Five years later

By Rob Groves, Regional Director with Argent LLP

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the official start on site for Paradise in 2015. Back then the site was still home to the old Central Library and Paradise Forum, Birmingham Conservatoire, Adrian Boult Hall and Fletchers Walk. The Paradise masterplan had already spent several years in the planning process and we were finally ready to put shovels in the ground.

Our first actions were to re-route Paradise Circus Queensway, re-shape Summer Row and contribute to the new tram extension. These early infrastructure improvements, in conjunction with the city council and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, then led to the demolition of the Central Library and the construction of our first two buildings, One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square. These commercial buildings now proudly overlook Chamberlain Square itself.

But we’re not going to stop there. We’re currently working on three further buildings – One Centenary Way, which is already underway, the world-first Octagon residential tower, and Three Chamberlain Square. We’ll then bring forward a new hotel on the corner of Paradise Street and four more new buildings on the northern part of the site in addition to a new public square.

We’ve come a long way, and not just in the progress we’ve made with Paradise itself. Thanks to the work going on here, the city was able to finish its showpiece £189 million Library of Birmingham on Centenary Square and the Conservatoire moved to a brand new, state of the art building as part of the wider BCU campus at Eastside – the first purpose built music school in the UK for the digital age.

The connections between Paradise and wider city development cannot be underestimated. As well as bringing new jobs, skills and investment to Birmingham, Paradise itself is also recreating lost street patterns, new pedestrian access and public squares for the city, its people and visitors to enjoy.

Back in 2015 all of this work, which everyone can now begin to see and appreciate, was still just a plan on paper. But we’ve always been determined to bring the very best development to the city. That means world class buildings, design and architecture. Public realm that chimes with the times. New bars, restaurants and cafes, many of which will be firsts for the city, that create a positive atmosphere around the clock.

Ultimately, we are re-invigorating the civic heart of Birmingham and providing a stunning new backdrop for Britain’s finest collection of Classical and Victorian civic architecture in the shape of the Town Hall, Council House and Museum & Art Gallery. By bringing people back into contact with this part of the city, we are opening up both north-south and east-west connections and vistas across Birmingham.

We hope the quality of what is already in place demonstrates the breadth of the city’s vision around Paradise and our ability to deliver the quality buildings and urban space we all want to see around us in our day to day lives. This year alone we have seen major occupier investments announced from the likes of PwC, DLA Piper, Knights and Mazars as well as restaurants like Dishoom and Vinoteca.

We’ve made a fantastic start, but there’s still a lot more to come. Watch this space!