Thanks for the vote of confidence

By Charles Toogood, Senior Director, GVA

The fact PwC has decided to take the whole of the first office building at Paradise, One Chamberlain Square, is a great news story.

But not just for those involved in promoting the office space. For PwC themselves, the announcement they are taking enough room to eventually house 2,400 people means their Birmingham office will be able to expand from its current headcount of 1,400.

Taking the whole 150,000 square foot of office space at the building is a major commitment by anyone’s standards.

So this is not just a big vote of confidence by PwC in their own business and the professional services sector in particular, but in Paradise, the city and region too.

Despite Brexit and the uncertainty it has created, and despite some rather flat economic figures nationally, Birmingham and the West Midlands is more than playing its part in responding to those challenges and leading the way with development activity, up-skilling and job creation.

We are increasingly seen as being in the vanguard of city regions. Thanks to huge investment in infrastructure and the provision of class-leading office space throughout the city centre we are seeing a real lift in interest and take-up.

There’s been some big moves in the city centre recently with the news of HSBC and HMRC moving thousands of jobs to the Arena Central development on Broad Street, and the PwC decision fits in with this trend. Big national and international companies are expanding or bringing their bases to Birmingham and helping the region’s economy grow.

Last week One Chamberlain Square topped out. As the wintry sun shone down on us, more than a hundred people perched on the roof of the building to mark the occasion. As well as the property agents like myself,  Mayor Andy Street, the Argent team, Carillion team, PwC team, City Council team and others crowded round to watch the very final piece of concrete poured to mark the completion of the external construction phase.

Next, the tower cranes will depart One Chamberlain Square and attention will move to the internal fit-out. It will then be another eighteen months before the building is finally ready for PwC’s occupation. In the meantime, work on Two Chamberlain Square where new tower cranes will appear in the New Year, will soon progress towards another set of Paradise milestones.