The Story of Paradise: Ten Years in the Making

Paradise is more than just a collection of new buildings in the heart of Birmingham, it’s about creating a whole new part of the city that delivers for everyone while also improving the city’s reputation.

The transformation of the site over the past decade from the former Central Library and associated buildings around it like Fletcher’s Walk and the Conservatoire has been pivotal to the city’s renaissance.

With the former Paradise Circus Queensway now long gone, new transport nodes have taken the place of roads with a dedicated Metro stop at the Town Hall bringing quick and easy access to New Street station and connections further afield, as well as new pedestrian connectivity across the city centre, both north-south as well as east-west.

As well as 4,981 new jobs created so far and 370 new homes, new public realm and 840,000 sq ft of new commercial space, Paradise has also generated £180 million of added social and economic value across local communities, with more to come.

With £171 million spend in the local supply chain alone, this highlights the impact Paradise is having on the economy of the region and becoming an agent for change in its own right by attracting further private sector investment on top of the £1.2 billion in the estate itself.

It is also improving a crucial part of the city centre, with Paradise creating new places for locals and visitors to spend time in as a community, with events, restaurants and cafés spilling out onto the public space all year round.

The estate has also brought an improved setting to the city’s world-class collection of Classical and Victorian civic buildings while adding life to the spaces around them.

But the history of how Paradise got to this point, starting with a site that was not working, to a collection of new buildings, new streets and squares after a decade of hard work and how the masterplan has been so vividly brought to life, is testament to the individuals and companies behind it.

We spoke to Ross Fittall and Rob Groves of Federated Hermes MEPC along with masterplanning architect Dav Bansal of Howells and Selena Ohlsson and Chris Taylor of Federated Hermes for a deep dive into what makes Paradise tick, its successes and challenges, why it matters and how it will remain a vital part of the city for years to come.