The spirit of collaboration
By Rob Groves, Regional Director, Argent LLP
The ethos behind Paradise has always been about bringing forward a long term best of place city scape for Birmingham and the region.
Our early commercial success has meant that our first building, One Chamberlain Square, is fully let to PwC, and global law firm DLA Piper has taken the top two floors of our second building, Two Chamberlain Square, which we are confident will be the focus of further occupier announcements in the coming months.
A number of new restaurants are also set to open at Paradise and as we move ever closer to the completion of our first phase, we are pushing on with plans for the next two phases with another 6-8 buildings in the pipeline.
In fact, groundworks are already well underway on One Centenary Way, a uniquely designed new commercial building facing Centenary Square, and we are also busy preparing a planning application for a new residential building at the northern apex of our site, fronting Summer Row.
The current situation we all find ourselves in has given us the opportunity to pause and reassess our masterplan as well as work more smartly and safely to bring activity back to the site. And that has enabled us to continue work on our landmark public realm, namely Chamberlain Square and Congreve Street.
The sheer complexity of a large, £700 million mixed-use scheme means its success relies on a wide network of individuals, companies, organisations and the public to make it all come together. The ownership and management of the site is unique – so for us, partnership working is not just a nice aspiration, it is the only way we can work and progress.
Architects, designers, engineers, construction contractors, stonemasons, electricians, carpenters. Argent, Birmingham City Council, the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) and funders, to mention just a few.
None of this would be happening without the total commitment of everyone involved.
This project is one of the highest value public-private commercial joint ventures ever created in this country. And our remit is clear – create jobs and build a new destination for Birmingham, one that every Brummie will be proud of.
We take this remit very seriously. Our location in the heart of the city, alongside the finest collection of civic buildings in the country, factors into all our plans for everything that we do.
Which is why it’s taken a long time to get to this point. But as momentum continues around us and Birmingham itself stays a sound long-term destination for local, national and international investment, our resolve to work together with others remains crystal clear. Because it is only by working together that any project – big or small – can be brought to fruition.