and Gaucho.
Our renowned restaurant scene is better than ever – but let’s not forget Brum is leading the way digitally too – in the country’s 5G network and ultrafast broadband rollout.
The West Midlands is the UK’s first large-scale 5G ‘test bed’ – paving the way for the roll-out of the high-speed network across the country.
And with HS2 due for completion in 2031 – making London only 49 minutes away – Brum is catching a lot of investors’ eyes.
Neil Rami, chief executive of West Midlands Growth Company, told BirminghamLive: “Birmingham has clearly demonstrated its importance to the UK’s economy by continually delivering strong results in visitor and business attraction.
“The city and wider region’s strong performance in attracting foreign investment and securing record levels of development is testament to its economic resilience and growing reputation as an investment hotspot.”
More long-term spectacular plans include the £110m transformation of Birmingham’s landmark House of Fraser building.
The scheme which was approved in December, will see most of the upper floors of the department store converted into office space with space available on the first floor and basement – for bars and restaurants.
Council bosses are also considering plans for a swanky rooftop terrace for the building.
Meanwhile workman are currently busy building the 26-storey 103 Colmore Row tower.
Once completed, it will become the tallest commercial building in Birmingham and tallest new office building outside London.
We will finally have the city skyline to match the most impressive international cities.
Make no mistake, the landscape of Birmingham will continue to evolve before our eyes.
We raise a toast to all the wonderful projects happening in our city that will ensure that Birmingham become the most amazing city in the world.
The future in Brum is bright. And these are our ten reasons why:
1. Eastside Locks, Digbeth Canal
After years of neglect, the Eastside area of Birmingham is finally rising from the ashes.
Eastside Locks is a £450 million canalside regeneration scheme, billed as the most “exciting and important city centre regeneration scheme in Europe”.
It includes significant improvements to the public realm and canalside environment – described as “inviting courtyard spaces offer intimate and calm retreats from the busy streets”.
The 13-acre site will be transformed into apartments, a 175-room hotel, shops, bars and restaurants – as well as the re-opening of the old Typhoo building.
In July 2019, plans for nearly 20,000 sq ft of commercial space for shops, bars and cafes and striking white 37-storey tower were approved by Birmingham City Council.
Developer St Joseph, a subsidiary of Berkeley Group, said it is investing heavily in the ‘public realm’ of the site.
Luke Schuberth, director at international architect group Aukett Swanke, which has worked on the project, previously told us the plan was inspired by the public spaces in Barcelona and in particular gardens in the city called Jardins del Palau Robert – serving as a blueprint on how to “transform a central urban environment into a tranquil oasis”.
2. Birmingham Smithfield
Did you know the area around Bullring markets was first known as Smithfield markets back in 1935?
The landscape of Birmingham will be helped along by the £1.5 million Smithfield project – regenerating the south of the city centre. It’s been described as bringing “food, culture and community together”.
The Birmingham Wholesale Markets have already moved to make way for the much-anticipated project. At 42 acres, the site is twice as big as Brindleyplace.
Work is expected to start in 2022.
The council’s 2016 Smithfield Masterplan described how the focal point would be Festival Square – ‘to rival the best Europe has to offer’.
Festival Square will look out to a museum, culture centres, markets, a hotel, leisure opportunities such as an ice rink and other family attractions.
The masterplan also outlined that it would also house major concerts.
Speaking in July this year, Richard Cowell, assistant director of development for the council said Smithfield would be “delivering homes, jobs, creating a new destination, a new civic park space in the square, new neighbourhood community facilities, a significant investment in green infrastructure as well as transport connectivity…”.
3. A late night foodie village
We already have legendary street food event Digbeth Dining Club and our cool foodie credentials are going to expand even more, thanks to Smithfield! Part of the Smithfield Masterplan is that the old Bullring Market will be transformed into a 24-hour foodie hangout.
The market could turn into a food hub in the evening similar to Brixton Village in London which transformed the old Brixton markets into a trendy area of Brixton eateries.
It also sounds very similar to the world famous Mercado da Ribeira market in Lisbon, which has a wide range of foodie options from fine dining to burgers all under one roof.
It is anticipated that a formal planning application for Smithfield will be submitted in 2021.
4. Birmingham could have its own Central Park – and Spanish Steps
Birmingham is a surprisingly leafy city with 571 parks – from Cannon Hill to Sutton via Handsworth – covering almost 9,000 acres, more than any other European city.
Over the last four years, more than 10,000 people signed an online poll calling for “a green oasis in the heart of the city” – Birmingham’s own New York style ‘Central Park’.
Earlier this year Peter Culley, an architect from the Spatial Affairs Bureau, backed the campaign.
He claimed the park called Birmingham Markets Park, would provide ‘one of the most iconic views of Birmingham’ and demonstrated how it could lead up to Selfridges and the church of St. Martin in the Bull Ring via the city’s own version of Rome’s Spanish Steps.
5. Welcome to Brummiewood
Birmingham is already a pretty hot film location.
In recent years, blockbuster movies filmed here include Kingsman: The Golden Circle with Channing Tatum and Ready Player One directed by the most famous director in the world Steven Spielberg.
And it is set to get even better.
Peaky Blinders writer and director Steven Knight says they are “nearly there” with plans to open a film and television studio in the Digbeth area.
The Brummie, who was made a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours, is set to transform 34-40 acres of land in and around Digbeth into a brand new £500m media village.
In an interview with BirminghamLive, he said: “We are hoping there will be an announcement in the New Year so that finally we have something tangible.
“We are working with lots of different people, from Birmingham City Council to the Mayor (Andy Street)… people who are trying to make something happen.
“We are hoping it will have a big impact on the future of the city and for the television and film industry here.”
The opportunity to open in Brum’s creative centre has taken over from original plans to open close to the NEC and Birmingham Airport – which Steven told us might still follow.
He first mooted his plans of a studio back in 2016 – revealing how some executives from Paramount had visited the potential site near the NEC earmarked for the development.
6. This will officially be known as Paradise City
Billed as “the most significant development Birmingham has seen for a generation” and a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to boost the city’s standing internationally”, the Paradise development should be the glittering jewel in Birmingham’s crown.
The £700million scheme, which is being completed in phases, is at the core of the city’s wider long-term regeneration. Once completed, it will be an entirely new urban neighbourhood attracting millions of visitors every year.
There will be three brand new squares and an upgrading of Chamberlain Square – delivering a mix of offices, shops, cafes and leisure facilities.
Centenary Way will connect Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square while Congreve Street will widen the existing Congreve Passage and provide a new thoroughfare to Summer Row and the Jewellery Quarter. These changes will ensure our city centre feels a lot bigger than it does right now.
A Paradise spokeswoman said: “Fast forward to 2026 and Paradise will be a well-established destination in the city. A cluster of buildings will be complete including a new four star 250 bedroom hotel and the three public squares – Chamberlain, Ratcliff and Congreve will have been delivered.
“The Copthorne and 77 Paradise Circus buildings will have been demolished to make way for Phase Three of Paradise which will bring the final four buildings to completion. “
The old Paradise Place hid the city’s most prized crown jewels – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham Council House, Chamberlain Memorial and The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
But the new walkway ensures Brummies can appreciate the historic buildings and “socialise in one of the best retail offerings in the city,” according to Argent, which is managing the Paradise development.
In a recent post on the Paradise blog, architect Dav Bansal, director at Glenn Howells Architects, said: “We acknowledge that Paradise needs to be viable and deliverable in several phases, yet also transform the setting of its heritage into a world-class destination that can be enjoyed by the people of the city and its visitors. ”
The entire project is slated for completion by 2029.
7. There will be LOADS more bars and restaurants
Right now our restaurant scene is quite frankly incredible. We have five Michelin-starred restaurants, including our latest Aktar Islam’s Opheem on Summer Row.
We also have 40 St Paul’s, named the best place in the world for for gin in 2019!
The food and drink scene is set to become even more exciting in 2020!
MasterChef: The Professionals winner Stu Deeley is set to open his much anticipated new Jewellery Quarter restaurant.
The 28-year-old Brummie who won the competition with his unique and intriguing dishes – inspired by the multi-cultural flavours of his home city – will open his own eatery by early spring.
We’ll also be welcoming celebrated London restaurant brands Dishoom and Vinoteca at one and two Chamberlain Square.
And over at 103 Colmore Row, we’ll be welcoming a sexy new rooftop bar and eatery.
At 26-storeys high, the NatWest Tower replacement will open in May 2021.
8. We will have a world class Grand Hotel again
Colmore Row is pretty much resembling a street in London’s Marylebone thanks to the restoration of The Grand hotel façade. And inside, the hotel has been undergoing dramatic renovations.
Some fabulous places have already opened inside The Grand development – including the stunning Tattu restaurant.
But The Grand Hotel itself will be the most fabulous of them all – when it’s finally ready. Sources suggest the hotel is looking at a 2021 opening date.
The building, designed in French renaissance style, closed in 2002 but the project to restore and modernise the former hotel is nearly coming to an end.
It was built in 1879 and hosted the creme de la creme of society from the UK and all over the world. Human rights activist Malcolm X gave his last speech in England here in 1965.
Owner Hortons Estate revealed it had gone into partnership with Principal Hotel Company to run the hotel once it is completed.
The 185-bedroom hotel has lucrative backing from Paris-based Foncière des Régions.
We can’t wait for the restoration of the ornate Grosvenor Room and grand staircase. In total, £45 million will be spent on bringing The Grand back to grand life.
And The Grand won’t be the only high-profile new hotel in the city centre.
As well as the hotel at Paradise, directly opposite The Grand, on the other side of Pigeon Park, there will be another glamorous new hotel.
43 Temple Row, currently occupied by Lloyds, is set to be turned into a 200-bedroom hotel.
The plans were approved by council bosses on December 19 as part of a scheme to transform the neighbouring House of Fraser building.
9. Brum is hosting Commonwealth Games in 2022
Remember the buzz Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt created when he bigged up Brum after training here in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics? Well, imagine the global buzz after we host a major international sport event.
Our destiny in becoming a truly world-beating city was sealed when it was announced Birmingham would be the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games – boosting the West Midlands economy by £750 MILLION.
We beat off a strong challenge from Liverpool to get it.
This would leave the stadium well placed to become the home of UK athletics – hosting all the major national and international competitions – after the Games.
A massive Games village to be built in Perry Barr – 1,072 new properties – flats and maisonettes, will be built alongside 79 houses and 268 extra care apartments.
Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward previously spoke about “the most transformative legacy” of the games.
He said: “The regeneration of Perry Barr will be the most tangible and transformative legacy we achieve as a result of hosting the games, bringing investment and regeneration to area that has long been crying out for it.”
After the Games, the properties will be turned into homes for Brummies.
The plans also include a retirement village and a community centre.
The ‘capital projects’ for the Games also include the construction of the Aquatics Centre on Londonderry Fields in Smethwick.
The state-of-the-art facility, will feature an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a 25-metre diving pool and 1,000 spectator seats.
After the Games it will become a leisure centre.
The event is our city’s chance to shine and showcase Brum to a global audience.
10. We will be ‘The Midlands Gateway to the World’
Transport wise, things are getting better too! In January 2020, The Midland Metro Alliance, working on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority, will begin work for phase two of the Birmingham Westside Metro extension between Centenary Square and Hagley Road.
By 2031, Birmingham will be better connected than ever to other parts of the country thanks to the HS2 high speed network – which means London will only be 49 minutes away.
HS2 also shifts the transport links to the whole of the UK in favour of Birmingham, with journey times to cities including Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow significantly reduced.
Another tram extension currently planned will go through Solihull and terminate at the HS2 Interchange station – so you will be able to get to the airport, NEC and Genting Arena on the West Midlands Metro tram!
And we’ll be better connected to the rest of the world too.
In November 2018, Birmingham Airport launched its new masterplan – entitled ‘The Midlands Gateway to the World’
This includes £500 million investment in the transport hub over the next 15 years which aims to increase capacity by five million passengers a year.
Birmingham Airport will have massively increased the number of international cities it can fly direct to, which includes cities like LA.
Brum will become an impressive destination city for visitors from far flung corners of the globe. And thanks to HS2, improved and faster transport links means more business investment which will establish the city as the true beating heart of the country.
Source – Birmingham Mail
