Work starts on Morrisons scheme at Five Ways

Morrisons, Five Ways

CONSTRUCTION work is underway to develop a new 50,000 sq ft Morrisons store at Five Ways, Birmingham, which is due to open before Christmas.

The scheme will include three levels of car parking providing 330 spaces. It will also include five additional retail units for let and office accommodation.

Morrisons has commenced the works following the acquisition of the site from Calthorpe Estates, planning permission having been granted by Birmingham City Council in March last year.

The store will be one of the supermarket group’s flagship stores.

David Darbyshire, project manager for Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Stores, said: “Five Ways is at the gateway of one of Birmingham City Centre’s main arterial commuter routes and close to Harborne, Edgbaston and city centre homes and businesses. It is an ideal location to position one of our new format stores.”

Birmingham-based architect Davis Weatherill Partnership has designed the store.
Stephen Davis, partner at Davis Weatherill, said: “The old Edgbaston Shopping Centre reached the end of its useful life and this new development will be an attractive shopping destination ideally located for commuters and people living and working in the area.”

ISG, the appointed contractor, will employ more than 300 construction workers to build the supermarket.

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westm...-_Daily_E-mail

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFZ8PIWyv24/Tw37-0cvkmI/AAAAAAAAKE8/P6Xadu1ZUqs/s1600/Morrisons%252520Day%252520Time%252520CGI_opt1.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zm9JaNSlkwA/Tw37-e4dbeI/AAAAAAAAKEw/wS0QQ1led1E/s1600/Morrisons%252520Night%252520Time%252520CGI_opt1.jpg

London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, Dubai, Sydney ... eat your heart out!!

Truly shocking!

the faact that everyone publicly involved in the project are so chuffed!!!! grrrrr!

I have no problem of the store as it's only a Morissons!

Just peeved it was such a great opportunity for something terrific and they blew it.

Big City Plan was made a mockery when they let this prime development space house "this".

no no i agree... as a store goes its fine... but its nothing special... its a supermarket... so will the developers/architects stop banging on how this is an amazing scheme for this prominant gateway site... it clearly isnt!

Letting brochure online for the other shop units here.

http://www.shopproperty.co.uk/Pdf/40006194924MLJC.pdf?id=8c3148238190497882db8a8ea354ef68

This really is a truly shocking effort. I really can't see it ageing well at all...in fact the renders already make it look out of date. It does nothing to enhance the area & it doesn't relate well to a singe building that surrounds the site & the green section in the renders just looks cheap & nauseating.

I've also just noticed in the first picture that there is a pedestrian crossing accross Hagley Road. Is this part of the application or just wishful thinking on the developers part? I know Brum is getting rid of its subways but I really can't see a crossing being installed here...

come on now, where is the usual birmingham "better than an empty site for years" attitude!:|

^^ haha!

But yeah I whole heartedly agree with f&n. This development truly is a disaster for the area.. You might as well have stuck pink and blue strip neons on all corners of the Marriot and a laser light show to top it all off. No cohesion between this and the Marriott at all. At the very least they could have changed the cladding materials and got rid of that great green blob. Such a blot.

This is absolutely criminal. Whichever gobshite allowed this to go ahead should be hanged in victoria square, and I really mean that.

You know what the worse thing is, half of the site just just car park, which means they could have easily had the store, with an underground car park, and build at least a 10 storey office block next door, there would have been more than enough space.

They should just turn the area into a park until a worthy scheme comes along in better times.

i just find it heartbreaking that as a consequence of a recession, the developer has now sterilised this prime gateway site for the next 20-30 years...

When did this go to planning? I hope they got an amazing S106.

Is this on Calthorpe Estates land?

i just find it heartbreaking that as a consequence of a recession, the developer has now sterilised this prime gateway site for the next 20-30 years...

I can't agree more. It's such a shame they didn't consider the original Edgbaston Galleries a bit more when they were coming up with the plans for this. The 2 ideas could have married together well with underground parking, supermarket above & then easily enough room for a Marriott extension as well as office space & a residential section, all packaged into one nice shiny new building.

I don't know what the current developers were smoking when they decided that this design is a landmark gateway building but I wouldn't mind giving it a go. The world seems to be a very pretty place when you're that deluded... :ohno:

When did this go to planning? I hope they got an amazing S106.

Is this on Calthorpe Estates land?

This went in a while ago but has had various amendments to the design and the planning conditions. And yeah it's Calthorpe Estates' land.

Its not thaaaat bad.

LMAO!!!

I think you all need to get over this. It's desolate waste ground and now something is being constructed. If we are struggling to find investors, tenants, etc. to back schemes in our CBD (Snow Hill), what are the chances of a serious office or residential development here?

I am not a negative person, i never really moan, but i have to make an exception here,,..

It is a disgrace......what a great opportunity for an amazing gateway into Bham, but now they build a supermarket. If Brum wants to ever make progress and be taken seriously, then things like this would not happen!

The Marriot is supposed to be the best hotel in Brum, and you will look out and see the roof of a big Morrisons. That would never happen in London....

and before any of you come on here and say "there isnt any funding to build big scyscraper developments", i know that, but i am just voicing my disgust. Whoever gave this planning permission needs to be taken by their collar and shaken.....big city plan my arse.

goodnight

Who's to say that this development will not spark more economic activity in the area? It's hardly buzzing with life at the moment. More footfall in the area could lead way to other developments...

But this is such a key site for the area with vast amounts of potential. You just have to look at Calthorpe House and Five Ways Shopping Centre to see what can be done in the area right now. They are successful schemes already, despite the downturn.

This has the potential to be so much more. Fine, if the residential market is right yet then they don't need to build residential just yet. A phased development would have been just fine but instead, the developers have just decided to develop the entire site into a supermarket that falls well below the stature of the area. The potential here to really kick off some sort of revival around Five Ways has been well and truly thrown out the window for at least 30-40 years.

I would much rather see a large wasteground site for another 4 years if it means that a genuine, high quality scheme is built, rather than these get-cash-quick projects.

But this is such a key site for the area with vast amounts of potential. You just have to look at Calthorpe House and Five Ways Shopping Centre to see what can be done in the area right now. They are successful schemes already, despite the downturn.

This has the potential to be so much more. Fine, if the residential market is right yet then they don't need to build residential just yet. A phased development would have been just fine but instead, the developers have just decided to develop the entire site into a supermarket that falls well below the stature of the area. The potential here to really kick off some sort of revival around Five Ways has been well and truly thrown out the window for at least 30-40 years.

I would much rather see a large wasteground site for another 4 years if it means that a genuine, high quality scheme is built, rather than these get-cash-quick projects.

totally agree, especially when you compare it with what you could have won...

http://www.building.co.uk/Pictures/web/b/j/w/HAGLEYUP.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/572EdgbastonShoppingCentreRedevelopment(Phase2)_pic3.jpg

it truly is heatbreaking seeing these images now.

As I see it, this could now have knock on effect on other things too as without the residential and office density there along with the shopping/supermarket element, it significantly reduces the business case for sending trams down Broad Street to terminate here.

But seriously, a high quality scheme? Where is that coming from?

And the above images are just artist impressions produced to increase the value of a stretch of land. They're meaningless and probably unsustainable.

Maybe I just do not get it. What about this space has such potential? I can see the potential with paradise circus. That is a desirable plot, in the city centre. This is a wedge of land, next to a major road.

And who knows, when the markets do pick up, this could increase the area's potential as a inner city residential area.

Well if you visit the area you'll be able to see that surrounding it are numerous large office blocks, most of which have had substantial investment in them in recent years. Five Ways and Hagley Road in itself is not an area in decline and recent applications show that even in a downturn, private sector interest here is still moving. Not only is it a key site in the Five Ways market but it's a gateway site into the city centre. Gateway sites call for major projects, not a tacky green supermarket.

And your claim that those renders and Edgbaston Galleries scheme was merely to boost the value of the land just doesn't stand up as Calthorpe Estates just aren't in the business of buying up land and selling it off at a higher value. And even if they were, they had plenty of time from proposing the Edgbaston Galleries scheme to proposing this supermarket to actually dispose of it (something like 4 years?).

My argument is still valid. If there was really potential in this site, then we would see movement. You've further proved my point. If offices are there in vast numbers already and have been recently modified, I'm not sure another would get off the ground. It is simple supply and demand.

I live in New Zealand, so I am unable to visit the area. I can, however, use Google maps. Though it may be a bit out of date, I'm still unimpressed. I'm not quite sure what is so remarkable about the area. Just because it leads to Birmingham, doesn't mean it automatically deserves a grand scheme. There clearly is not a market for it. It would be under construction if there was.

How many "gateway" schemes in Birmingham have lived up to their hype? That phrase seems to be thrown around a lot, but how many success stories are there in Birmingham? I'm genuinely interested. I emigrated from the UK nearly six years ago now and would love to know.

Personally, I do not think this scheme is the best thing to happen to the area. I just do not see why everyone is so angry. With schemes failing to gain momentum in the CBD, why would anything here work?

My argument is still valid. If there was really potential in this site, then we would see movement. You've further proved my point. If offices are there in vast numbers already and have been recently modified, I'm not sure another would get off the ground. It is simple supply and demand.

I live in New Zealand, so I am unable to visit the area. I can, however, use Google maps. Though it may be a bit out of date, I'm still unimpressed. I'm not quite sure what is so remarkable about the area. Just because it leads to Birmingham, doesn't mean it automatically deserves a grand scheme. There clearly is not a market for it. It would be under construction if there was.

How many "gateway" schemes in Birmingham have lived up to their hype? That phrase seems to be thrown around a lot, but how many success stories are there in Birmingham? I'm genuinely interested. I emigrated from the UK nearly six years ago now and would love to know.

Personally, I do not think this scheme is the best thing to happen to the area. I just do not see why everyone is so angry. With schemes failing to gain momentum in the CBD, why would anything here work?

For a start there is a chronic shortage of grade A office space in Birmingham. Proposals which have been office space only have been coming on to the market and being proposed throughout the recession.

However the reason why many people are angry i feel is because this development in no way lends its self to any other use apart from income for the landowner/developer/supermarket. It does nothing for Birmigham, Edgbaston or the people of Birmingham apart from bring a small bit of competition to a competing Tesco near by.

I am not a negative person, i never really moan, but i have to make an exception here,,..

It is a disgrace......what a great opportunity for an amazing gateway into Bham, but now they build a supermarket. If Brum wants to ever make progress and be taken seriously, then things like this would not happen!

The Marriot is supposed to be the best hotel in Brum, and you will look out and see the roof of a big Morrisons. That would never happen in London....

and before any of you come on here and say "there isnt any funding to build big scyscraper developments", i know that, but i am just voicing my disgust. Whoever gave this planning permission needs to be taken by their collar and shaken.....big city plan my arse.

goodnight



Sorry but Birmingham is not London, we all know London is on a different planet.
Whilst the rest of the country cannot even manage to build office towers over 100m, London on the other hand is building one which is 300m.
Says it all really.

For a start there is a chronic shortage of grade A office space in Birmingham. Proposals which have been office space only have been coming on to the market and being proposed throughout the recession.

However the reason why many people are angry i feel is because this development in no way lends its self to any other use apart from income for the landowner/developer/supermarket. It does nothing for Birmigham, Edgbaston or the people of Birmingham apart from bring a small bit of competition to a competing Tesco near by.



Is it not creating much needed jobs for young people in Birmingham ?????

Is it not creating much needed jobs for young people in Birmingham ?????

indeed it is, an oversight, apologies. Although that said, a supermarket has little wealth creation compared to offices.

Is it not creating much needed jobs for young people in Birmingham ?????

I didn't get too design the supermarket...so no ;)

indeed it is, an oversight, apologies. Although that said, a supermarket has little wealth creation compared to offices.



I dont normally agree with LNGCats from Mancs but he does have a point that we are soooooo obsessed with "vanity" projects sometimes that we actually miss the point.

And yes i agree that it is certainly not the "best" of british design, however it will have a purpose and bring people to the area.

Take The Cube as another example, it is a "vanity" project with half of it empty??????????

Looks good from the outside (sometimes) but is this really the best alternative for a city like Birmingham, where most of the population could not even afford to go there anyway, it is a place for people who have a bit more money but does not serve the majority of the city.

It's not the creation of a supermarket on the site that most people have a problem with, rather the short term planning and lack of foresight to think that this site might be valuable in the future and might be better utilised - it is after all one of the three most concentrated areas of office space in the city, a city which is currently short of grade A. A lowrise supermarket, whilst potentially a useful addition in terms of what it offers, stops any chance of development of the site in a way which addresses it's location as a gateway - a supermarket could be located here in a far better way - for instance by providing commercial space above the store. Yes it might be uneconomical in the next two years or so, but that will not always be the case. It's typical of the short term culture that this country works around, rather than planning anything beyond a couple of years.

What did this site used to be? And how long has it been empty for just out of curiosity?

It could've been a whole lot worse .... we could've been welcoming an Aldi to this site ... no, even worse than that ... a Netto!!!

Is it not creating much needed jobs for young people in Birmingham ?????

Hmm, yes, shelf stacking. Just what our youngle people need - a career in shelfstacking

What did this site used to be? And how long has it been empty for just out of curiosity?

was an office block, there is a tread somewhere from just before the tower which stood there was knocked down. I believe it has been this way since the recession

Hmm, yes, shelf stacking. Just what our youngle people need - a career in shelfstacking



Mmmmmmmmm actually mate, some people who shelfstack, go on to be managers of these stores.
You may be lucky with whatever you do, some young people dont have any choice unless you wanna claim the dole for the rest of your life.

Yes but there's already a Tesco over the road for people to go & shelf stack to their hears content & as the rumoured plan is that Tesco will downsize the Five Ways store most of the jobs there will likely go directly to Morrisons, so the actual amount of job creation here is very low. And to suggest that this project will bring more people to the area is just absurd. Where will all these people suddenly appear from that will find a new Morrisons so much more of a shopping attraction than the existing Tesco? It will just shift the existing shoppers from one side of a roundabout to another. Hardly raking in the masses.......

And 15AVFC, the area is currently recieving a lot of intrest from developers. You only need to look at the Auchinleck House proposals and 1 Hagley Road proposals to see that this area really does have far more interest and potential than yet another supermarket that brings nothing new to the area, directly contradicts the councils own visions for the site and locks up one of the potentially most valuable sites on the fringes of Birmingham CBD for the next 30-40 years and at a time when Grade A office space is in its shortest supply for several years..... That is just a couple of the resasons why nobody is satisfied with these plans. That, and that even by supermarket standards this design is pig ugly and already 15 years out of date if the renders are anything to go by.

So does the Hagley road area currently offer grade A office space? I'm still not sure that sort of development should be encouraged here. With projects like Snowhill and Paradise Circus seeing some sort of movement, should there really be competition in areas away from the CBD? After all, the Snow Hill area is far from perfect.

I still do not think this is a greatly appropriate scheme for the area, but some people are being O.T.T. And like I said, It could spark other developments. Improving the the area's amenities could improve the area's prospects as an inner city residential area. You cannot rely on rumours. I doubt Tesco will leave the area. There is obviously enough of an economic platform to support both.

Brum X is right as well. Employment opportunities should never be looked down upon.

But this proposal in no way improves the area's amenities any more than what's already there! You don't need 2 supermarkets less than 200 meters apart, especially not if there's another new food store proposed as part of the Auchinleck House redevelopment. Having lived literally next door to the site of this for 3 years there simply isn't the demand in the area for 2 full sized supermarkets plus a metro-type store.

The big problem with saying that this will spark other developments is that in this area this site is by a very long way the biggest site up for re-development, so by its very nature it will do more to limit development of this area than encourage it. This site would offer far more in the way of employment oppertunities as well if it was properly developed. A combined hotel expansion/office space/resedential development that also includes a supermarket might take longer to attract clients & be a generally slower process but the job oppertunities created as an end result would be far greater than just plonking a supermarket down on the site. Creating job oppertunities is good, but not when its just a quick fix that actually seriously limits future job creation oppertunities.

And this part of Hagley Road has been largely office led for the last 40 years, offering increasing amounts of Grade A space. Why suddenly try and change it into something it's not? It would take a huge regeneration of this entire section of Hagley Road and parts of the surrounding area to turn this whole area into a largely resedential area. Just because there is redevelopment happening at Snow Hill and Paradise Circus doesn't mean that it shouldn't happen here. Why throw all your eggs into one basket? More than one area should be encouraged to develop at any one time, something that this project as it is massively fails to do.

Well you obviously have a greater knowledge of the area than myself. I'm not quite sure why town planners would allow two supermarkets to be located so closely. That is clearly irresponsible, as there is a potential for one to go bust; fall in to a state of disrepair; etc.

I said it could spark developments. I never said it will.

So are you saying that there is no other space for future developments in the area, should there be a serious interest?

I think having a clearly defined Grade A office district would be more beneficial to Birmingham. It would not be a case of "throwing our eggs into one basket" - more a case of developing one key area; with strong developments; architecture and companies. Look at how the Docklands scheme has helped to modernise London's image as a global centre for business. I'm not saying we could realistically aspire to that level of development in Birmingham, but a smaller scheme based on the model would greatly improve the city's image. And then who knows, you increase our reputation; boast our image; maybe it would be more sustainable to expand into these areas.

I still do not think this is the best development for the area. I'm just not sure a office/hotel/residential gateway scheme would. There just is not enough of an economic platform.

Well you obviously have a greater knowledge of the area than myself. I'm not quite sure why town planners would allow two supermarkets to be located so closely. That is clearly irresponsible, as there is a potential for one to go bust; fall in to a state of disrepair; etc.

I said it could spark developments. I never said it will.

So are you saying that there is no other space for future developments in the area, should there be a serious interest?

I think having a clearly defined Grade A office district would be more beneficial to Birmingham. It would not be a case of "throwing our eggs into one basket" - more a case of developing one key area; with strong developments; architecture and companies. Look at how the Docklands scheme has helped to modernise London's image as a global centre for business. I'm not saying we could realistically aspire to that level of development in Birmingham, but a smaller scheme based on the model would greatly improve the city's image. And then who knows, you increase our reputation; boast our image; maybe it would be more sustainable to expand into these areas.

I still do not think this is the best development for the area. I'm just not sure a office/hotel/residential gateway scheme would. There just is not enough of an economic platform.

Your argument seriously does not make sense at all. I'll just point out that london has numerous grade A office space all over the central area, not just in doclands. Even leeds, manchester, newcastle have more than one area of the city with grade A office space. Obviously everyone has more knowledge of the area than you as we are all arguing the same thing that you are arguing against also.

Five ways and Hagley road is quite a prosperous area, with edgbaston and harborne straddling the road. To say there is not enough economic activity here is ludicrousness, especially when you look at the other office tennants along the road seconds from this site such as Zurich. If anything, it is the lack of grade a office space which is letting this side of town down as well as being located just outside the outer ring road.

I never said that there was only one area for grade A office space in London. London has been a centre for business for centuries. What is indisputable is that the grand docklands scheme helped to modernise London's image and encouraged more investment and growth. History proves this - look at the record growth London saw before the recession. Of course I think that office space should be free to spread throughout the city centre. I just think one concentrated development would aid this.

Can you clear that last sentence up please?

You say that, there are some big names there yes, but all I am saying is that there clearly is not that much more room for office space in the area. This is a simple fact. If the market was there, we would see movement on office schemes. How can you not see that? It is not a lack of foresight or ambition - the market clearly is not there.

I doubt Tesco will leave the area. There is obviously enough of an economic platform to support both.

Speaking to BCC, I asked about why this was allowed when a Tesco is nearby, Tesco is set to close soon was their answer.

Speaking to BCC, I asked about why this was allowed when a Tesco is nearby, Tesco is set to close soon was their answer.

And whats their reason for Island House?

Tesco won't be leaving anytime soon. Its such a prime spot for them, if anything the'll redevlop the area, this is TESCO we are talking about you know!

^^Reason for what with Island House?

And the closure of Five Ways Tesco was one of the conditions of the new Tesco at Monaco House getting approval, which it didn't.

Well there are rumours the current land owner for the site and offices above are looking into demolition and rebuild, with apparently Tesco fully behind the plans anchoring the bottom floors as tennant, so maybe they mean temporary closing? lol

Also is the spiral tower in Park Central a proposal by ASDA or are they just tennant? wondering if Tesco may have got in there instead with it seeming to have dragged on for a long time now?....

tesco wont touch the park central site with a barge pole and asda wouldnt let them lol!

^^Reason for what with Island House?

And the closure of Five Ways Tesco was one of the conditions of the new Tesco at Monaco House getting approval, which it didn't.

I don't even know Erebus :bash:

DELETE - I don't even know what I was saying.

I understood the plan with Monaco House was if Tesco was granted permission for that they would have to scale down the Five Ways store but it would remain, albeit a much smaller store.

I've recently moved house hence my absence from here but i've still been taking pictures of this as I work nearby. I'll try and get them up as I can. Steelwork gone on up Harborne Road side adjacent to closed bus stop.

^^ the gist is that the council is pretty much stitched up by the big boys....

This is the nightmare scenario isn't it? The one surface carpark crying out for a massive piece of glass (like Snowhill) mixed-use sexy beast and this is the result. Marriott should have insisted Calthorpe ensured half of the land for their eventual extension.

come again???

youre telling me that the marriot would be able to insist calthorpe accommodates their extension on calthorpes land. What would you do if youre next door neighbour came to you and demanded the same... think about it logically...

and again, the 'big boys' havent stitched anyone up. It has long been established though case law and previous planning applications that the Lee Bank Middleway "Corridor" can accomodate 3 supermarkets....these include the following

1x tesco at five ways.....

and 2 of the following 3:
1x edgbaston galleries site
1x park central site
1x monocco house site

this has always been considered acceptable, not only by the local council but by central goverment through the appeal hearings. of all these supermarkets, the looser of the battle was tesco at monocco house, this paving the way for a supermarket to go ahead at the edgbaston galleries site and park centre...

Posted this over in the Edgbaston Shopping Centre thread then realised there was a construction forum as well. (doh!)

I'll post the odd update photo here from time to time if that's ok?

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/160212_03979.jpg

I have no problem of the store as it's only a Morissons!

Just peeved it was such a great opportunity for something terrific and they blew it.

Big City Plan was made a mockery when they let this prime development space house "this".

As I suspected all along, it has already been a waste of everyone's time with dire shiiite like this going up in a key location and the likes of Island House being demolished, haha, what a waste of time, effort and money the Big City Plan was. Things will happen as they always have done in Brum, a few good bits but most of it crap, not properly thought out and half of it not ending up as it should have done anyway, look at National Express station, cobbled together out of a crappy old existing building with shoddy workmanship, or the Longbridge site, again, wasted opportunity and already being scaled down, the new houses look awful and in keeping with the opposite side of the road. Sorry to sound so negative, it just frustrates me to see eyesores like this, the planning department in the city should be making sure we only get the best that is out there for the money and potential of land, this, really couldn't be any worse, may as well have had a MacDonalds drive thru.

I mean, ffs why is there even a thread on this development?

lizzie... there is only so many times we can tell you what remit the council can work in with regard to planning, and even then, there are whole issues with politics, governance and commerce which would seem to have total disregard too...

dont get me wrong, i too share your frustration of the quality of some schemes, but your anger is aimed totally in the wrong direction here

^^ +1

Plus it's pointless blaming the Big City Plan when it's not even finished yet...

lizzie... there is only so many times we can tell you what remit the council can work in with regard to planning, and even then, there are whole issues with politics, governance and commerce which would seem to have total disregard too...

dont get me wrong, i too share your frustration of the quality of some schemes, but your anger is aimed totally in the wrong direction here

I know, you have explained and I understand the basics but the buck has to stop somewhere Woodie. Otherwise, what is the point of the Big City Plan, High Places Document etc etcc etc they all just seem so worthless when you look at this. A prime gateway development, on full view of people coming in and out of the city, off one of the busiest islands in the city centre,surrounded by high rise buildings... then this?! It truly does not make sense to me, someone surely along the way from the council por planning would look at this and say this is not the right place for a development of this kind.

Yes, the buck does need to stop somewhere but why is it that the planners at the council get blamed yet the developers and architects dont?

the council can only control development, not prescribe development...

is this development great? no
does this development make the best use of the site? no
is this the best way to celebrate a gateway? no
is this a council owhned project? no
do the council own the land? no
does the council have any legal powers beyond the remit of planning? no
was the case for refusing the planning application strong enough based on sound planning evidence? no

and final question

is this scheme acceptable when considering all material and non-material planning considerations? Yes

Framework has begun, along the side that hugs harbourne rd

Has anyone seen any more details on that crosswalk that we see across Hagley Road in the plans and images?

I'm sure I read somewhere that the pedestrian subway was going to be filled in and replaced with this crosswalk a bit further down.

Sounds like chaos to me.

Traffic lights/Zebra Crossing... anyone know?

I seem to remember that was a condition they tried to change. Something like they had to wait for the crossing to be created before they could start construction. Oh I dunno, someone else?

Has anyone seen any more details on that crosswalk that we see across Hagley Road in the plans and images?

I'm sure I read somewhere that the pedestrian subway was going to be filled in and replaced with this crosswalk a bit further down.

Sounds like chaos to me.

Traffic lights/Zebra Crossing... anyone know?

I doubt it'll be a zebra crossing! That would be terrifying for everyone involved...

I have a great view of this being built from my office (perhaps one of the best!) - and the more I see it going up the less I mind it. Perhaps it's because Edgbaston Galleries is fading into the clouds of memory, but it's just nice to see something being built after months of staring at a surface car park. Every week it seems I change my mind on whether it's good to get things built (because you can always knock them down and replace them if demand increases enough), or whether we should leave land empty for months or years on end in the hope that something masterful will eventually get built.

Mind you, it's still a bit sad to be wandering around Five Ways at lunchtime and daydreaming about what it could look like if Edgbaston Galleries, Pentavia and the Metro extension had all gone ahead when they were proposed.

Indeed. ;)

All I have to go on is "Proposed new surface pedestrian crossing replacing existing subway". (from the plans)

An extra set of traffic lights there should be fun. :\

http://eplanning.birmingham.gov.uk/Northgate/DocumentExplorer/Application/FolderView.aspx?type=eplprod_DC_PLANAPP&key=404368

Indeed. ;)

All I have to go on is "Proposed new surface pedestrian crossing replacing existing subway". (from the plans)

An extra set of traffic lights there should be fun. :\

http://eplanning.birmingham.gov.uk/Northgate/DocumentExplorer/Application/FolderView.aspx?type=eplprod_DC_PLANAPP&key=404368

It's not going to work! The central reservation is too thin, if there was to be a crossing it wiuld have to stop both ways to cross at the same time!

Getting there with my new flat so here is update as promised. The steelwork is rising at a pace. Here's an excerpt of regular pics i've been taking of progress.

15 Feb

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWnhWZUqgPI/T0VxmrjAV2I/AAAAAAAAKOY/74zyeJHmZDU/s1600/15Feb12Morrisons1.jpg

17 Feb

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YeN1x9UgBWc/T0VxDyjiBmI/AAAAAAAAKNo/5mEnfzk8nkI/s1600/17Feb12Morrisons2.jpg

21 Feb

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ybuNN5HVCik/T0VwnPGVGxI/AAAAAAAAKNA/96H0AKoivRM/s1600/21Feb12Morrisons1.jpg

22 Feb

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OsCeMjP460w/T0VwDwrQM7I/AAAAAAAAKMU/ANAP-56nJZQ/s1600/22Feb12Morrisons1.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3DDPH8uQWIc/T0VwDgmX5cI/AAAAAAAAKMI/8LT9wy8Zfjk/s1600/22Feb12Morrisons2.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AOfGuWD8FhE/T0VwDHlUlVI/AAAAAAAAKL4/leA2j2zvPRQ/s1600/22Feb12Morrisons3.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2012/02/morrisons-five-ways-work-commences.html

thanks for the pics felty :)

Was wondering if you would catch me in any of those photos-and you have!

Penultimate photo. Middle Right of the screen.

I didn't know that building was flats either, where you have you new one. Great cit view, and very nice building imo! Where did you go through to buy/rent that flat?

Harbourne Road and surrounding roads are filthy due to the mud anc general crap from this site. There was a street cleaner called today at 2pm, but it was making even more of a mess! The roads are similar to that of Iraq now.

Getting there with my new flat so here is update as promised. The steelwork is rising at a pace. Here's an excerpt of regular pics i've been taking of progress.



You definitely have the winning view their, impressive view of the city centre as well. :)

Are those taken from Fifty4 Hagley Road?

That was timing Sutton catching you in that picture :)

My new flat near Pershore Road, the pictures are indeed from 54 Hagley Road. Great view of the site and scarily rapid progress with the building.

The amount of times I go up and down that street each day it's not hard to catch me! haha

Even more steelwork in place today and the street cleaner was there today as well, working properly now. It does say 24hr security, but I'm willing to test that at the weekend to see if I can get some decent night photos from the framework. Also there are no CCTV's on site so that makes it easier!

I'm only working on Greenfield Crescent most days so yeah I'm getting a nice view each day of it's progress. Btw there's a project going on at Greenfield Crescent, an internal job but to do with asbestos, the building has since been shut up and the windows are covered in condensation, so much that on all windows-including upper floors that you can't see in. The building is fenced off, but you can tell the condensation is not from a leak in the double glazing, as well, it's only single glazing! Anyone have any ideas as to what is going on there?

I think there was a planning application for a sensitive conversation to student accomodation (presumably upmarket post graduate rather than mainstreaM)

has to be one of the worst locations for a supermarket I have ever seen. What an absolute waste of land in a prime position.

yep, and it'll f up the traffic at 5ways for years to come

has to be one of the worst locations for a supermarket I have ever seen. What an absolute waste of land in a prime position.

agree so much, esp when their is a giant tesco around thew corner

seriously there are two many supermarkets in brum

i think it highlights the lack of serious ambition in the city and lets down the good stuff that is being done to make the city vibrant and exciting, wouldn't even have minded a Waitrose, but this will do nothing for Birmingham, in fact it will probably bring down prices of property close by, create more congestion on an already very busy route into the city centre, it will look terrible and offer part time low paid unskilled employment.. Just what Brum needs. Holding my head with disbelief to be honest. It's the kind of planning decision and development which goes on in small towns where the local council probably take backhanders to turn a blind eye to the negative im[pact on the local town.

Disagree, it highlights the lack of ambition by Calthorpe, not BCC, there was only a limited amount BCC could do. We always seem to get some half-arsed quick return development from Calthorpe, they don't seem to look beyond this years cash flow at best, which is surprising given the hundreds of years they have owned land in this city.

they really should have tried to off load it to another developer with all the original planning permissions in place, they could have made a killing and cut their tax liability/maintenance of that site.

This is one instance where the council actually did try to kick their backside but given the final application, they couldn't refuse it even if they wanted to because Morrisons effectively complied with all the legal conditions required of them, even with variations needed to gain approval. Simply Calthorpe is to blame, although one could argue that the planning procedure or the lack of any democratic voice in objections could also have played a part in this. That said, the app went in very sneakily...

Just thought I'd mention this place says it has 24hr security on the site. Well it doesn't. No CCTV's no guards, absolutely nothing last night. Not enough light on the build yet before I can get some decent pics. There's an easy way to climb the hoarding as well. There are some bollards on Harbourne rd side and stand on one then I can easily get a grip of the top of the board and fling myself over. Getting back over is easy as there are no panels on the other side.

Snow Hill 2 is way better in comparison at night!

Latest view from my angle up in Tricorn House as of end of play Friday.

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/240212_Morrisons_resize.jpg

That is scarily fast progress for just 1 week!

it takes 12 weeks to build one. This will take longer because of the specification.

6 March

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-792zlIu03g4/T10jdGrdm4I/AAAAAAAAKao/3K0gfvirTpM/s1600/6March12Morrisons3.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDj6GuCwRO4/T10jedxC2_I/AAAAAAAAKa0/m1KDe5rnb94/s1600/6March12Morrisons2.jpg

9 March

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orj1mezFkAQ/T10kMjSUwnI/AAAAAAAAKbc/osrFJDBiyiE/s1600/9March12Morrisons9.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iJg8Z7AJxf8/T10kM1fKK8I/AAAAAAAAKbk/s8urSykvVYA/s1600/9March12Morrisons8.jpg

and work on the new crossing to go across Hagley Road

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3U1wnORtYu0/T10jfr_5OHI/AAAAAAAAKbM/1YUKVkafPiE/s1600/10March12Morrisoncrossing.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.com/2012/03/morrisons-five-ways-march-update.html

Those lucky guests staying at the Radisson .... looking down on a supermarket car park .... fantastic. :ohno:

Those lucky guests staying at the Radisson .... looking down on a supermarket car park .... fantastic. :ohno:

Isn't it a marriott?

Yep, certainly is, think Sandblast may have been mixed up there :-) I'd have to say HCT would probably look more ridiculous on this site than the actual Morrisons store itself!

Isn't it a marriott?

Sorry :doh:

lol no probs haah

Those lucky guests staying at the Radisson .... looking down on a supermarket car park .... fantastic. :ohno:

so bloody what?

I see they have installed the new pedestrian crossings just infront of the underpass, they have shortened the entrance to the underpass so im sure that will cause more traffic than there already is. As for Morrisions the steelwork is flying up.

Well the pedestrian crossing was officially switched on today and the underpass blocked off. Can't say I'm going to miss walking through that smelly underpass on the evenings.

The crossing doesn't seem too bad to be honest, although it did seem to take an eternity for the lights to change so I could cross. :/

This was it on the 14th. Looks like they've done a good job of creating a decent sized crossing in eliptical shape while not disrupting the flow of traffic along the Hagley Road.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dlBOtC34mf4/T2aHRkHePSI/AAAAAAAAKg0/H6LlMNO23J0/s1600/14March12Morrisons3.jpg

Also, the store works on the 14th.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A_ZLgyBQ4zc/T2aGBHcz0tI/AAAAAAAAKgk/2fMKPwUgRpk/s1600/14March12Morrisons1.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/morrisons-five-ways-march-update-ii.html

We've been told in our office that supermarket opens in October.

I'm sorry but it looks soooo shit.

We could-well I could anyway- do with a car park on this land, with other small retail and office units. Ah well.

Just a couple of shots from today, they've brought in a bigger crane!

It's really taking shape now and the underpass on the opposite side is all but bricked up and the steps/ramp pretty much filled in.

Certainly interesting watching the development everyday from your office window. :) It's still going to look strange and out of place when it's finished I'm sure. :(

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/280312_1_Morrisons.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/280312_2_Morrisons.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6091/imag3375.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/2029/imag3373.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3626/imag3372.jpg

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8267/imag3371.jpg

Speeding progress

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9123/imag3405.jpg

some of Ells to add to Reiss...

Although I think this is a massive missed opportunity it is great to finally see something on site, I don't think the original scheme would have been built for many many more years. Hopefully the rumours of Tesco going are true and we can have some form of development of that site to make up for the loss of this one

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7225/7045205719_f183171d0c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/7045205719/)
Morrisons - construction site - Five Ways - Harborne Road - crane (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/7045205719/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/7045204581_68557d0271_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/7045204581/)
Morrisons - construction site - Five Ways - Harborne Road - Ainscough mobile crane (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/7045204581/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6899109616_82c05d4253_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/6899109616/)
Morrisons - construction site - Five Ways - Harborne Road - Ainscough mobile crane (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/6899109616/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/6899106666_9d067b7814_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/6899106666/)
Morrisons - construction site - Five Ways - Hagley Road (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/6899106666/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

Also whats going on with the white and black column building in the background of the pics with the metal work up the sides? are they cleaning it? Never noticed the metal work on the building until them pics?

A cold day to be taking photos, but well done.

Is Tesco going because of the new one they just built down the road?

Also whats going on with the white and black column building in the background of the pics with the metal work up the sides? are they cleaning it? Never noticed the metal work on the building until them pics?

I think they're just cleaning it, but its been up for over a week now..

A cold day to be taking photos, but well done.

Is Tesco going because of the new one they just built down the road?

Nope, Tesco Spring Hill got nothing to do with Edgbaston, and as the Tesco store that was planned for Bristol Street fell through, Five Ways will stay, although it does need a restart.

Wonder if Tesco might think of moving across the road to Auchinleck House when the new hotel and shops move in!

Got a letter regarding variation of condition - 2012/01696/PA

Wonder if Tesco might think of moving across the road to Auchinleck House when the new hotel and shops move in!

surely it wouln't offer the right sq footage and the hotel might not want a big Tesco right underneath them.

A bit later than planned due to computer problems.

From 28 March.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6AC021mGivs/T37rVgBQEjI/AAAAAAAAKm0/C6pxw9dWxEQ/s1600/28March12Morrisons1.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZqbgRNDtMo/T37ra-pdxRI/AAAAAAAAKnE/BT9zwyNRS78/s1600/28March12Morrisons3.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/morrisons-five-ways-march-update-iii.html

Great pictures Feltip, a different view of the Brum cityscape :cheers:

From today

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5762/imag3627.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/3115/imag3628.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8629/imag3629.jpg

What are all the concrete sections for? Is there to be a multistorey car park there or something?

yup

Lovin' that new multi-storey car park - really sits well with the Marriot.. :ohno:

Will the fascade be covering the whole of this?

Couple of shots from today showing the progress of the car park and the entrance/exit on the Hagley Road.

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/04022012_Morrisons_001_resize.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/04022012_Morrisons_002_resize.jpg

Just looking at the traffic in that photo makes me wonder why they are building it in this spot, all traffic coming out of Morrisons will have to go towards Edgbaston before they can turn around, unless there will be a exit/entrance on Harborne Lane?

Cheers for the pic Porkchop,

And I think the plans are for an entrance/exit on both sides of the site Reiss?

I'm not sure, but hopefully there is, if the traffic is this bad at the moment, its going to be chaos when this opens, Hagley Road really can't handle it, and this is why I don't understand why it got approved, surly the transport survey couldn't have passed!

Here's some from Harborne Road...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/midgeblackandwhite/ebay003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/midgeblackandwhite/ebay004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/midgeblackandwhite/ebay002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/midgeblackandwhite/ebay001.jpg

no no, it's a standard in out on Hagley Road - service yard is at the back. Looks like they might have learnt a trick or two from Tesco in getting this one through. Before you even get to the architectural aesthetic, this whole thing just looks so wrongly planned.

Unfortunately, now we are totally powerless to stop it. This issue is not just with the traffic leaving the store but also traffic backing up to the roundabout which is highly likely to happen - the only routes available to that entrance from the Bearwood end are:

Monument Road -> Edgbaston -> Fiveways -> Store

or Hagley Road -> Fiveways -> Store.

Fiveways roundabout is going to be under huge pressure at peak times- I'd hate to see how bad this will get when the tramlines go in.

Terrible! - absolute joke :ohno:

surely it wouln't offer the right sq footage and the hotel might not want a big Tesco right underneath them.

Most likely a Waitrose or dare I mention the name Marks and Spencer...

A few snaps I've been able to get

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K682Hj28TkU/T6MYo2Y1McI/AAAAAAAAKtU/1uJPuWp3K3k/s1600/24Apr12Morrison3.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x6mbagTg2-U/T6MYRftARSI/AAAAAAAAKrc/DAk6LuZV72c/s1600/10Apr12Morrison3.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/morrisons-five-ways-april-update.html

I hate this whole project. Why allow a supermarket on this site, it ruins the whole look/vibe of the area.

Will anyone actually shop there though, if the access is so poor? Having to go a distance out of your way when you leave there is bound to put people off. For the same reason I avoid going to the B&Q at The Fort, because you have to drive quite a distance down the road before you can turn round at the roundabout and actually go the way you want to go.

Access is on both sides with main entrance on Harborne Road

Will anyone actually shop there though, if the access is so poor? Having to go a distance out of your way when you leave there is bound to put people off. For the same reason I avoid going to the B&Q at The Fort, because you have to drive quite a distance down the road before you can turn round at the roundabout and actually go the way you want to go.

Yes they will.

Yes they will.

locating on the outbound side of the road always makes sense because during the week most shoppers are commuting home from work. This makes sense. However placing it so close to a roundabout and with very limited access will most certainly cause problems at peak times and perhaps even on Saturday afternoon/evenings.

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4263/imag3877.jpg

Cheers for the pic Reiss:)

even though this is a let down for the site, its good to finally see something on the site, Hopefully the rumours Tesco wont be staying at 5 Ways is true and we can get something there to make up for this!

A few from my angle...

Windows starting to go in, car park is progressing rather quickly and lots of activity on the inside (look like the Air Con is being installed).

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/210512_Morrisons_resize_01.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/210512_Morrisons_resize_02.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/210512_Morrisons_resize_03.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/210512_Morrisons_resize_04.jpg

You can see from Reiss's photo that, since they've put the new crossing in, they seriously need to sort out the road markings into the underpass. It's now actually impossible to get into it without infringing the bus lane!

Cheers for the pic Reiss:)

even though this is a let down for the site, its good to finally see something on the site, Hopefully the rumours Tesco wont be staying at 5 Ways is true and we can get something there to make up for this!
^^
But Tesco's only take up the ground floor, are you suggesting the entire huge brown office complex (which I don't think is too bad) bites the dust?
Be careful what you wish for, in the present economic climate we could end up with a single or two storey furniture warehouse or mega kwik fit.gaah:

^^
But Tesco's only take up the ground floor, are you suggesting the entire huge brown office complex (which I don't think is too bad) bites the dust?
Be careful what you wish for, in the present economic climate we could end up with a single or two storey furniture warehouse or mega kwik fit.gaah:

Crikey this thing doesn't look any better now, does it? :ohno:

Re: Tesco - No they extended their lease since they were unable to build Bristol Street - Their current lease term ends in 2014. Part of their condition for getting planning permission for the area was that they cut the size of 5ways to a Metro sized store.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if they buy the land to the back, and the offices, and create a superstore twice to three times the size and with a more sensible layout.

Anyway Nigeman, what have you heard to suggest otherwise?

Bloody dreadful, really not the place for a supermarket.

oh well... that is life.. time to move on,.... i suppose there is a tiny part of me that is happy that something has happened to the site... but alas we all know what we would have preferred!

You can see from Reiss's photo that, since they've put the new crossing in, they seriously need to sort out the road markings into the underpass. It's now actually impossible to get into it without infringing the bus lane!

I think they should leave it like that! it looks brilliant LOL!

Who designed that junction!? It won't be long before someone hits the central barrier.

I wouldn't worry, the traffic never gets above about 7 miles per hour here anyway.

I wouldn't worry, the traffic never gets above about 7 miles per hour here anyway.

Does at night time.. nine times higher. Some idiot will crash into it with his Golf GTi.... The Bus Lane is now technically not legal as it fails certain highways regulations and criteria regarding entry into it.

[QUOTE=Typhoon2000;91727889]Does at night time.. nine times higher. Some idiot will crash into it with his Golf GTi=QUOTE]

What's the problem with that though?

1 less Wa*ker off the streets.

What's the problem with that though?

1 less Wa*ker off the streets.

What's wrong with walkers? It sounds like you just hate people in general... ;)

PEDO(estrian) scum off our streets!

What's wrong with walkers? It sounds like you just hate people in general... ;)

:D

Yep I agree with the traffic issues - going to be one added problem. At least Tescos carpark is accessed via a back road - this throws drivers into 2 separate traffic jams.

Quick one from today showing the stunt ramp structure being installed. :)

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/110612_Morrisons_resize_02.jpg

Wide

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/110612_Morrisons_resize_01.jpg

Aah yes, the crowning glory of the development is now coming together. It's going to look absolutely pathetic isn't it. It serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever - not even from an aesthetic point of view. It is a figurative admission from the architects that this really is going to be a pile of wank - like the architect just said to Morrisons "you know this really needs a little bit of flair to it - we'll stick a little fin in there, you know, nothing too extravagant or expensive for you!"

^^ Tell me about it.

They could have at least added a bit of brick to it..
The second store looks nice.

http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Global/Images/Corporate/store_image_bathgate_496x297.jpg

http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Global/Images/Corporate/salford-store-496x297.jpg

cheers for the photos porkchop, when is this meant to be due for completion?

I do hope the Tesco rumours are true...

All hail mediocrity!

I suppose the best thing I can say about the fin is that it's the best bit of the building by quite some way..... Shame that's saying bugger all really. This really is a crap development.

Am I the only one looking forward to this? I might be a sad loner but Morrisons is going to bring me to Fiveways for the first time so...

(What? They have a good cafe...)

It could look/be so much better tho. Does anyone have any articles on Egbaston shopping centre? I never knew it existed till they knocked it down, having trouble even finding photographs. Was it noteworthy?

Edgbaston Shopping Centre wasn't particularly noteworthy - it had been a bit of a dive for a while. I think the office block above it had been empty for a while as well.

But a lot of the issues with this scheme is that what was initially proposed (Edgbaston Galleries). And the fact a supermarket is taking up such a huge key site in Five Ways, the prominence of which means that a mixed-use development should be here at least.

To think the old building could have been converted into a ground floor supermarket with the tower refurbished into a hotel...

To think the old building could have been converted into a ground floor supermarket with the tower refurbished into a hotel...

Rather have a Morrisons any day.... .... .....

Looks fun though that ramp, I reckon I could climb that, get to the roof.

I'm sure someone on here mentioned October as the planned completion date.

Just as a small personal project I've been running a photo timelapse everyday since construction began, not the most exciting of developments but still interesting to watch it all come together (my office window overlooks the whole thing).

I'll be sure to share that on here when it's all finished. :)

...

I do hope the Tesco rumours are true...

What have you heard Sefton? Expansion?

Rather have a Morrisons any day.... .... .....

Looks fun though that ramp, I reckon I could climb that, get to the roof.

Really?

Tesco Perivale store (Hoover Building)
http://www.toimg.net/managed/images/10026662/image.jpg

Tesco Express Bournmouth
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/11/11/article-1328629-0BFF88FE000005DC-895_634x457.jpg

Tesco Springhill, Birmingham
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5208/5301437230_de81293476_z.jpg
Flickr: Martin Hartland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_hartland/5301437230)

If Tesco had taken this spot, I dare say that would have been much easier to get a bigger s106 and to ensure they to come up with a more acceptable building harmonise with the Marriot - even if some dodgy amendments are made... This pure crap right from the get go... no need to amend!!! All Morrisons developments have been bloody awful and I knew, and could guarantee, how crap this blot was going to turn out.

Tesco is not my preferred supermarket for this site, but they'd have made much less of a pigs ear of things than these clowns have....

it was a bad example of sarcasm mate^^

That Tesco spring hill in the same context as the other shots is false. The library is still the library. The tesco is the new build adjacent and joined to the library. Not at all like the Hoover building or that old church. Do love the irony of a former church being turned into the modern church of consumerism which is Tesco.

When I was down in Welling last week while in London and there was a similar tesco using a former pub (I think it was).

Its one thing to be said for JD Wetherspoon that they use old buildings and ensure they are preserved.

Morrisons always used to seem fairly respectable and classical in their designs (Bilston, for example) but have gone a bit... bland, lately. Googling images of Morrisons, an outsider probably wouldn't think the above was one.

Q though, does this MSCP seem too big for just a Morrisons? Because it could be an indication of something else to join it in the future maybe?

That Tesco spring hill in the same context as the other shots is false. The library is still the library. The tesco is the new build adjacent and joined to the library. Not at all like the Hoover building or that old church. Do love the irony of a former church being turned into the modern church of consumerism which is Tesco.


But my point is that nothing garish detracts from what's there - This completely ruins any sort of harmonisation between The Marriot, this plot and the rest of the Calthorpe estate along here. The Tesco building doesn't have to be so garish next to the library as this Morrisons does to the Marriot. Tesco hasn't just plonked another crap building next to or chopped off and put a load of brutalist rubbish onto the Hoover Building just to stuff in a store... they've worked with what was already there. Moseley's store is another potential example and look what the Tesco/Travelodge partnership did down Carrs Lane.

This is simply just bloody awful.

Also, the new Tesco at Burnt Tree island in Dudley, the wood effects look great! this is just grey...

I think the car park as Dbadger mentions seems real problem as there is a dead space between Marriott and supermarket and then the bank.
I wait to see how the rear treats the road as it needn't be just a blank wall to the road.

I think the car park as Dbadger mentions seems real problem as there is a dead space between Marriott and supermarket and then the bank.
I wait to see how the rear treats the road as it needn't be just a blank wall to the road.

Agreed.. A continuous sweep, west to east, with a suitable fascade would work.. and that daft ski jump needs to be totally removed. Whilst I'm not against any supermarket setting up shop anywhere, thought seriously needs to go into the design of the building and the built environment in where it sits. Morrisons, unlike Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and M&S, don't seem to put much effort into this.

Street view from today...

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/160612_Morrisons.jpg

Its just a beautiful sight to see Hagley Road in daylight with no traffic!!!

I bet the Marriott are thrilled to pieces with their new neighbour.

Went past the Harborne side earlier today, and there's brickwork on that elevation, not sure where else they may be brickwork.

I bet the Marriott are thrilled to pieces with their new neighbour.

i imagine they would be.. its better than a muddy car park... not that this is tough to do...

Pouring in the concrete between the car park floor segments today, havoc on harborne road side again! :D

Do we know what materials thing thing's going to be clad in? I'd have thought some sort of terracota coloured-ish stone could be least offensive - not sure if I've painted the right picture but a quality big cut stone cladding?


(Who am I kidding, this is Morrisons.. I drove past the one by St Andrews the other day and it made me want to puke..) :ohno:

[QUOTE=Typhoon2000;92503282]Do we know what materials thing thing's going to be clad in? I'd have thought some sort of terracota coloured-ish stone could be least offensive - not sure if I've painted the right picture but a quality big cut stone cladding?

http://eplanning.birmingham.gov.uk/Northgate/DocumentExplorer/documentstream/documentstream.aspx?name=public:0901487a80c8c020.pdf&unique=404368&type=eplprod_DC_PLANAPP

^^ Ah, Brutalism Nouveau :ohno:

^^It's not Brutalist, it's just shit! :(

ignore.

^^It's not Brutalist, it's just shit! :(

lol... joke.. I saw that and thought pastiche brutalism with a touch of prefab demountable... hahaha!!

I can't believe this rubbish is taking so long to bang up... 7 months to build a supermarket, carpark, and simple office space?!

What used to be here. That is a big site

http://s19.postimage.org/8sdh51c5r/bb0022.jpg

Really do think if that was still standing we would have seen a similar situation to Auchinleck house with it being rennovated into a hotel with refurb/clear up around it instead of this :ohno:

Any idea who the contractors are ?

:)

http://s19.postimage.org/8sdh51c5r/bb0022.jpg

Totally agree - Calthorpe really messed up on this one and missed a really decent trick. Had they just knocked out the shopping centre and taken in a hotel operator to totally refurb the building they could have had ready mixed footfall into the area for any activities they wished to develop for - that's potential for quite a lot of rooms there and would have given much better strength for a business case to prioritise the tram extension to Fiveways, increasing footfall to the area further.

The current plan will now create more car traffic, jamming up an already very busy junction - particularly during home time rush hour and on Saturdays after about 4pm.

In my view the activity planned for Auchinleck was the correct route to pursue.

The Tesco at Five Ways is currently undergoing lots of improvements. The shop is still open, but they are replacing lights, the cafeteria is being relaced with a Costa coffee, a new bakery is going in, a new fresh fish counter is going in, a new halal meat counter is going in, new customer toilets are being installed. Obviously Tesco have finally decided to put some money into the shop with Morrisons soon to open across the road.

Hopefully they'll replace some of the lazy staff that work there as well. :)

BUT WHAT WAS THE RUMOUR THAT SEFTON WAS GOING ON ABOUT WITH THAT STORE???

There was a rumour it was to close down with either a complete overhaul of the building or a new build, tesco anchoring the development with offices appartments and leisure above, apparently this was after being refused their Bristol st store.

I don't think it's anymore than a rumour though but a huge overhaul of the site or new build would be good here...

Let's face it I can't see tesco moving out

The Tesco at Five Ways is currently undergoing lots of improvements. The shop is still open, but they are replacing lights, the cafeteria is being relaced with a Costa coffee, a new bakery is going in, a new fresh fish counter is going in, a new halal meat counter is going in, new customer toilets are being installed. Obviously Tesco have finally decided to put some money into the shop with Morrisons soon to open across the road.

I thought in the long run Spring Hill was replacing this?

I think the area must have been teeming with activity in the past ; look how many houses there were :

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw005403?search=birmingham&ref=433

A few recent snaps. I've got a series from 1 May to 11 July on my blog.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VnGf43fy4kI/T_4FlhX9iDI/AAAAAAAALUY/dRVtWzNfwY8/s1600/11July12Morrisons1.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1jCKD5VBlKg/T_4FUvvAPdI/AAAAAAAALT0/4b1d3Tu2Umo/s1600/6July12Morrisons13

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ua61NZydGq8/T_4FAwBNQpI/AAAAAAAALTQ/2-g1degIe1U/s1600/30June12Morrison2

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/morrisons-edgbaston-edges-towards.html

Very cool, thank you for sharing those. Nice to see it from the different angles.

I see the Tesco on 5 Ways is almost done in its refurb. I was quite surprised, it almost feels like a whole new store.... until you get to the checkouts that is. ;)

Very cool, thank you for sharing those. Nice to see it from the different angles.

I see the Tesco on 5 Ways is almost done in its refurb. I was quite surprised, it almost feels like a whole new store.... until you get to the checkouts that is. ;)

My argument for adding an extra 8 self service checkouts at the front and another 8 at the rear of the store. - Looks like they could be open for the extended sunday hours during the Olympic period.

thanks feltip...

A lick of paint over the weekend.....

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/160712_Morrisons.jpg

Bulkier than I thought it would be, and the frontage has quite a presence against the road which is a positive. It's an irreconcilably awful development though, such a poor utilisation of land.

agree totally with the sentiments.... at least there is now a frontage and enclosure on the streets but its still an awful waste!

There is already a supermarket (tesco) across the road, i know many peeps in the edgbaston/bearwood area that shopped at tesco five ways, are they all going to switch to Morrisons now? where is the trade for two large supermarkets less than 300m away from each other in the current economic climate? Better choice would have been to leave this site derelict for however many years it would have taken for a good development to turn up. Besides i actually quite liked passing the broad expanse of open-ness that was the morrisons site before construction began, it was an expanse of clear paradise in a sea of urbanity.

There is already a supermarket (tesco) across the road, i know many peeps in the edgbaston/bearwood area that shopped at tesco five ways, are they all going to switch to Morrisons now? where is the trade for two large supermarkets less than 300m away from each other in the current economic climate? Better choice would have been to leave this site derelict for however many years it would have taken for a good development to turn up. Besides i actually quite liked passing the broad expanse of open-ness that was the morrisons site before construction began, it was an expanse of clear paradise in a sea of urbanity.

In this case there will be the trade there as Morrisons are more likely to scoop up evening commuter traffic. Tesco has the added advantage of a petrol station which is useful for taking on what little profit they actually make on their fuels. In terms of customer base expect a big cut for the time being (nice new store and all) but expect over half to comeback, especially those living in the Ladywood area immediately behind Tesco.

I do, however, spy the potential for a localised price war here...

Can't wait for Morrisons to open. The staff in Tescos are very rude and unhelpful.

Working adjacent to the Morrisons i'll prefer to go there as not as far a walk at lunchtime for example and if i was catching the No.1 home i could pop in and out and be at my bus stop without the little bit further walk to Tesco.

Yes, i admit, that's kind of lazy but time is money and when im busy Morrisons will just be more convenient.

.... and hopefully it won't be run the same way Safeways was..they were worse than Tesco!

ah safeways, those were the days and gateway's.

scary how fast high street changes can happen. A whole generation will never know a Woolworths on every high street.

Don't often feel motivated to write comments these days BUT.......I have just been past the new Morrison’s development at Five Ways, I don't know if I can find superlatives enough to hurl at it:
Clunky, ignorant even moronic doesn't sum up my feelings. How dare this retail behemoth insult the people of this City with this cretinous pile? I now realise how elegant the old Five Ways Shopping Centre was and I never thought I would say this. Nobody with any ounce of decency or love of this city would darken its doors.
At 57 I still have high hopes that this pathetic building will disappear in my life time, if not I firmly intend to patrol outside in wraith like form until the day the last bit of it is fed into the crusher.
There I feel better now.

Don't often feel motivated to write comments these days BUT.......I have just been past the new Morrison’s development at Five Ways, I don't know if I can find superlatives enough to hurl at it:
Clunky, ignorant even moronic doesn't sum up my feelings. How dare this retail behemoth insult the people of this City with this cretinous pile? I now realise how elegant the old Five Ways Shopping Centre was and I never thought I would say this. Nobody with any ounce of decency or love of this city would darken its doors.
At 57 I still have high hopes that this pathetic building will disappear in my life time, if not I firmly intend to patrol outside in wraith like form until the day the last bit of it is fed into the crusher.
There I feel better now.

Couldn't agree more with your view. You're not alone, no one likes it!

My opinion might not be the popular one, but I like it and will be using it, which will bring me into Fiveways for the first time. But then I'm not a local Brummie, so my opinion isn't really worth much when there's people who've got to live with this thing next to them.

I quite like the design but wish it was more like the Swan Centre, i.e. an actual shopping centre possibly with the tower retained and refurbished.

But yeah, my family like Morrisons' cafe, and it's a reason to get a train to Fiveways and have a look around, for us anyway. So I guess a tiny silver lining.

I don't like it but it makes sense,

The original plans would not get built on site for many many many years to come, The site has been empty for years, there is a business case for a supermarket on the site, atleast this will bring life back to the site. The only good thing about supermarkets is that they quickly make their money back on the initial building cost so in the future if things pick up, who knows we could see a proposal to see something built on the site with Morrisons taking a ground floor supermarket unit with offices/hotel above

Supermarkets don't tend to budge though. They stick around on their sites for years and years and years, in fact I'm struggling to think of a supermarket that has ever shut down. If they had any intention to develop the site further in the long term, I think they would have accommodated for that with the development - a structure better suited to something being built on top.

I think Calthorpe needed a quick money earner. It's a great site from a commercial point of view but it doesn't give much back to the community at all.

Not too sure if it could happen but I'd expect they could easily build upto say 14 storeys on top of this without needing to start at the foundations again from scratch?

Really!? The chances of that ever happening are less than zilch I would think.

Not too sure if it could happen but I'd expect they could easily build upto say 14 storeys on top of this without needing to start at the foundations again from scratch?

I find that very hard to believe. The speed at which this went up gives the impression not much foundation work was done, it didnt need to be as it is a supermarket with a large flat surface area. If they had futureproofed for a 14 storey building I imagine the preparatory would would have taken longer. As it is, I am not even sure they removed all the foundations from the previous building,

Supermarkets don't tend to budge though. They stick around on their sites for years and years and years, in fact I'm struggling to think of a supermarket that has ever shut down. If they had any intention to develop the site further in the long term, I think they would have accommodated for that with the development - a structure better suited to something being built on top.

I think Calthorpe needed a quick money earner. It's a great site from a commercial point of view but it doesn't give much back to the community at all.

The saving grace is that at some point in the future (not too distant I hope!) the land will be worth more as a high-density development and not a supermarket alone so it could be redeveloped.

FWIW I think this looks OK for a supermarket but it is a terrible use and density for the site and has so many dead frontages.

Calthorpe hang your head in shame, along with the pox at Edgbaston Mill.

Don't often feel motivated to write comments these days BUT.......I have just been past the new Morrison’s development at Five Ways, I don't know if I can find superlatives enough to hurl at it:
Clunky, ignorant even moronic doesn't sum up my feelings. How dare this retail behemoth insult the people of this City with this cretinous pile? I now realise how elegant the old Five Ways Shopping Centre was and I never thought I would say this. Nobody with any ounce of decency or love of this city would darken its doors.
At 57 I still have high hopes that this pathetic building will disappear in my life time, if not I firmly intend to patrol outside in wraith like form until the day the last bit of it is fed into the crusher.
There I feel better now.

Love your rant! Totally agree! What a dreadful, awful building!

Couldn't agree more with your view. You're not alone, no one likes it!

You dont speak for everyone, its better than what was there before, its practical and as others have said i will use it, i work next door and cant wait until it opens. Get off your high horse, its just fine! there, i feel better now

Unfortunately it's there now. But there are certain aesthetic features I would rather not see as they are unnecessary. The ski jump tower for one, especially as it seems to clad in that military green. I think they may be using some of that colour on the window panels.

It could have been better and been more sympathetic of Marriot in terms of looks. And I've seen the limited clearance between the hotel and the car park.. I bet they must be a little but annoyed...

No in my view, Calthorpe should have refurbed that tower block and incorporated it into a supermarket scheme - if they really needed a large store like this here. Look at Yardley's Swan centre now, a different scale but it's a good example. Still needs filling but everything certainly looks much neater.

My 2 penneth:-

Much like the current library, the building itself isn't that bad. But it's in completely the wrong place and on a site which could have and should have been used for a whole lot more. If it was out in the 'burbs somewhere, then there would be no problem with it.

Dunno why, but the curved facade at the front screams 1920's Art Deco Car Showroom.

the question is will Edgbastons galleries loss be.... hmmm i dont know ....be to the benefit of the chamber of commerce building/site?! just a thought!

In what way? Increase in value?

Anyone know if the Marriot may have got a deal to have spaces in the car park?

Had to go up Broad Street earlier in the week and got caught in a heavy rain shower and had to shelter under the tower block opposite looking onto the Morrison’s horror. If anything I think I was understated in my previous rant on the subject. Morrison’s and most of the supermarkets have never been big on aesthetics but this building beats the lot. I didn’t particularly like the previous buildings on the site but looking back on them they did have more merit than this and had some regard for the site and location- this doesn’t. I am looking forward to Andy Fosters comments in a revised edition of Pevsner.

You dont speak for everyone, its better than what was there before, its practical and as others have said i will use it, i work next door and cant wait until it opens. Get off your high horse, its just fine! there, i feel better now

I used to be on Greenfield Crescent, I used the site a lot to park my car-as did many others, there is such a lack of parking in this area, I suppose yes, Morrisons does have a car park, but you'd have to either A-pay for it, or B-not be allowed unless you shop at the store.

It's ok, it looks nice, I'd give it that, but it's a site that could be used to create something far better, another office block, or apartments-of which there are relatively few in the area.

Besides that, there's a Tesco next door, Sainsbury's a little further on Broad Street, so do we really need another supermarket. (is there a waitrose as well?)

The height of the building is really quite poor, something on that sort of sight should fit the scale of the buildings around it, which morrisons does not.

I'm not speaking for everyone, but the majority. A few months ago after the renders came out, and the first spade went into the ground, almost everyone was moaning about it, now some have changed their minds, but to be quite honest, it's simply not in the right place.

Few pics from 8 - 13 August

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wS_nFmAs3yc/UC2AkXuPpDI/AAAAAAAAL-8/i3b8qB2DGSQ/s1600/13aug12Morrison.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VOIts0uNsyQ/UC2AwX9vT9I/AAAAAAAAL_U/1IkXoxGNY50/s1600/8aug12Morrison11.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HCSZIiXmT_o/UC2A6gkZRJI/AAAAAAAAMAc/UIdi3AZ74Xw/s1600/8aug12Morrison8.jpg

http://birminghamcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/morrisons-five-ways-august-update.html

Thanks Feltp, just can't help but think that Hagley Road and Five Ways will stuggle much more, just look at the photo above, its not even open and the traffic is terrible as it is, then if the metro even came down here, it would literally mean Hagley Road becoming one lane each way, not good.

Few pics from 8 - 13 August

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wS_nFmAs3yc/UC2AkXuPpDI/AAAAAAAAL-8/i3b8qB2DGSQ/s1600/13aug12Morrison.jpg


I hate that stupid pointless ornament, I really do. :ohno:

It has a clock! :)

It's all starting to look rather tidy down there now.... regardless of the fact that it's a Morrisons supermarket the area in general looks a damn sight more respectable than the dive that was the Edgbaston Shopping Centre.

Not looking forward to the traffic coming and going from that place in rush hour though. :(

Has anyone heard of a speculative opening date yet?


http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/Morrisons_01_190912_zps32daf8b4.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/Morrisons_02_190912_zps54faf039.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q610/p0rkch0p791/Morrisons_03_190912_zps4e2b1275.jpg

Drove past about an hour ago, it actually looks quite nice at road side a night. Not sure how long it'll stay that colour thought, thanks for the photo's!

The planting and tress at rear and front do make a massive difference.

Someone in our office spoke to one of the contractors and they said end of October but surely can't be too much longer as it's looking quite finished. I'd have though mid October at latest but no idea?

Shop has to be fully fitted yet (probably about 20% complete when I peered through the glass last night), refrigeration tested, staff trained, IT systems ready, etc, etc.. Basically nothing gets left to chance as the stores have to run 100% from that point on. so end October seems about right.

Still not keen on the garish green though..

Shop has to be fully fitted yet (probably about 20% complete when I peered through the glass last night), refrigeration tested, staff trained, IT systems ready, etc, etc.. Basically nothing gets left to chance as the stores have to run 100% from that point on. so end October seems about right.

Still not keen on the garish green though..

Green and yellow are their corporate colours, they aren't going to paint it a nice shade of blue.

Interesting that there's nothing on the Morrisons website under the new stores heading. http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Store-finder/New-stores/

Nice idea with the clock. The rear is looking a bit better now too but I wish it had just one or two units opening out this side.

Green and yellow are their corporate colours, they aren't going to paint it a nice shade of blue.

Interesting that there's nothing on the Morrisons website under the new stores heading. http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Store-finder/New-stores/



It does say on this part of the website as Edgbaston

http://www.iwantafreshstart.com/inner.asp?division=newstores

In all its glory..........

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k638/johnbirmingham/4th%20october%202012/DSCF4362.jpg

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k638/johnbirmingham/4th%20october%202012/DSCF4364.jpg

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k638/johnbirmingham/4th%20october%202012/DSCF4363.jpg

http://i1119.photobucket.com/albums/k638/johnbirmingham/4th%20october%202012/DSCF4365.jpg

do we know if any other retailers are signed up to this?

It wouldn't actually look too bad if it wasn't for the horrid, cheap-looking yellow 'Morrisons' signage...

I think its a nice development, personally I think people don't like it just because of where it is, if this was built elsewhere it wouldn't get so much grief.

It wouldn't actually look too bad if it wasn't for the horrid, cheap-looking yellow 'Morrisons' signage...

Damn that corporate branding.

do we know if any other retailers are signed up to this?
Tesco Local.

I'm surprised by that. I thought it was just a store and a car park.. perhaps Horts ought to move back...

It's so bleedin squat!

Though I guess they have somehow managed to lift it above the absolute dregs of supermarket design.

^^ lol... Barely...

Guestimate: Ready in 3 weeks time.

If various retailers fill the units and yes Horts moved in too I will let this go. The original design was preferable but it's a gap filled during an economic minefield.

This doesn't look bad at all from the Harborne Road side, fits in quite nice actually.

Well the non-perishables are going in, you can see them in the aisles. Also units wise, two currently being fitted out are Morrisons' dry cleaning and Morrisons' flower shop.
The crossing on Harborne Road been moved down towards Marriott and with new bus shelter closer to Marriott.

So I'm about right then.. Opening say 22nd or 29th.

I can confirm it opens the 22nd October at 8:00am. (Speaking as an insider)

Does anyone have a plan of the tram stop layout... Someone says it crosses over Hagley Road to the Morrisons side(?!)... which in my mind would be unrealistic given how this is such a major route out of the city.... Any clues...?

Does anyone have a plan of the tram stop layout... Someone says it crosses over Hagley Road to the Morrisons side(?!)... which in my mind would be unrealistic given how this is such a major route out of the city.... Any clues...?

this was the plan. underpass would be closed to traffic and it would pop up on the other side

This actually looks very smart from the 126, this on one side and Tricorn on the other really works.

this was the plan. underpass would be closed to traffic and it would pop up on the other side

Do you have any documents to confirm this?? I've only heard of the securing of funding to extend the Metro to Centenary Sq. :wtf:

The initial blue print was to have a terminus in the center of Five Ways roundabout.

Do you have any documents to confirm this?? I've only heard of the securing of funding to extend the Metro to Centenary Sq. :wtf:

In the UDP you can see that a light rail proposed extension goes up broad st past the five ways roundabout onto Hagley Road.

Signs on the store now show 9am opening on Monday 22nd