9 years since work began/looking ahead…
Creating Paradise
By Ross Fittall
This week marks nine years since we embarked on the creation of a whole new piece of the city and Birmingham’s premier commercial destination.
After several years of planning and lots of hard work going on behind the scenes, construction work swiftly got underway on 14th December 2015 with the demolition of the existing buildings on the site in order to make way for what we can see today – a renewed Chamberlain Square along with five commercial buildings, four of which are office-led, plus the world-first residential tower, the 49 storey, 155 metre tall Octagon.
And while this process is still underway, Paradise has already come a long way to fulfilling its potential as not just a new piece of Birmingham, but as an important engine for growth within the city centre’s Enterprise Zone.
Paradise signifies a £1.2 billion investment that is already creating new jobs, new homes and new connections while promoting new skills and opportunities for the people of Birmingham and the wider region.
When complete, there will be two further new public squares – Ratcliff Square and Congreve Square – as well as three further buildings which include a new 198 bed hotel on Paradise Street plus two major office-led commercial buildings on the northern part of the site.
Many contractors and partners have worked on the design and delivery of the estate’s individual buildings, with thousands of people working on their construction. This process in itself has created further employment and promoted new skills throughout the region.
This means we’ve already achieved several milestones with our first five buildings, and there’s plenty more highlights to come as we look to move forward with ambitious plans for Phase Three – watch this space.
Above all else, Paradise is about people, whether they work or live here, visit or simply pass through, and the estate is dedicated to evolving around them.
With a wide range of public and staff only events, offers and attractions, the estate continues its primary role of creating new connections, jobs and places for the city and playing its part in being a good neighbour and an active contributor to Birmingham’s economic, social and cultural life.
The new year will bring further activity as the estate reaches another stage of its remarkable development journey and this time next year we will be marking a whole decade of progress and delivery.