by popular demand!

Issue Date 5 August 2005

Birmingham City Council has today announced that Father Christmas and his reindeer will be “coming to town” big-time this year as part of a sparkling programme of family-friendly Christmas events and attractions that will be enjoyed by tens of thousands of people.
PR Portfolio Leisure


Says Councillor John Alden, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, “We said that it was Birmingham’s “best ever” Christmas package last year, but now we’ve excelled ourselves and are laying on an extended package of family friendly events on a bigger scale than ever before over a number of weeks leading up to Christmas. This has been made possible by redirecting resources and using the events budget more effectively”.

The Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Mike Whitby said, “The rebirth of the Bullring and the improved retail attractions are vital to the economic wellbeing of the city. We are building upon and enriching our success, ensuring that Birmingham is a “must visit” destination in the lead up to Christmas.”

The Christmas programme of events will start on Saturday 12 November with a spectacular Christmas Lights Switch On concert featuring chart topping acts. The free concert takes place at Millennium Point and will culminate in a magical moment when the city centre’s Christmas lights are switched on by a household name at 7pm.

As the season continues two popular Christmas attractions will return to the city centre. These are the Frankfurt Christmas Market, the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria, which is set to open on Thursday 17 November and the Birmingham Christmas Grotto opening on Saturday 19 November until Christmas Eve. Around twenty thousand people visited Father Christmas at the Grotto, which is sponsored by the city’s leading retailers, when it first opened last year.

The free family friendly events will continue with a beautifully illuminated Canal Boat Light Parade on Sunday 20 November which will make the most of the city’s attractive canal network around Brindleyplace and Mailbox. The special effects and pyrotechnics will be bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event. This will be one of the first major events staged in the Broad Street area since traders voted for it to become a Business Improvement District.

Birmingham’s Christmas programme of free events will culminate in a spectacular Christmas Lantern and Reindeer Parade when children from city schools will join Father Christmas and his reindeer in spectacular city centre procession.

The extended programme of Christmas events for children has been made possible by reducing the money the council spends on New Year’s Eve. This reflects the fact that more people have chosen to have parties at home or to go to city centre bars and clubs rather than to see in the New Year at an organised council event. This year, rather than an organised event, there will be a firework display at midnight which will be seen all over the city centre by revellers.

Jonathan Cheetham in his capacity as Chairman of Birmingham City Centre Partnership welcomes the council’s plans. He says: “I am particularly pleased to see that the programming of the events has been amended to concentrate resources over the pre-Christmas period, whilst reshaping New Year’s Eve to make this possible. Also I believe that moving some of the activities over different weekends in the lead up to Christmas will give people an opportunity to enjoy all the events, rather than pack everything in to one day”.

The plans have also been backed by city centre retailers, Kevin Breese, Chairman of Retail Birmingham explains why: “We firmly believe that the superb programme of proposed Christmas activities will help to encourage people to come to the city centre for shopping and entertainment right across the Christmas period. Combined with the fantastic retail offer in the city centre we are confident that Birmingham will be the place to be this Christmas.”


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Cor blimey, doesnt time fly, its still summer :cheers:

bit of a U-turn from there "no christmas" stance

clarkson's on TV slating birmingham again

clarkson's on TV slating birmingham again

Saying what?

Ignore the permed ponce

"clarkson's on TV slating birmingham again"

oh how hapyhe was to find out such an scuh was not friom birmibngham. such person then tells joje about birmingham , how he come from the south of birmingham, which is called battersea, some rubbish like that

oh sod clarkson

Went to Birmingham today, 1st time since the Bullring was open. B'ham never ceases to amaze me, it's a great city. I am ashamed to tell people I live in Sheffield.
Met some friends (they live in Bournville and others in Rednal) and my mates daughter went to Sheffield uni. She hated the place, called it derilict. She was so pleased to get back to b'ham. Well I cant blame her.
The city was buzzing today, the Bullring looks great and everything is lovely and clean.
Well done to Birmingham, you should be proud of your city ;)

Thanks Sony...and we are :)

Here's a few left over pics from my travels today
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/VicSq6.jpg

Street Wardens??? What are they all about?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/StreetWardens.jpg

Looking towards St Pauls from the NIA
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/StPaulsfromNIA.jpg

That big wheel thing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/CP1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/CP3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/CP2.jpg

Great Charles street queensway
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/GtCharlesQueensway.jpg

Great pics Smiles, and thanks Sony for the comments! I like Sheffield, its only going to get better too you know!

Great pictures - happy times for Brummies :cheers:

Cheers....who or what are those Street Wardens..what do they do, what powers do they have, what's he holding in left hand...so many questions?? :? :? :?

Just ignore the Clarkson quips. A lot of what he says is in jest, just look at his car reviews. It's part and parcel of who he is, it's the no brainers who believe the rubbish and the 'jokes' that have a problem.

... and will culminate in a magical moment when the city centre’s Christmas lights are switched on by a household name ...
Possibly the Andrex puppy or Mr Muscle.

There you go, you see. There will be people who read this and genuinely think the Birmingham lights are going to be switched on by Mr Muscle. It's sad really.

Clarkson hates everybody and everything and everywhere so I don't know why some people are getting offended. I find him amusing - he complained in a dinner review in the Sunday Times that you can't get lobster late at night in Birmingham, but you can in London. But London is noisy and grubby and hot unlike his village in the Cotswolds, which is quiet and beautiful. But you have to drive everywhere and there are no local facilites.

It's only his on-screen persona, and in all honestly we can all admit there are very few places that have 'got it right'. No city in this country can lay claim to that (well, maybe Ripon or somewhere like that...)

MG Rover deal ignites Birmingham’s hopes
August 8, 2005

London - Nanjing Automobile's plans to produce sports cars at MG Rover's mothballed Longbridge car plant in England's second city Birmingham have ignited hopes of radical regeneration for the area.

"This is possibly the largest and strategically most significant development opportunity in the West Midlands for many years," said Ken Hardeman, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member charged with overseeing regeneration.

"This site will attract international interest and it essential that we have guidelines in place to ensure that all development on the site is geared to generating jobs, regenerating the local area and boosting the regional economy."

Following its purchase of MG Rover's assets, Nanjing Automobile said last week it had reached agreement with the GB Sports Car Company to make cars at Longbridge in Britain's traditional manufacturing heartland.

Industry experts and trade unions were not so optimistic, however.

"If somebody wants to make sports cars, that's a perfectly viable proposition but it won't create many jobs because the infrastructures in that case are very small," said Nick Matthews, of the Warwick Manufacturing Group, an academic body that advises the automotive industry.

"The competition in that sector is high... so in that context it's difficult to imagine how it could be a successful proposition."

GB Sports is headed by Fraser Welford-Winton, the former managing director of Powertrain, the engine division of collapsed British car maker MG Rover.

"We are delighted to have such fine British partners to reach our goals," Wang Hong Biao, Vice President of the Nanjing Automobile Group had said following news of the tie-up.

But neither Nanjing nor Welford-Winton revealed the exact number of jobs to be created following the deal.

China's oldest carmaker, Nanjing agreed last month to pay just over £50 million (R 557 million) for the remains of MG Rover and Powertrain -- winning control despite competition from Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

Century-old MG Rover, which produced the Mini and Jaguar, was forced to axe 6 000 workers in April at Longbridge after a failed tie-up with SAIC pushed it into bankruptcy.

Trade unions -- which had favoured SAIC's proposed deal after reports it would secure more workers' posts -- were realistic about jobs at the suspended MG Rover plant.

"Clearly Nanjing have already indicated that their plans do not involve restarting volume car production at Longbridge," said Claire Ainsley, spokeswoman for the Transport and General Workers' Union.

"We want to talk with Nanjing about chances for West Midlands and Longbridge in particular, and clearly about British jobs. At the moment 6,000 have gone so there aren't jobs to save. It's a question of creation of jobs now."

Regarding the GB Sports car deal, she added: "It's difficult to give a comment about (the deal) until we've met with Nanjing and talked about the impact on jobs and what we will hopefully be able to negotiate in the future."

Confusion reigned over the number of workers that might be employed at Longbridge, amid speculation that up to 2 000 jobs could be created within the next few years if production were resumed in a limited capacity.

"It's very difficult in this situation to differentiate facts from spin, it's just impossible to determine where the truth is" regarding the number of jobs to be created, Matthews said. – AFP

well if they are only going to be producing spots cars, then theres an awfull amount of land left over, ripe for developing high tech industry!

Good thing St Modwen owns the site and not Nanjing then. We need to be out of the traps fast on this one chaps.

The Chinese are interested in Marconi now. That's it let's all pack up and go home! When the Chinese get really going, we'd better have our pensions secure. Also, if every single Chinese person jumped at the same time, it would fuck up the Earth's spin on it's axis apparently.....

I was thinking the same thing -

what shall we sell them next? The crown jewels? maybe scotland...?

cant someone update the birmingham developments thread, people who will read that will not be aware of the several projects missing

cant someone update the birmingham developments thread, people who will read that will not be aware of the several projects missing

Its been recently done mate, Plus I would wait a few weeks until we hear about Arena Central, Martineu and other projects aiming to come out in the near future :cheers:

I met up with LSyd again this evening. He'll be on his way back to other Birmingham in Alabama in the next few days and stopped over in Brum again for one more night before he flies back. I drove him to Selly Oak so he could get some pics of the Graffiti and the JC Clock tower and then onto Edgbaston for some pics of Perrots Folly and the waterworks tower. He hasn't posted any of his other Brum pics up yet because he's broke the power supply to his laptop but he took a fair few tonight so I'll guess that his total collection will be well over 100. His room was on the 11th floor of Jury's Inn looking toward the Hyatt and Alpha......I forgot to take my camera so I couldn't get any pics of the view up there.....durrr! :doh:
Here's a pic of LSyd taking photo's of the Graffiti in Selly Oak
http://tinypic.com/ablbvd.jpg

You are the perfect Ambassador Smiley - see you soon Lsyd!

Bulldozers move in on Pebble Mill Aug 11 2005







Bulldozers and diggers have started flattening the former Birmingham home of the BBC to make way for a £100 million science and technology park.

The landmark Pebble Mill building is being torn down as part of a demolition programme by Birmingham-based specialists DSM, which should be complete by November.

The park is expected to be home to world-class research and development facilities for the medical and healthcare industries.

Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, which has a 95-year lease on the site from Calthorpe Estates, is looking for potential occupants for the first phase of the park. The development links into the Central Technology Belt, a hightechnology corridor running along the A38 between Aston Science Park and Malvern Science Park.

Pebble Mill was the home of the BBC in Birmingham for 33 years before moving to new studios and offices at the Mailbox last year.

Advantage West Midlands chief executive John Edwards said: "I have mixed feeling from seeing Pebble Mill being demolished. While it means the loss of an historic landmark building for the city, it also means a new era with an exciting hightechnology future. The recent situation at MG Rover makes the progress made with our infrastructure projects in the Central Technology Belt all the more encouraging."

A £1bn plan for future Aug 11 2005

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By John Cranage


A £1 billion investment plan aimed at creating and protecting more than 30,000 jobs will be unveiled by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands today.

The money will be spent over the next three years on a range of projects outlined in AWM's latest corporate plan upon which Government spending in the region between now and 2008 will be based.

The plan pledges help, among other things, to promote the creation of thousands of new businesses, improve the work skills of thousands of indivduals and reclaim hundreds of acres of derelict land.

The overall aim is to support business, create more and better jobs and help close the gap between the most prosperous and the most deprived parts of the West Midlands.

"The key to making the West Midlands a world class region and developing the economy is to get the public, private and voluntary sectors to agree on a way forward and then invest our combined billions to achieve this," AWM chairman John Edwards said.

"Our most vital role as an agency is to lead this process.

"We will, ourselves, invest £1 billion over the next three years, but others must play their part if we are to do the best we can for the region.

"Developing the West Midlands as a world class region with an economy to match won't be easy."

Projects highlighted in the plan include the £80 million Eastside Technology Park and Learning and Leisure quarter on land around Millennium Point in Birmingham which are expected to create about 9,000 jobs.

Work is now underway on developing the Central Technology Belt at the former home of the BBC at Pebble Mill and at Longbridge to create worldclass science park facilities.

"The region's diverse and dynamic business is developing an enterprise culture, driven by what companies tell us they need to thrive and grow," said Mr Edwards.

"Business now has access to an array of agency finance initiatives that are the equal to anywhere in the UK."

He pointed to the work that AWM is doing with the Regional Skills Partnership and the Learning and Skills Council to overcome the region's skills shortgages and to drive up management and leadership skills.

The agency also stresses that it is working with other bodies to help improve the region's struggling transport network.

Its six regeneration zones had been allocated £250 million over the next three years to boost some of the region's most deprived and hard-to-reach communities.

"As the region develops and flagship projects transform our landscape, it is important that those outside the West Midlands realise its potential and recognize us as a world class region - one in which they would be glad to invest, work, live and study," said Mr Edwards.

He went on to stress that the £1 billion budget was only a fraction of the £60 billion of public sector investment that will be made in the West Midlands over the next three years by local authorities, universities, the NHS, and by skills and transport providers.

"If we can influence the way other public sector funding is spent, we will have a far greater impact on the region's economic performance," he added.

Oh thats what the meeting was about today, the coniving git wouldnt tell me ... Ill have a word with him later

Great news, I especially like the the bit about the Learning & Leisure quarter around Millenium Point, maybe the Tate Tower will come to fuitation afterall ;) :cheers1:

lol, well its good to see the ball still has momentum in regenerating our city...... eastside stuff! and pepplemil is ace!

If you would like to air your views to the people that count regarding the library, try the following individuals:

Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of the Council (the top man)
Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of the Council (his no. 1)
Cllr Michael Wilkes (Chair of Scrutiny Committee for Library)

Also the following people may be useful:

Cllr Ken Hardeman (Regeneration)
Cllr Les Lawrence (Education & Lifelong Learning)

You can write to them at:

(Name)
Birmingham City Council
The Council House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B1 1BB

and/or firstname.surname@birmingham.gov.uk

Personally I will be voting for the new library at Eastside! I would advise that the letters/emails have a nice tone to them as it is more likely that the councillor will take the comments on board.

Happy writing! :)

Bulldozers move in on Pebble Mill Aug 11 2005


Bulldozers and diggers have started flattening the former Birmingham home of the BBC to make way for a £100 million science and technology park.

The landmark Pebble Mill building is being torn down as part of a demolition programme by Birmingham-based specialists DSM, which should be complete by November.

The park is expected to be home to world-class research and development facilities for the medical and healthcare industries.

Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, which has a 95-year lease on the site from Calthorpe Estates, is looking for potential occupants for the first phase of the park. The development links into the Central Technology Belt, a hightechnology corridor running along the A38 between Aston Science Park and Malvern Science Park.

Pebble Mill was the home of the BBC in Birmingham for 33 years before moving to new studios and offices at the Mailbox last year.

Advantage West Midlands chief executive John Edwards said: "I have mixed feeling from seeing Pebble Mill being demolished. While it means the loss of an historic landmark building for the city, it also means a new era with an exciting hightechnology future. The recent situation at MG Rover makes the progress made with our infrastructure projects in the Central Technology Belt all the more encouraging."

If you would like to air your views to the people that count regarding the library, try the following individuals:

Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of the Council (the top man)
Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of the Council (his no. 1)
Cllr Michael Wilkes (Chair of Scrutiny Committee for Library)

Also the following people may be useful:

Cllr Ken Hardeman (Regeneration)
Cllr Les Lawrence (Education & Lifelong Learning)

You can write to them at:

(Name)
Birmingham City Council
The Council House
Victoria Square
Birmingham
B1 1BB

and/or firstname.surname@birmingham.gov.uk

Personally I will be voting for the new library at Eastside! I would advise that the letters/emails have a nice tone to them as it is more likely that the councillor will take the comments on board.

Happy writing! :)


good idea mate. I notice that the liverpool forumers have a contacts thread stickied - perhaps we could do the same. I know one or two forumers here like corresponding!

Very good idea, if certain counsellors email addresses were only a click away I'm sure we'd all be up for airing our views about certain issues

Front page of The Post today - looks like the council have agreed to back a Birmingham supercasino - the are just to decide where - NEC or Blues.

This means they can apply to the government for a casino, but they may go for the NEC because the government doesn't like the idea of having a casino near housing...

It seems like the council are seeing sense on many things! Hurrah!

Good news there Bio

Some more off beat news but still good none the less

Birmingham set standard for 2012
By Kate Hoey
(Filed: 11/08/2005)
Daily Telegraph



It was difficult to compete with the drama and excitement of the Test match in Birmingham at the weekend, though the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Association certainly tried. All week they have hosted the World Junior Championships, which end at the National Indoor Arena on Saturday.


The inaugural championships in Canada in 1997 involved only seven countries. Canada won that event and the last one in Brazil in 2001. This year 12 countries are represented which is a measure of the growth in popularity of wheelchair basketball over the last eight years.

To get to Birmingham the teams had to qualify through zonal tournaments in Argentina, Belgium, Kenya and Malaysia. The championships are a showcase for the stars of the future but some of the young Athens paralympic players are also competing, among them Terry Bywater who was in the British team for Sydney and Athens.

Like so many of the minority sports, wheelchair basketball gets little media attention and has to struggle for sponsorship. Yet this sport is one of the most exciting to watch. It demands huge skill as well as bravery and strength and is certainly not for the weak-hearted.

Birmingham City Council excelled in their support for these world championships as they do for so many of the international sports events they stage throughout the year. Birmingham lead all other British cities in the number of world, European and national sporting events they host.

No wonder they are classed as a European City of Sport for All. To stage a world-class event like this requires a huge amount of work, but what a difference it makes to the athletes when a championship is organised with their needs paramount.

That is why it is so important when planning the facilities for athletes coming to London in 2012 that the process is athlete-centred. The BOA have always been quick to organise the team's needs when planning for Olympics elsewhere and I expect them to be equally aware of the bottom-up approach when it comes to the Games in London.

But the Paralympic Games require even more specialist input from athletes and so far there has been little public discussion on making sure that we deliver a superb Games equipped for the needs of our Paralympians.

As the host country we will be able to enter teams by right in all the disciplines of the Paralympics and the Olympics. This means some sports will be fielding teams for the first time.

Exactly a month from the announcement in Singapore a letter sent by Liz Nicholl, performance director of UK Sport, has just been received by the governing bodies of Olympic sports who are not in receipt of funding.

She asks them to take part in an "initial scoping" of their sport to include international comparisons and an overview of the domestic competition and British performance. She says: "We do need to encourage those sports not currently funded by UK Sport to take a cautious approach to preparing for the possibility of world-class performance becoming available."

a casino by the NEXC wouldn't be all that bad

I think a casino at both would be great but if I had to choose I think I would go for the Blues one, just because it would give us a new stadium. I can't really see that the casino would cause too many socio-economic problems in Saltley. But it also makes sense that visitors have something to do at the NEC after an exhibition.

BUT - I would say Blues. ONLY if we get a new stadium!

I go for the Blues option too.It would be good for the area.

BUt there's already a casino near saltley, Star City

City to press ahead with bid for super-casino Aug 12 2005
By Paul Dale, Chief Reporter


It is an odds-on bet that Birmingham will submit a bid to the Government for permission to open a super-casino, according to the politician in charge of the city's regeneration portfolio.

Councillor Ken Hardeman insisted last night that there was an overwhelming majority among each of the three main political parties on the city council in favour of pressing forward with an extensive gambling complex.

He also disclosed that nine out of ten cabinet members are backing a super-casino, with only Leisure spokesman John Alden against the idea.

A council debate next month is certain to embrace the principle of a casino for Birmingham, although members will steer clear of selecting a specific site.

Lobbying for two alternatives - a new Birmingham City Football Club stadium and casino at Saltley and a casino and leisure complex at the National Exhibition Centre - is intensifying.

Birmingham City FC and its partner, Las Vegas Sands, are preparing a presentation which they will put to the council at the end of September.

Earlier this week the NEC board met to discuss its plan. Coun Hardeman said the failure of the cabinet two weeks ago to reach a decision, following Coun Alden ' s announcement that he would not support a casino bid, should not be viewed as significant.

He added: "We always knew there would be some people, although not many, on the council who would view a casino as taboo in every sense. But the executive have agreed in principle that Birmingham should be up there and bidding for a casino."

Coun Hardeman said the Birmingham City scheme could release up to 80 acres for regeneration in an economically downtrodden area. But he conceded that Government fears about placing casinos close to housing could push the council towards backing the NEC.

BUt there's already a casino near saltley, Star City

Yep, but we are talking about no ordinary casino here Pirlo. This is being funded by a Las Vegas company, one of the largest in the strip. Not only will it be great news for Birmingham if we get it, we will also get a new stadium aswell as a higer profile on the international stage.

We really need it - just imagine the future potential investment of corporate companies like Sands and co who will look to the West Midlands as a base, If we were to win it.

Hunters eyes Irish sites in city Aug 4 2005
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Hunters Chartered Surveyors has acquired three important sites just off Broad Street in Birmingham for Irish firm Cornerstone Properties.

Over the last two years the directors of Hunters have built a strong working relationship with Cornerstone in providing high quality locations in the UK which meet the demands of Irish investors.

Hunters has several offices covering a wide area of the Midlands but to date have not been involved with Birmingham city centre schemes.

However, Hunters chairman John Ozwell confirmed that there is strong interest in the city from their Irish clients and that he is continuing to look at other well located development projects close to the city centre.

Hunters head of development projects Garyth Hughes said: "Whereas Birmingham has maintained good growth over the last few years, we considered that with the ongoing regeneration of Eastside and Southside there will continue to be more good development opportunities."

Mr Ozwell said Hunters will be extending its working relationship with Cornerstone into other major cities in the UK where they see growth potential in the residential sector.

Cornerstone Properties has offices in Dublin and is headed by managing director Ray Bolger. Hunters Land Development team is in Knowle, Solihull.

Temple Point design is just capital Aug 12 2005
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Work has begun on Birmingham's largest grade A office scheme under construction at Temple Point, Temple Row.

Developer Frontier Estates will strip the 72,000 sq ft, 12-storey property back to its frame, transforming the 1970s city centre building into an iconic, landmark using an innovative mix of materials and a distinctive design.

Greg Shutt of agents, Grenville Smith & Duncan said: "Temple Point will come to the market in Spring 2006 and will fulfil a real supply shortfall."

Frontier Estates claims that Temple Point will bring a new style of architecture to the West Midlands, formerly seen only in the City of London.

With features such as a double height glazed reception area and a new "penthouse" office floor, affording the tenants a bird's eye view across the city, the scheme will incorporate glass, granite, timber and steel with imaginative lighting and the latest in ' smart ' technology.

Changes at street level along Temple Row and its retail outlets will be complemented by new paving, planting and street furniture - "a new environment for pedestrians and shoppers alike".

The building is being marketed jointly by GSD and Knight Frank.

do we know which building this is??????

Next tol Rackhams isn't it? (Part of the same building)

there's a rendering lying about this somewhere

Here it is...

http://www.egpropertylink.com/PropertyImages/08/008052408Windsor%20House-Temple%20Point.jpg

now post an old picrure too please!!

hopefully the building that houses JJB/WHSmith/Clinto cards get a refurb soon too

As it is now...

http://www.cityoffices.net/site/images/projectimages/birmingham/WindsorHouseLarge.jpg

That's a vast improvement.Thanks for that.

I think Birmingham should focus more renovating some nice 60s 70s buildings (like Post & Mail, Natwest tower) and spend more money for building new ones where needed. Birmingham's city centre is underdeveloped (due to ring road), it should be double in size, Great Charles Queensway it's screaming for some highrises.

Soul I couldnt agree more, but dont worry its coming - infact Even Earlybird has admitted Birmingham is closing in on Manchester ;)

Arena central, HCT, Tate Tower and Richardson Tower along with low rises such as The Cube, Martineau Galleries, new casino and stadium and Eastside would do for me for the next five years. Man, all these lot would make the city look beautiful. Just dream.

I think the most important developments for the next 7 years (London 2012) should be Eastside, the new rail station and the restructuring of St chads (filling up the empty spaces in both sides with some high-quality high-rise office buildings. If these happen everything will get much easier...

I think the most important developments for the next 7 years (London 2012) should be Eastside, the new rail station and the restructuring of St chads (filling up the empty spaces in both sides with some high-quality high-rise office buildings. If these happen everything will get much easier...
I agree with you there.
The new New St and an iconic library (although that may have slipped us by now) are my top two developments. But while they will bring a better image for Birmingham, we won't feel the full economic benefit if there is not enough grade A office space waiting for investors.

I think the most important developments for the next 7 years (London 2012) should be Eastside, the new rail station and the restructuring of St chads (filling up the empty spaces in both sides with some high-quality high-rise office buildings. If these happen everything will get much easier...

No no no :cry:

It is wrong to surround cathedrals with highrise buildings - at least give the cathedral a decent enough courtyard so it isn't overshadowed too much. I visited the 2 cathedrals in Hong Kong, and they are beautiful buildings but are completely dominated by the massive office blocks around them :(

I would however advocate some very modern 3 or 4 storey buildings around, then some highrises beyong those. I think the St Chads plan has a public square in front of it though so that's good.

I do think however that we need to forge ahead with all the infrastructure and the rest will follow. We need to get the new road layouts sorted, the station done and the library done (this doesn't help the city per se but it shows that the city has faith in itself).

I really hope they make a good job with St Chad's surroundings and pull it into the centre a bit more.It's really isolated at the moment.A couple of years ago I saw a black and white drawing of the church with the original buildings around it;chaotic but beautiful at the same time.

why not kill the birds with one stone,

why not have the stadium built near the NEC, that way we'll get a new stadium (which would have better transport links then one in saltley() and at the same time the NEC would also get a casino too. after all there were plans to build a stadium there

Because Its not in the city

I don't think Blues fans would be too happy about travelling to the NEC .You never know.

Bosses warn city has to change direction Aug 15 2005
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By Helen Gabriel


An obsession with "terminally ill" traditional manufacturing is jeopardising Birmingham's development, the city's business community has warned.

It risks being left behind by rival cities unless it ditches its "over affection" with saving manufacturing jobs that are doomed, according to members of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI).

The warnings are among responses to a survey by the BCI of its 4,000 members which are being used to plot a road map for the city's future over the next decade.

The plan, concentrating on putting forward a common view of the future on key topics such as manufacturing, science and technology, will be presented to local government decision-makers later this year.

The chamber's director of policy Jerry Blackett said: "It's an ambitious piece of work. We are trying to determine what Birmingham can and should be in ten years' time."

He said it was important the road map came from businesses rather than government.

"If we don't do it then the public sector will produce a road map and it may not be the best one for Birmingham," he said.

"We would rather lead the way for the city in the next ten years than follow public agencies, because we believe it is the business sector which will deliver growth and development for Birmingham and determine whether it flourishes or not."

Among the concerns and solutions highlighted in the survey were:

* Capitalising upon Birmingham's status as a science city n The acceptance of nano and bio-technology as the 'new manufacturing'

* The retention of intellectual property and skilled graduates from local universities

* More input from younger members of Birmingham's business community

* Clear vision and leadership to project a better image of the city

Mr Blackett said the BCI had researched, with the help of Birmingham-based development consultancy Calkas, the factors likely to influence change in the city over the next decade.

"Calkas outlined the things Birmingham is likely to be influenced by, and the factors we will feel more strongly in this city because of what we are - like a growth in the services sector and a shift from manufacturing - but to what?

"We are producing a document from the results of our research to take to the leaders of the business community and the public sector in the city this autumn, including politicians, Advantage West Midlands and the city council.

"By then we want to have involved as many business leaders as we can in building up this vision to say 'This is where we think Birmingham can be in ten years if it really gets its act together, but we are only going to get there with your support, and if you do what you are paid to do we can deliver this vision.'"

He said the last plan of this scale to be made was the Highbury initiative, between business leaders and the council, 15 years ago, which planned Brindleyplace and demolished the old Bullring.

Mr Blackett added: "The real challenge is who is going to get there first. Cities like Leeds and Manchester will also be looking to the future and making the most of similar opportunities.

"There isn't room for every city to be a world leader in nano-technology, and we've got to be good at getting there first. We are at an advantage because we are a central city and we are also very multi-cultural."

Ian Squires, president of the BCI, first called on local businesses to help develop a vision for the next ten years in his annual speech in April.

Research presented to the BCI by Calkas said key drivers of change in Birmingham in the next decade would include demographics, employment practices, global politics, scientific and technological development and the environment.

another interesting article

Brum task force to sell region across the world Aug 15 2005
By Paul Dale And John Marsden


The biggest names in the West Midlands business, cultural and political world have joined forces to boost the region across the world.

Sir Digby Jones, the director general of the CBI, will lead a 27-strong task force of Brummie ambassadors charged with generating economic growth and banging the drum for the city.

The idea is the brainchild of Advantage West Midlands, which is behind a £1 million marketing campaign to reverse the low profile of Birmingham.

The ambassadors' group includes many of the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs in the Midlands.

Among the membership are high-tech millionaire Sir Peter Rigby, Lord Kumar Battacharya of the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Pertemps chairman Tim Watts, former Ford boss Sir Nick Scheele, Islamic bank chief executive Michael Hanlon, Coutts Bank Midland chairman Paul Bassi, mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell, Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis, and Birmingham City chief executive Karren Brady.

The cultural dimension is represented by David Bintley, head of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and Stephen Maddock, chief executive of the CBSO.

The political world is represented by Baroness Amos, the leader of the House of Lords; Baroness Crawley, chairman of the Women's National Commission and Lord Turner, former leader of the West Midlands Parliamentary Labour Party.

AWM director of marketing and communications, Sara Moseley, insisted the group would not become an unproductive talking shop.

Membership selection had been driven by Sir Digby with the intention of bringing together high-flyers who could use their contacts and expertise to boost the economy of the West Midlands, she said.

Sir Digby, who will chair the first meeting of the ambassadors on September 30, said: "Over the years we have been very good at promoting the region within the region, which can sometimes be preaching to the converted. However we need to be equally good in London, in Brussels, in America, in Australia.

"The aim of the ambassadors is to spread the word about the region's achievements throughout the United Kingdom and throughout the world wherever we go."

Ms Moseley added: "It has become apparent that we need a group of individuals who have a national and international profile and who can really influence decision making and raise the profile and reputation of the West Midlands in a targeted way."

She said the group would be expected to deliver on a series of targets and outcomes. Initial priorities are likely to include improving the transportation infrastructure and securing training camps for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Ms Moseley added: "This is not about having a beauty parade of the great and the good. It is about how we can influence decision making in the best interests of the West Midlands.

"These are extremely entrepreneurial, bright and driven people and this is a fantastic opportunity to secure some of the highest-level thinking."

The announcement of the new group coincides with a critical survey among Birmingham Chamber of Commerce members into the way the city is promoted.

The chamber is calling on all relevant agencies to join together to promote a single common view.

Members were concerned at the lack of high-profile business leaders under the age of 35.

It is also claimed that the lack of a single decisionmaking body is slowing progress and holding Birmingham back.

well al this can onl lead to greater good for the city!

Just to l;et you all know, the 10 storey residential block proposed for the site opposite Westside.....has been APPROVED

That task force is quite a bunch of heavyweights! All good as long as they can deliver the goods. We really need the city, conurbation and region to speak with one voice.

Just to l;et you all know, the 10 storey residential block proposed for the site opposite Westside.....has been APPROVED

Is this the one at Queensgate next to the Mailbox?

yup, finally one of the worst builingins in that area (next to the road) will be going!!!!!

I thought it was a part-demo & refurb & part new-build?

All in all it is not a bad building, but could do with a bloody good clean. Personally I would prefer a glass-fronted building set back from the road slightly that angles back from the street toward the Mailbox. But that ain't gonna happen!

yup,

the top 3 floors are coming off and being rebuilt as floors steping back.......prob to allow for the construction of some roof top terraces.

i understand aswell that the entire thing is going to be clad in glass other than another building being built behind the existing on.

so that horrid grimmy office block is now going to be reclad, part rebuilt and extending into a nice glass apartment block!

This area is really seeing heavy redevelopment!
Add in the completed arena central almost next to the mailbox and in 10 years time it will be a fantastic area of the city.

http://www.mcnaughtonassociates.co.uk/

heres the developes website, they are based in the building so may own it ? which means they will probably be looking for a major housebuolder/developer to take this on

but with pp its an attractive proposition for someone

So its been approved but nobody knows what it will look like ;) still, good news :cheers1:

Yeh this area really has gone through some extensive developent recently, and still got Orion 2, AC and the Cube to go up in close proximity to it. Hopefully that car park next to HCT is next.

Well, Pirlo, I think you will be pleased with thr front page of the Birmingham Post today!

The headline reads "Clamour Grows for City Mayor".

You been harassing the journo's?? :)

And contrary to the rumours I heard earlier this month, I am now hearing that Stephenson Tower is due to come down. I suspected it would because I cannot see how that would make a viable office or apartment block really (although in comparison, council flats are much bigger than apartments).

Let's play a game - what is the most imaginative way that Stephenson Tower can be removed?

I vote for an the world record game of Jenga. Impractical but fun!

i recon it should be used as aprop for the next holliwood movie.

i cant remember what the movie was, but it had wil smith in and it was about him being bugged because someone dropped something in his bag which his kid things is a game boy game but turns out it isnt.

anyway, the point of this blabbering is that in hat movie, they were filmed in a building that was due for demolition (in the real world).....and so they incorporated the two together........ they blew the thing up as if it had been hit my a missle......so a huge ball of flames.........shyould be like a big this to signal the start of the redevelopment of the area.....slightly like they blew up 5 stones of masshouse to signal the start of that.......... but this time on a much larer scale!

Pump the thing full of liquid wax, stick a wick through the roof and allow the wax to solidify. Then paint tick marks down the side of the building that correspond with a months burn. Set light to the wick and you have a beautiful candle that counts down to the opening of the new New St station.

yeah but dont you feel sory for those rich enough to live in orion or HCT to have a see of wax outside their front doors every month

Air lift it away and drop it on the library (empty of course) two birds with one fuck off big stone.

here's the front page

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/docs/icBirmingham/000766F4-AFFE-1301-A6650C01AC1BF814.jpg

Good to see someone is taking charge Aug 14 2005
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.






Chambers of commerce are instinctively conservative organisations not noted for controversy or outspokenness.

That is what makes the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry's ten-year plan setting out what this city should stand for in 2015 all the more extraordinary. It is a piece of work that leaps from the page and grabs the reader by the jugular.

More than that, it is an accurate and refreshingly honest appreciation of why and how Birmingham must alter its thinking to take advantage of changing global economic patterns. It is precisely the type of document that could and should have been produced by the City Council, or Advantage West Midlands, or any of the glut of quangos and public sector talking shops that profess to have our best interests at heart.

The BCI's 4,000 members are right to conclude that there is an obsession with attempting to save traditional manufacturing jobs that are almost always doomed by the impact of globalisation - making it possible to produce cars or trains or the type of metal-bashing products that Birmingham was once famous for at a half the cost anywhere in the developing world.

Too often vast sums of public money have been poured into overseeing the lingering death of uneconomic industries chiefly because it is politically expedient for MPs and councillors to pretend to bail out uncompetitive companies rather than face headlines about lost jobs.

What ought to be happening instead is a concerted effort to attract science and technology-based manufacturing to Birmingham with as much determination as was displayed 150 years ago when the possibilities flowing from the industrial revolution first became clear.

The demise of traditional manufacturing, particularly the car industry, and the emergence of new types of science-based industry and the growth of the professional services sector must be seen as a huge opportunity for employment in Birmingham rather than impending disaster.

The city's leaders must not be permitted to allow Birmingham to sleepwalk and wallow in past glories while rival cities take practical steps to exploit changing circumstances. But there again, who runs Birmingham?

A common thread running through the BCI research is the lack of a clear vision shared by public sector agencies, the lack of a single decision making body and, most of all, the absence of a leader of whom it could be said: "The buck stops here".

yes!! fantastic news!! hopefully we get someone who ACTUALLY cares for the city as opposed to thier own self,

and thank god Stephenson Tower is going, i for one dont care if we dont get something talr there as long as it is looks really good

"Present council leader Mike Whitby, a leading figure behind the anti-mayor campaign in 2001, said last night that he had not changed his mind.

Coun Whitby (Con Harborne) said: "It would introduce another unnecessary and costly layer of bureaucracy.

"I have not been impressed by what I have seen of the American model. It is not in the best traditions of British democratic politics."

piss off!!, nit impressed by the american model?? Chicagos's mayor(cant remember his name) has widely be considered the miost sucessfull mayor and also the reason why chigaco looks the way it does. And new york had a guy called giliani, who reduced crime, improved the infustructure, and much more besides. the only reason why whitby (who is really annoying me now) is against the idea is because it would take powers away from him, and rightly so as he does not care about the city rather about making connections for his next job. heaven foebid if HE became mayor.

I am afraid Whitby is talking our of his rear end here.

"It is not in the best traditions of British democratic politics." Who gives a toss about traditions? Birmingham helped break the mould when we were at our greatest - in the time of Joseph Chamberlain. We were instrumental in municipalising Britain and Birmingham was almost autonomous. Time to do it again! That's a tradition surely....

And as for democracy - MOST of the people who voted in the referendum voted to have an elected mayor, with the vote split between a mayor + cabinet and mayor + executive. The rest voted to keep things the way they are.

THE MAJORITY VOTED TO HAVE AN ELECTED MAYOR yet we were denied this opportunity. Does that sound like democracy?

I guess you can tell this annoyed me ;)

yeah but dont you feel sory for those rich enough to live in orion or HCT to have a see of wax outside their front doors every month
:fiddle: my heart bleeds.
To be fair, though, we should provide them with some shovels.

Whitby is saying these things to protect his powers, and with due reason.
The equivalent of a Mayor of London would be a Mayor of the West Midlands who would have powers to make decisions right across all the councils here.
This means he/she would be a higher power than Birmingham's council leader and therefore would not be "another unnecessary and costly layer of bureaucracy".

this would be wicked, a westmidlands mayor!!!!!!!!!

also, having a mayor for the west midlands would also go and help to unite the cities and councils that until recently have never really complimented eachother.....ie coventry and birmingham. having someone to bring unity to the entire conurbation would be amazing........

Does anyone know whats happening with Auchinleck house, according to Locate "aint that great" Birmingham, it was in design stage around April time. Its got some very significant plans for the site, which could see a couple of towers, or at the very least, a massive great big mid-rise box ;)

"which could see a couple of towers, or at the very least, a massive great big mid-rise box"

your one optomistic fella aint ya

hmmmm, although i read your post over and over again, i cant help but think that you answer your own question lol

it would seem that yes it has completed the design statges but as of yet there has been no planning applications for the site. originally this was meant to be made april 2004 but mars properties fell out with taylor woodrow i believe!

"which could see a couple of towers, or at the very least, a massive great big mid-rise box"

your one optomistic fella aint ya

Well unless they build underground, it cant be anything else ;) (250 bed hotel - 300 1&2 bed apartments - 80,000 sqft of retail and 75,000sqft of office space)

P.S Oh I didnt know that woody, everyone around Birminghams construction industry seems to be falling out with one another. Thankgod for the Brum alliance. Hoepfully we should here something within the next 6 months. The building is just really getting on my tits now :cheers:

well it was only refurbished about 6 years ago i seem to remember, there a much more important jobs than this.

however, we should just wait and see, should see something highrise here........well if the councils "high places" documanet is to be considered

this would be wicked, a westmidlands mayor!!!!!!!!!

Actualy this would be shit.....'Mayor of Greater Birmingham' is the right one. Birmingham loses so much money compared with Manchester due to 'West Midlands' County, this has to change as soon as possible.

but where do u think that coventry should fit in...... should it become part of warwich shire again considering it almost surrounds coventry????

i mean the west midlands is a shit name i agree. i recon coventry would love to be part of warwickshire (more upperclass) and the rest be changed to greater birmingham

Being part of Greater Birmingham can only have multiple advantages for Coventry. So it's up to them (Bolton is about the same size as convetry I dont think they are bothered being part of Greater Manchester).
Anyway Birmingham probably is the only European city of this size that its conurbation has a different name.

the ruhr valley....now thats the second largest conurbation in europe....and thats a bloody river lol

I should point out that I have only assumed the creation of a mayor would mean a mayor for the west midlands conurbation - I've not heard anything mentioned in that direction but it would make sense. If the mayor was just Mayor of Birmingham then Whitby would be right, it would be an unnecssary extra layer of government.
Actualy this would be shit.....'Mayor of Greater Birmingham' is the right one.
You're right, Greater Birmingham would be a better name. I don't know why we don't use that name yet.
'West Midlands' is really confusing. It can refer to the county (i.e. the conurbation of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Solihull, B'ham, etc) or it can be used to refer to the region (which then includes Shropshire, Worcs, Staffs, Warks, etc). That hardly helps our identity does it?

well i defo recon cov should be in warwichshire........that way warc will get more money from the government as the region would have more people and also be poorer......and birmingham and the conurbation would get the recognition they deserve!

Anyone remember this picture? - Although we might have been stalled in our progress, we really aint done that bad. AC will happen but at a different height and design, HCT was shrunk but has been built, Orion and BST can be added to that and so on, all in all, although people might make out were losing touch, were not. to be honest we've just hit a few rough patches which we seem to be coming through with vigour. Just gotta keep it going :)

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/brumskyline_big.jpg

And my really bad update, I know lots are missing, but I didnt have enough room nor the skills to do it ;) :hahaha:

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8104/774oy.png

Wow thats out of date.
3 (almost 4) of those building have been refirbed since that pic was taken and hct is very different too

God this Birmingham forum is dead :( theres just nothing to report. Manchester have so much to talk about, and we have ... umm, well lol ... I cant actually think of anything.

Ohwell

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8104/774oy.png

Brumculture, all the forums have taken a big drop in activity since the twat hacked us. :(

did anyone watch britains toughest towns on Bravo at 10pm

it was Belfast where they showed paramilitary shootings etc just for joyriding!!

anyway
tomorrow is Birmingham - gang culture - should be interesting
starts at 10pm on Bravo if people are interested

Brumculture, all the forums have taken a big drop in activity since the twat hacked us. :(

I know, its a shame, but saying that, its not his fault that the proposals and renders in Brum are coming as quick as Mark Lewis Francis nowadays ;) :cheers:

Nevermind - some pics

http://www.my-digitalphotos.co.uk/photos/albums/brum2004/l_1864.jpg

http://www.my-digitalphotos.co.uk/photos/albums/brum2004/l_1849.jpg

http://www.my-digitalphotos.co.uk/photos/albums/brum2004/l_1822.jpg


P.S Glad to see Birmingham has its reputation for being the Detroit of the UK :sleepy: shame though, we dont need these sort of programmes showing our bad sides, we need our good sides highlighted, theres plenty of them :(

hmmm, u never know, t may be the fact that the bad side is shown, it makes people be so much more impressed when they come....however, it keeps people away. however which is worse......overhyping a city or underhyping it???

Wow thats out of date.
3 (almost 4) of those building have been refirbed since that pic was taken and hct is very different too
Yeah, it's 200ft shorter! :cry:

God this Birmingham forum is dead :( theres just nothing to report. Manchester have so much to talk about, and we have ... umm, well lol ... I cant actually think of anything.



I wouldnt say its dead mate - there are loads of projects under way or proposed. its just that we dont have many teenagers filling the sub forum with spam and not many pics are been taken lately,
we have our moments

The thing is...its not just Birmingham which the programme is featuring. Each day this week is a different "town"

Its got all the big cities on it

http://www.bravo.co.uk/toughesttowns/index.html

-Turkish heroin gangs in North London
- Gang wars in Brum
- Gang shootings in Manc
- Shootings in Nottingham
- Football hooligans in Portsmouth
- etc etc

so any city always has its bad side...hopefully people will see that not all of the city is at war. The programme says Brum has up to 6 shootings a day...not sure if i believe that - if thats true then it means that they dont get reported anymore

also, having a mayor for the west midlands would also go and help to unite the cities and councils that until recently have never really complimented eachother.....ie coventry and birmingham. having someone to bring unity to the entire conurbation would be amazing........

I think (but am not sure) that a mayor for the West Midlands would be a good idea, but I am not sure if we are unified enough for everyone to throw their heart and soul into it. Even if it was just Birmingham who elected a mayor, he would so much more power than other councils in the West Mids which would cause even more resentment. I do think it is worth a go though.

I am not sold on the Greater Birmingham thing though - whilst I think it sounds good for Brum, and it will undoubtedly do businesses throughout the former West Mids County good by having the Birmingham connection, I am not sure the people of Solihull, Wolverhampton and the Black Country would welcome it with open arms - people feel it strips some of their local identity. It would have to be marketed and sold correctly. It is wrong for the larger body to force itself on its smaller neighbours like Manchester did with its surroundings. Most people I know from Stockport, Bolton etc hated it when they became 'Greater Manchester'.

However, if it is done correctly, and people are told they will come from, say, Olton, Solihull, Greater Birmingham rather than Olton, Greater Birmingham then it may work

I reckon Coventry will go to Warks though - Warks hasn't got a significant-sized city has it?

warkshire can have cov , its a dump anyway, i'd rather not be associated with it

Is it my imagination or has the extension to the Children's Hospital recommenced? I think the lift shaft steelwork is getting higher again...

I think this will look pretty groovy when it is done, and provide a splash of colour as people drive in over the flyover.

I think in the grand scheme of things they are planning to remove that flyover which will be a shame - it really helps commuter time when heading into/from the north.

Incidentally, the progress on that job stopped for 2 reasons I believe - the prospect of having a helipad on top (and then the subsequent investigations etc) and a fall-out with the builder (probably due to the hospital wanting them to stay but doing nothing).

warkshire can have cov , its a dump anyway, i'd rather not be associated with it

:laugh: Now now Pirlo, Birmingham can hardly call Coventry a dump - it is more of our little brother (well, sister) and needs all the support it can get. Warks can have it though!

it is a dump, i have to go there every day, even the new parts are depressing too

However, if it is done correctly, and people are told they will come from, say, Olton, Solihull, Greater Birmingham rather than Olton, Greater Birmingham then it may work
It is a very sensitive move and people need to be made aware of the benefits.
I would hope/expect that replacing "West Midlands" with "Greater Birmingham" would mean "Olton, Solihull, West Midlands" becomes "Olton, Solihull, Greater Birmingham".
The only problem then is with addresses inside Birmingham which would, for example, be "Hall Green, Birmingham, Greater Birmingham", which sounds a bit redundant.

You could just put Hall Green, Birmingham.

Any postie worth his salt will guess that Brum is in Greater Brum :)

Like the Mancs, I doubt they'd bother writing Fallowfield, Manchester, Greater Manchester.

Is it my imagination or has the extension to the Children's Hospital recommenced? I think the lift shaft steelwork is getting higher again...

I think this will look pretty groovy when it is done, and provide a splash of colour as people drive in over the flyover.

I think in the grand scheme of things they are planning to remove that flyover which will be a shame - it really helps commuter time when heading into/from the north.

Incidentally, the progress on that job stopped for 2 reasons I believe - the prospect of having a helipad on top (and then the subsequent investigations etc) and a fall-out with the builder (probably due to the hospital wanting them to stay but doing nothing).

I think the builder was an NHS preferred contractor and the builder decided to pull out of all its NHS work with immediate effect late last year...this was mutually agreed by the NHS, the Childrens was not the only hospital affected !!!

Thanks for the info Brum2003 - was it Wates?

Must have pee'd the Children's Hospital off - they had started on site too.

Do we know whether they are allowing the helipad? There were issues because there weren't 3 clear flight paths to it (as specified by the CAA) only two, but they were hoping for special exemption.

not sure regards the helipad, might have been wates, i just know that the childrens was one of two hospitals affected and the NHS happy for them to stop work on site and go ? all very bizarre

Just dropped the wife in town and had a little drive round. I noticed the new apartment block behind the CBSO has shot up and there's a long run of crappy 80's offices back up Granville Street which look like they are being demolished.

It's Discovery Day this Sunday too which is well worth doing whether you are a local or a visitor. It's free and you get to go into a couple of buildings which are normaly closed to the public. You can go up the council house clock tower and urban splash are conducting a tour of the city too :) Should be a good day to get some pics
http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=61274&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=126

Well its Buzzing on here today, and unfortunately the news is as dry as the bloody Sahara desert but nevermindl, some good news anyway for one of our more famous attributes to this great city.

Best bar naan! Aug 17 2005
By Andy Shipley


BRUM'S world-famous Balti belt has bounced back from the city's devastating tornado with restaurant owners declaring: "We want to make our businesses better than ever."

And today they issued a come-and-support-us plea to people across the West Midlands.

It follows a visit by city Lord Mayor Coun John Hood, who popped into three restaurants last night to enjoy their food and meet business leaders.

He enjoyed a course in each restaurant and wants people to follow his lead by taking their custom back to the Balsall Heath area.

It was among the worst affected by the terrifying July 28 storm with shops, restaurants and homes battered by the 130mph twister.

But one Balti belt boss showed he had not lost his sense of humour, in spite of what happened.

Omar Ajaib, Director of Al Faisal's restaurant in Stoney Lane, has renamed the favourite Gajer Ka Halwa dessert - warm carrot cake and ice cream - enjoyed last night by Coun Hood, as the Tornado Special. It's hot and cold and leaves an impression, just like the tornado," said Omar, aged 26. "This restaurant pioneered the Balti when it opened 25 years ago.

"It's a family business started by my dad Mohammed and we employ about 45 staff," added Omar. "The road was sealed off after the tornado and we came close to having to lay people off but the staff have been brilliant and went a couple of days without wages.

"I'd say to all the people thinking of coming to this area for a meal that we're open and ready to take their orders."

Coun Hood began his tour at the Lahore Kebab House, in Ladypool Road, with shish kebab, chicken tikka and masala fish starter.

Owner and married father-of-four, Raja Javed Iqbal, aged 49, said: "We have been struggling since the tornado and were closed for two weeks."

It was then on to the Shahi Grill, in Stratford Road, for a main course of chicken Balti and lamb Balti - before finally to Al Faisal's.

Owner of Shahi Grill, Azhar Mahmood, aged 44, said: "Obviously our business has been affected but I was personally caught up in the tornado as well. I was driving along Ladypool Road when a tree came down in front of me, and crashed into my car. My car's a write-off but thankfully I'm all right. Now it's a matter of getting business back to normal."

The Lord Mayor gave his wholehearted backing to the businesses telling owners : "I'm here to visit your restaurants and your shops and to taste your fine food.

"I would say to people to come down here and enjoy the food and the shopping and to meet such friendly people."

Coun Hood made a point of buying a £5 pair of Indian slippers, from Midland Fashions, in Ladypool Road, for wife Jean. Owner of the store Erum Javaid, aged 30, said: "I would say we've lost about 60 per cent of our business since the tornado, because we rely on passing trade. A lot of our stock was also damaged."

Other businessmen appealed for more support from customers, urging people to return to the area.

Majid Khan, aged 28, owner of Rouf Jewellers, in Ladypool Road, told of a drop in business.

"People talk about the restaurants but people are still eating because they have to. However, they aren't using the other shops and we need them to come down here."

Ashraf Hussain, aged 60, has run the community newspaper Asian News from offices in Ladypool Road for the past 13 years, but the tornado devastated the offices and he moved in the operation to a friend's garage.

"I would ask the council for help in finding me new premises," said Mr Hussain.

Just a little food for thought:

The developer of Martineau Galleries has taken inspiration from Orion and would like a 25-storey tower on the development.

If this is true then this area will look great with the steps down from MG to McLaren, then up to Masshouse and descending down the Masshouse flight.

The view from St Andrews will be fantastic!

I am really beginning to believe that our skyline is much better than anyone else's (maybe except London and poss Liverpool) - it already is dense and interesting. Manchester poses a challenge, but a few tall towers do not a skyline make - they really need some 15-25 storeys to add a bit of variety.

I wonder what the Brummie skyline will be in 10 years? How much will come to fruition and what surprises will there be? :) :)

Bio we already know about the MG towers, Woody's kept us informed, they plan a couple apparently from 15 to 25 storeys :cheers1:

I know that BC but they were speculative - the developer was hoping to incorporate them. The development is now apparently at a more advanced stage and I have heard, that subject to PP, the 25 storey is all systems go. :cheers1:

when will it go for PP??

at 25 storeys its higher than mcclaren is it not? woodhousen has been very specfic is saying that nothing taller than mclaren will be allowed in this area

How long do we reackon till we see work on site? Toys r us is still there as is the carling acadamy

i rekon this time next year

I know that BC but they were speculative - the developer was hoping to incorporate them. The development is now apparently at a more advanced stage and I have heard, that subject to PP, the 25 storey is all systems go. :cheers1:

Oh I beg your pardon, thought you might have missed something, Inner City living in Birmingham really is hitting the skies, all we need now is the Office towers to go with them. 25 storeys is a good 80m glass structure ;) so thats good height for this area. You know when PP will happen?

I am not sure when it is going in for PP as it is at masterplanning at the moment (I think) - but then surely PP will follow.

Looks like Oasis, Academy, Toy R Us etc etc are all going.

Masshouse Block A is set to be taller than McLaren if they get PP, but it is set to the side of McLaren, so as long as MGT doesn't cast a shadow over McLaren then I would not imagine there would be a problem.

We need more office towers - simply because they are taller for the same amount of floors :) :cheers:

It is a mixed-use development so it wouldn't surprise me if the lower floors are offices and the upper are resi. It will be very interesting...!

Also folks, there was this little titbit: in today's B'ham Post in the Business section there's a piece on a company called Back Group. There's a load of stuff about buy-backs etc but it finishes off with the following:

"... Currently DBK Back is employed as the cost consultant on the planned redevelopment of Edgbaston Shopping Centre, a joint venture between Calthorpe Estates and Amec Developments.

The company has also been appointed by Arena Central as the project manager for their two million sq ft mixed-use development in Broad Street, Birmingham."

Posted twice!

2,000,000sqft is alot but i think it was always expected to be this much at arena central.

reg MGT, a 25 storey tower is still only a touch taller than mclaren.......MGT around 75m, mclaren is 70m so that should be ok, however, we're not ever going to get a 100m+ pinical tower anywhere near here!

2,000,000 sqft is good news, but do you not think there going on old statistics? anyway lets hope not, that should see at least a 150m tower, unless they plan to build 3 100m blocks, which I cant see happening somehow.

2,000,000sqft is alot but i think it was always expected to be this much at arena central.

reg MGT, a 25 storey tower is still only a touch taller than mclaren.......MGT around 75m, mclaren is 70m so that should be ok, however, we're not ever going to get a 100m+ pinical tower anywhere near here!

Nope you are quite right, but I dont mind that - personally on all the renders done etc, this is gonna be the mid-rise dense area of the city heading into Eastside, our main cluster is gonna be in the westide. AC, HCT, BST, ORION, PARADISE when they happen.

Infact I'm already starting to see the formation of how the skyline will look in a few years, from a low to mid-rise east to a high-rise west. Its gonna look marvellous ;) :cheers1:

As this picture hints at

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5508/newstreetfuture7rx.png

BOO!!!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

:crazy: :pet: :tongue2: :uh:

;)

Put it this way, when we I see replies on this forum Ill know something goods happened, Bring on Arena Cnetral :hahaha:

well, you know what they say....no news is good news.......... if thats the case just imagine the good news we're about to get

well, you know what they say....no news is good news.......... if thats the case just imagine the good news we're about to get

:rofl:

Fingers crossed

maybe its a calm before a storm

i've heard a rumour that the independent stall owners, in MG will be gone

i've heard a rumour that the independent stall owners, in MG will be gone

Bloody well hope so, dont wont us knocking um out with a crane ;)

No news is good news? DAMN RIGHT - Jessica Simpsons coming to town ;)


Shaun of glitz but ghouls allowed Aug 18 2005


Neil Connor pulled up to the bumper at Birmingham's first drive-in movie experience and found himself joined at the big screen experience by several celebrities...

You have got to hand it to them - it was certainly something never seen before in Birmingham.

Picture a scrapyard, the size of which hasn't been seen since Superman lost the plot and started throwing tyres around like Freddie Flintoff.

However, in this particular scrapyard there's only a few dozen cars and most were pointed at a giant screen.

Sited all around an area the size of a football pitch were bars and hamburger stalls decked out in Mad Max style decor.

T-Mobile's "Street Movies" is all about bringing the drive-in movie experience to Birmingham. But does it work? Well bizarrely, yes.

Last night the first film on show at the site T-Mobile had commandeered on Curzon Street was Shaun of the Dead, the award-winning romzomcom from a couple of years back.

But before the sun was hidden behind Millennium Point the party was already swinging as Fright night style drinks, together with some kind of eyeball substitute floating in it, were handed out.

And then the ghouls turned up - Saskia, Maxwell and Kinga from Big Brother.

As Big Brother contestants go they are probably not the biggest, well not in the stardom sense anyway, but the two girls certainly got the male movie-goers attention although Kinga was clearly under orders to leave the wine bottle at home.

Indeed, celebrities of this stature hadn't been seen in the shadow of Millennium Point since Bananarama performed at the official New Year's Eve celebrations in Birmingham.

Kinga arrived first, loving her time in the limelight as the cameraman followed her about.

Then the DJ announced "Saskia and Maxwell just drove in".

It was difficult to hear his words as most of the crowd had made their way to the burger bar after his previous announcement that drinks and food were free.

The Street Movies event is only on for four weeks (probably a week longer than the camera will stay on Kinga).

However unfortunately for the readers of the Birmingham Post Kinga had signed a magazine deal and would not speak to the local press.

But the good news is Jessica Simpson might make an appearance in Birmingham for the regional premiere of Hollywood blockbuster Dukes of Hazzard.

She plays Daisy Duke in the film, and her skills washing cars in her bikini might come in useful at the Street Movies event.
Let's hope she's not cleaning cars as Kinga does an impression of Olivia Newton John.

Eventually Kinga (the 'Minga' as she's been dubbed) spoke, be it fleetingly. Unfortunately, the only thing she was allowed to say was that she was currently in the studio and writing her own music. Apparently. After being asked if she'd ever seen a drive-in before, she said: "Only in Grease".

But as Birmingham hoped that she didn't launch into a latex-clad Olivia Newton John impression at its newest venue, Saskia and Maxwell said a few words.

"We are going to lots of premieres lapping it up," said Saskia.

"This is our 15 minutes". Well at least someone was talking sense.

jessica simpson coming to birmingham......... i wonder if she had heard of it before she comes here.....or if whe's heard of a place called england????

Anyone know when the Cube is due to start??

well i believe they are now developing the planning proposal and should be submitted before the year out...i think?

Cheers Woody. I can't wait for the Cube to be built, Birmingham is becoming well known for it's iconic architecture on an international scale. Selfridges, the Cube, the new Rotunda, HCT and Orion should all be exciting looking buildings, plus Eastside and the Broad street tower and one day maybe Arena Central. I was in Seville in Spain last week and this girl started talking about Selfridges and describing it as soon as I said I was from Birmingham.

Don't forget Nick that Nacho lives in Seville.....I bet half of the city have heard about Selfridges and Birmingham by now :)

Blah Blah Blah - I want news - EK any rumours on Arena Central? :dunno:

Well it seems Earlybirds back, being a prick as usual - I Just hope AC is something big to shut that little twurp up. He really is a rude little shit. (Hi Earlybird if you reading this) :cheers1:

I've just been reading it BC - at least you're both passionate and right at the same time. I was in town today and it looked glittering, shame about the fucking litter everywhere. Does it take rocket scientists to tell the council refuse dept that we haven't got enough bins, they need emptying more than once a day, and we actually need blokes with pokers picking up the friggin garbage all day everyday. I mean, would you let your house get completely untidy all day and then wait until to clean things away, or is it just me? It's all about image and projecting out to tourists isn't it? And the shysters in the power ain't frigging doing it.
Anyway, still a great day and Brum looking good.

well unless things have changed sinse i left last year, there is no rubbish collection on asundays in town....and places like st phillips are covered in rubbish!

If you can't stop idiots dropping litter, then at least have somebody willing to clean up after them within a hour, say. We've created a throwaway society that wasn't like this when I was a kid (yeah I know blah blah blah), but it really has got worse in the last 20 yrs. I'm a big advocator of meeting halfway - lets make bins interesting, basketball hoop-type ones, voice activated ones that said "thankyou" when it received a deposit....that's the only way forward. Also, has anyone else noted the premier culprit for branded litter is MacDonalds? That's right "I'm droppin' it"

stupid people

Empty city office rented for £1.1m Aug 22 2005


By Paul Dale, Chief Reporter


The Government is paying £1.1 million a year to rent empty office blocks in the centre of Birmingham.

Chamberlain House and 77 Paradise Circus have been vacant since January when the Government Office for the West Midlands moved out.

But rent, rates and service charges amounting to £1,155,758 are still being paid.

The GOWM, which retains leases on Chamberlain House until February 2006 and on 77 Paradise Circus until December 2014, faces a potential bill of £6.6 million if new tenants are not found.

Accommodation costs for the GOWM have soared since the organisation moved in January to plush new offices at 5 St Philip's Place, off Colmore Row, where annual rent and rates cost £2.1 million.

The figures were obtained by Birmingham Yardley MP John Hemming through a Freedom of Information Act inquiry.

Mr Hemming (Lib Dem) described the payment of rent and rates on empty buildings as a "wicked" waste of taxpayers' money.

He added: "The new offices are larger and cost £32 per square foot, which is far more than the GOWM was paying for its previous accommodation. Their total costs have risen by £1 million.

"I am amazed at the profligate way in which the GOWM handle public money. They seem entirely happy to pay twice as much in rent as they used to, while continuing to pay costs of £1.1 million for offices kept empty."

The cost of renting 5 St Philip's Place works out at £5,000 per head for each of the GOWM's 400 employees.

Mr Hemming said: "The question has to be asked why the Government Office needed to move into some of the most expensive accommodation in Birmingham city centre. Money is clearly no problem for the Government."

The MP said it would have been better if the GOWM had moved to Fort Dunlop, by the M6 at Bromford, where new office accommodation is available at £12 per square foot.

He added: "It is a question of accountability. They are wasting public money and they are not being held to account.

"I have gained considerable experience over the years of how money is wasted in local government, but I have to say that central government is in a league of is own when it comes to squandering cash."

A GOWM spokeswoman defended the move to 5 St Philip's Place. The GOWM had " outgrown" Chamberlain House and 77 Paradise Circus and a move to larger premises was the only realistic option.

"We are actively seeking to re-let both buildings," the spokeswoman added.

The move was approved by Ministers. It would have been impossible to move to Fort Dunlop since building work is still taking place.

Cheers morestorey :cheers1: ... Im also finding litter a bit of a problem in the city. It doesnt neccessarily make the city look untidy, its just so petty and easy to sort its annoying that there not doing it. I for one would never drop litter, Is it that hard to find a bin? No, its just impatient people being impatient who cant be bothered to keep the city tidy ;)

Anyhow, Brum is looking fab nowadays, and we have only touched the tip of our development, or so im led to believe ;) An interesting article I found, released in June 2005

Lara Wheatley, who has relocated from Manchester to take up her position with DJ, said: “Birmingham is experiencing a real renaissance and there are many exciting development opportunities coming forward including the forthcoming redevelopment of New Street Station, projects in the city’s Eastside, Digbeth and at Martineau Galleries.

“With my previous experience in Manchester, the obvious question is how working in planning in the two cities compares. In the short time I have been here, it seems that Manchester is at an advanced stage in its development programme, while Birmingham is in those very exciting earlier moments, when each time you look at the skyline it has changed and the introduction of the Beetham Tower now dominates the view. The completion of the Bullring and the start of development at Masshouse and Baskerville House are evidence that this city is moving forward all the time, making it the place to be in terms of urban regeneration.”

i cant stand Mcdonalds, people always throw litter on the floor because there lazy, most of those that do that,probaly live like that, its a fact, andeven if there is no bin around or it is full then why cant people do what i do, if the packet is smal enough i shove in my pocket and wait untill a find an empty bin and stick it in there. totaly disgusting, no respect or displine

Interesting post BC, makes me feel reassured that im in the middle of my town planning degree!

brindley house has gone for planning permission this week

C/05246/05/FUL
Newhall Street, Brindley House and, adjacent surface car park, accessed from Water Street, Birmingham

Conversion of vacant building to mixed commercial/residential and erection of new apartment building.
JEWELLERY QUARTER CONSERVATION AREA

MCD (Brindley House) Ltd
Third Floor
Newater House
Newhall Street
Birmingham
B3 3NY

Turner Woolford Sharp Architects Ltd
5 Water Court
36 Water Street
Birmingham
B3 1HP

WOO HOO :banana: :cucumber: :carrot:

I wonder what the new apartment building will look like

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/243BrindleyHouse_pic1.jpg

im thinking this is the site but im not sure

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/woodhousen/bridley.jpg

Maybe a nice Glass atrium flowing along from Brindley House to the opposite side of a new 8-10 storey (just as thin ;)) Glass Block. Imagine this area with the Rough Diamond aswell , look kinda ... sexy :rofl:

imagine....imagination......!?!

hopefully goin the right way

It will cost millions to re-establish city's industrial credentials Aug 22 2005

By Helen Gabriel


Birmingham needs to invest millions of pounds in attracting a leading international technology company to spearhead its new manufacturing revolution, a leading consultant has claimed.

Gordon Cowie, executive director of business development consultancy Calkas, said public and private sector investment in bringing a 'new technology' world leader to the city would give it the opportunity to re-establish itself as the "workshop of the world".

"Manufacturing in 'new technology' applications, such as bio and nano materials, could conceivably give our city and our region an opportunity to re-establish a pre-eminence in manufacturing. This assumes, of course, that 'manufacturing' is something we want to do," he said.

Calkas assisted the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI) in its work to plot a business road map for the city over the next decade by outlining the key drivers of change that will need to be considered.

Mr Cowie told The Post: "My fear is that we have all these places dotted around which are designated as technology parks and public money is being spent on lots of things in little pockets. But how much of that will be sustainable?

"If we spent a big part of that money on trying to attract an American or Japanese world leader to set up a base in our area, there would be a number of benefits. Their suppliers would move here and there would also be opportunities for our existing companies, not to mention employment."

The BCI carried out a survey of its 4,000 members to plot the road map. Among concerns raised was that an obsession with "terminally ill" traditional manufacturing was jeopardising Birmingham's development and that it risked being left behind by rival cities unless it ditched its "over affection" with saving manufacturing jobs that were doomed.

The plan, concentrating on putting forward a common view of the future on key topics such as manufacturing, science and technology, will be presented to local government decision-makers later this year.


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Mr Cowie, who gave a presentation about key drivers of change to members of the BCI, said: "The challenge now is to take today's technologies and exploit them to create a new workshop to replace the one that was so spectacularly successful but that has reached its end."

He said workers trained in manufacturing could transfer those skills to new technology, but warned it would be easier to declare Birmingham as a new technology city than to deliver it.

"If you want to shift the infrastructure then you have to take a big step," he said. "There is also the problem of brain drain - people come here from around the world to study at our universities, and then they go home again.

"In many cases there are no opportunities for them to use their skills in our region. We need to encourage them to stay. The best tends to attract the best. They create opportunities attract and help retain talent and attract to the area other businesses in the supply chain."

Another picture of Brindley House side on ...

http://staff.science.uva.nl/~juanh/images/esslli/birm1020.jpg

it might wel be worth on of you guys going to vew this planning application and seeing what the rest of it look like...

...you have the application number and all yu gotta do is take it to the 9th floor of alpha tower and see it...anyone is able too..... i think im one of the only people to have ever done this on here!!!!!!!

the planning dept is there for you guys to use!

The Alpha tower is this building in the middle ;) go do some work Brum forumers, Im to lazy and far to shy :cheers1:

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/525/5249900x675_alpha_tower.jpg

http://tinypic.com/c6cdc

well thats funny BC...your the one that soo bored becasue there is now news.....but why should everyone else find out the news instead of you ....noubt stopping you from going to find some news out........ esp when the recources are there 4 u

i would do it. but those lifts in alpha tower always make me sick

how pathetic

hows it pathetic, i used towork there, and had to use those lifts a doxen or so times a day, and trust me it makes you feel sick, and i aint the only one who used to feel like this several people did, so there

the architects appear to be Turner Woolford Sharp, they dod Holiday Wharf....cant find a website for them though to see what the rest of there work is like, there should be a description in the next week posted on the council website !!! the detailed applications seem to be two weeks behind the weekly lists

well thats funny BC...your the one that soo bored becasue there is now news.....but why should everyone else find out the news instead of you ....noubt stopping you from going to find some news out........ esp when the recources are there 4 u

Yeh, but im to busy - there will be a news conference on COG this week if thats any consolation ;)

I found out more then most people anyway ;)

I might be going up town at the weekend. If I do I'll have a butchers at the doodah.

whats COG?????

coudl it be CPG city park gate

that would make more sense!

coudl it be CPG city park gate

I like your thinking, but no ;) its more to do with the general upkeep of the city

so waht is this press release????

so waht is this press release????

I would'nt be a press release if I told you would it :)

I never thought of looking in the buisness sector of IcBirmingham thanks CityLiving, this is very interesting ...

Post Box is tops Aug 19 2005

Taylor Woodrow Construction has topped out the £24.5 million Post Box scheme in Birmingham city centre.

It is being built for Cala Homes (Midlands) which last year pre-sold all the apartments in one transaction to Irish residential property investment company, Earthquake, in one of the largest apartment deals concluded in Birmingham.

Built in three different blocks, comprising 258 one and two bedroom apartments, including 30 affordable units, the project is due to be completed three months ahead of schedule at the end of March, 2006.

Situated in Commercial Street, adjacent to the Mail Box, the Post Box stands on a brownfield site, originally occupied by light industrial premises, and boasts an internal courtyard and underground parking.

It incorporates a concrete frame with the three buildings varying up to four, five and six floors, with roof patios to some penthouse units.

The apartments, priced between £ 160,000 and £ 240,000, vary in size between 400 sq ft and 1,200 sq ft.

Matthew Antill, Cala Homes (Midlands) commercial director, based in the company's Sheldon offices, said: "After our successes at QUBE and Broadway Plaza, Post Box is yet a further example of Cala's award- winning design and style."

Cala Homes (Midlands) said it would announce plans for further Birmingham city centre developments in the next three months.

Here we go :cheers1:

Double agents on Snow Hill scheme Aug 19 2005


Developer Ballymore Properties has appointed a dual force of property agents to handle one of Birmingham's most prestigious developments.

Colliers CRE and CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) will represent the multi-million pound mixed-use scheme adjacent to Snow Hill Station in the city centre.

Proposals for the £200 million project include 721,200 sq ft (67,000 sq m) of offices, 200 apartments together with retail and leisure overlooking a new public plaza in front of St Chad's Cathedral.

Richard Probert, of Ballymore Properties, said: "Snow Hill is a regional scheme of UK significance which requires a mix of international marketplace knowledge combined with a good grasp of regional competition and awareness. Both organisations have extensive experience working not only in the region, but also in comparable markets around the world.

"Colliers CRE emphasises a consultative approach, while CBRE favour a broker orientated method of activity - a combination that will create a force to be reckoned with on this landmark scheme. Both firms are involved in some of the biggest new developments and regional schemes in the UK."

Outline planning consent for the 3.65 acre site was achieved earlier this year and a detailed planning application for the first phase of public space and offices will be submitted before the end of the year. The overall redevelopment of the Snow Hill site will lead the next phase of city centre regeneration, breaking the concrete collar at Birmingham's Queensway ring road.

Julian Shellard, chairman of regional business at CB Richard Ellis, said: "New construction at Snow Hill is now about to happen.

"It is very exciting for CB Richard Ellis to be acting for Ballymore alongside Colliers CRE on this project, which will bring much needed development space into a barren market.

"The economy is set fair and demand is already showing distinct signs of improvement. I believe the timing for this development could not be better, particularly as decentralisation from the South-east and London is now firmly back on the corporate agenda."

Since the redevelopment of Snow Hill Station in the 1980s, the land next to the station has been used as a car park.

Ian Cornock of Colliers CRE, added: "It has always been the aim of the city council to secure a major commercial development as part of the regeneration of the city centre and Ballymore is most certainly now on board.

"This site offers huge potential to both indigenous and overseas investors and we know that the marketplace is hungry for such an opportunity.

"The effect of combining our expertise in this joint agent venture has been quickly recognised by Ballymore and we look forward to delivering results quickly."

More good news :yes:

Quayside move for Friend Aug 19 2005


Accountancy firm Friend is moving to one of the city's most striking locations - Quayside in Birmingham's Convention Quarter on Broad Street.

The move, which takes place on August 30, is part of its continued growth and expansion.

It becomes the office scheme's second tenant of this year - only two months after a deal with transport engineers, Alstom, was announced.

The corporate finance and tax specialists are relocating from Edgbaston to Kenmore's 100,000 sq ft refurbished, landmark tower - home to Yell, who took some 21,000 sq ft in one of the city's biggest office deals of 2004.

Friend will occupy the 11th floor - some 6,318 sq ft - at £18 per sq ft on a five year lease, leaving 63,180 sq ft remaining, available in suites from 3,000 sq ft upwards.

"For Friend, Quayside provides the ideal solution - high spec Grade A accommodation, ample parking provision, bird's eyei views across the city and the scope to expand on-site," said John Hammond of agents GSD.

"Last year Kenmore completed a £10 million makeover of this famous landmark building transforming the 1960s block into a desirable address. The resulting accommodation is attracting growing interest from high profile, blue chip clients seeking value for money accommodation in the City core."

A spokesman for Friend said: "This is another exciting phase of our development"

Joint agents with GSD are Colliers CRE.

And more :hahaha:

More top-flight student accommodation in pipeline for Birmingham Aug 18 2005


A major drive in Birmingham to create 5,000 highquality privately-operated student beds is the pipeline, local experts have revealed.

Property firm Knight Frank said the move, providing accommodation in new developments, will meet surging demand.

It would improve the city's offering which has fallen behind student centres such as Manchester and Nottingham.

Ben Pryce-Boutwood, head of residential land at Knight Frank's Birmingham office, said: "In other cities, privately operated student housing has long been recognised as a key source of regeneration."

The quantity and quality of Birmingham's provision was far behind other popular student locations, he claimed.

Mr Pryce- Boutwood said: " Manchester and Nottingham have successfully enhanced their student offering by welcoming around 7,000 student beds operated by private companies within each city.

" In comparison, Birmingham is estimated to have around only 2,000 beds with high quality student accommodation providers.

"The planned 5,000 new beds will go some way to bringing Birmingham up to speed with our rivals, as well as revive run down areas of the city centre and fringes including the Gun Quarter, Eastside, Lee Bank and the prime student village at Selly Oak."

A development bringing 800 beds is planned for the Selly Oak.

Sold by Knight Frank to student accommodation developer Unite Group, the deal will bring "quality accommodation for students as well as providing much needed regeneration", Knight Frank said.

The development site in Selly Oak is located on Elliott Road, within walking distance of the train station, Birmingham University and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The former industrial site, which was brought to the market last year by Knight Frank, spans 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) and is to be built in two phases, with the first student homes ready for occupation at the start of the 2006/07 academic year.

Although the critical mass of students has long been in Selly Oak, it is hoped the Elliott Road development will trigger further provision of quality accommodation in the area to support the growth of Birmingham University.

well ill let you know that the business pages of ICbirmingham aren always as fruitful as this...though good finds.

still intersted in this press release

some interesting articles here.... would seem that this one needs to be reviewed.

'Failure' of Cape Hill Brewery development Aug 24 2005

The Government's architecture watchdog has condemned as a failure a flagship housing project intended as the catalyst for major regeneration of deprived wards in Birmingham and Sandwell.

In an unusually strongly-worded report, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) said the redevelopment of the Cape Hill Brewery site in Smethwick failed to meet eight out of 11 objectives for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's housing market renewal initiative.

It added it did not have sufficient information to assess the remaining three.

"We think that the project fails both as urban design and architecture," Cabe's design review panel said. "Cabe cannot support this scheme as currently proposed."

The development, by Persimmon Homes, Sandwell Borough Council and Birmingham City Council, is intended to kick-start the transformation of largely run-down areas including Aston, Lozells, Handsworth, Winson Green and West Bromwich.

The scheme, known as Urban Living, is one of 12 "pathfinder" areas across the country that have been awarded funds under the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's controversial £1.3 billion housing market renewal programme.

Daniel Le Neveu, land director for Persimmon Homes West Midlands, said it was important to note the "indicative plans reviewed by Cabe are subject to change".

"The Masterplan which forms part of the outline planning application has been produced in accordance with Sandwell Council's design brief, which also went through public consultation, and Cabe's comments relate on the whole to specific detailed issues that will be dealt with at the reserved matters stage of the planning process."

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for regeneration and transport, Councillor Bob Badham, said: "It is perhaps unfortunate Cabe chose to take to review previously established principles together with already out-of-date plans to which much of the criticism refers."

A spokesman for the ODPM said further design work had always been planned in Sandwell and Cabe's report would be a useful contribution to it.



and some more

Brewery scheme is catalyst for regeneration Aug 24 2005




By Campbell Docherty


The £120 million Birmingham Sandwell Urban Living project, announced by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott last year, aims to rejuvenate or create more than 10,000 homes in some of the most deprived wards in the West Midlands.

While no Government money is being ploughed into the Cape Hill brewery redevelopment, it is regarded as a key "catalyst" for the scheme.

According to an Urban Living report to the House of Commons last year, it would provide a "step change in housing design, quality and sustainability in the area".

Yet, having reviewed the project, Cabe - the Government's architecture watchdog - said the scheme failed in eight of the 11 benchmarks.


In the words of the panel of noted architects and planners, it fails to: n make good design a priority;

* exploit the potential of the high profile Cape Hill Brewery frontage;

* respond to the existing qualities of the site; n create a vibrant, legible environment of a human scale; n provide a safe and attractive public realm;

* provide good quality housing to meet a range of needs; n integrate with the surrounding townscape;

* contribute positively to local character.

The Urban Living scheme itself received £50 million Government funding when it was announced last year, to be complemented by an extra £ 70.5 million from local authority and private partners.

The criticisms add to concerns from conservation groups over the environmental impact of the scheme and local anger about the loss of the old M&B brewery.

In spite of the Cabe comments, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for regeneration and transport, Councillor Bob Badham, maintained the scheme would be a "major boost" for the area and create a sustainable development providing a wide range of housing on a derelict industrial site.

He said: "When in 2000 it became clear the brewery site would become available, Sandwell Council was quick to respond and see the benefits a major residential site would bring to the area.

"Sandwell Council in allocating the site for housing has made clear from the outset it expects the highest standard of design on the brewery site."


Coun Badham said it represented a "key gateway" to the borough and is the first major development in the Urban Living project.

He stressed the council and it partners were "keen to see design quality on this site that exceeds that which it has previously been able to secure in the borough".

The Cabe report, Coun Badham said, was based on earlier plans. He added: "We have a commitment in Sandwell to securing the best possible urban design possible and we will continue to work with Cabe to see if we can accommodate their ideas, as we have done in the past."

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council was keen to stress that difference and the fact the Birmingham section was not within the "pathfinder" area.

She said: "We have negotiated significant improvements to the scheme with the support of Cabe, who have been complimentary about our efforts to ensure that the best possible scheme is secured."

its very sad, they have allowed the developers to knock down a beautiful bonded warehouse running half the length of Cape Hill

I can understand them knocking down the bulk of the brewery, but this was special, a major local landmark and one of the few things in smethwick of architectural interest

and sadly it seems that they are replacing it with crap !!! I imagine the estate will be Barratt fake edwardian boxes

I wander what goes on in this city soemtimes....progress, but not all progress is good

anyway sorry to be negative, I grew up there

I pasted this from the Fort dunlop thread - this is good news for the NEC and if we land the Telecom Show that would be amazing!
I've noticed going by the NEC on the train it's had a bit of a facelift. Just need to clean up and re-clad International Station now - you'd think it would be a priority wouldn't you?

"Meanwhile NEC Group chief executive Andrew Morris told Breakfast Connection that the organisation needed "a good deal of re-shaping".

He said business development needed to be "much more aggressive", said a cultural change towards visitors had to be addressed, and re-iterated how £40 million was being spent to upgrade facilities.

And Mr Morris outlined how he wanted to double audience numbers from five million to ten million over the next ten years.

The ICC was having its "best ever year" and next week welcomes a Baptist Centenary Congress. A new auto show, MPH, headed by Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team, is set for the NEC in November and Birmingham has bid for the massive ITU Telecom show against Geneva and Paris.

It happens every three years and Birmingham is aiming at the 2009 event.

It would take up 50,000 bedrooms in and around the city.

Indeed so keen are the team to land it, rather than spend £1,000 on couriering the bid documents to the organisers in Geneva, a representative was sent on a £400 easyJet ticket to deliver them personally.

A decision is expected in January."

50,000 hotel rooms........ fucking hell...the airport would love it lol

Talking about the airport, here are a couple of 'Google Earth' shots...plenty of room for expansion there
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/birminghamairport.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/birminghamairport2.jpg

This was the press release I was talking about

Longbridge Technology Park - Phase I


St Modwen Developments Ltd and Advantage West Midlands have submitted a detailed planning application for the first phase of buildings on the 57-acre Longbridge Technology Park being created on part of the former MG Rover site.

Two buildings totalling 7,221 sq m (77,726 sq ft) are planned on the former North Works car park, the largest of which will be a 3,905 sq m (42,032 sq ft) incubator building on the corner of Bristol Road South and Longbridge Lane - a key focal position on the park.

Subject to planning consent, St Modwen anticipate starting construction of the incubator building in the late autumn with completion next summer. The building has been designed to provide flexible accommodation for new technology and research businesses. The second building will comprise 3,316 sq m (35,694 sq ft) of ‘grow-on’ space for technology-based companies.

The technology park site comprising the former North, and part of the South and West Works at Longbridge which Advantage West Midlands acquired two years ago, is being developed in partnership with St Modwen.

Anthony Glossop, chairman of St Modwen Properties PLC, said: “It is good to see real progress being made on regenerating Longbridge so soon after MG Rover’s closure. These facilities will provide opportunities to develop a wider range of new businesses which should help to underpin employment opportunities in this important area.”

John Edwards, Advantage West Midlands chief executive, said: “Longbridge forms a key part of our plans for the Central Technology Belt which encourages the development of high technology industries along the A38 between Aston Science Park and Malvern.

“A lot of hard work has gone on to get the plans to the stage where a full planning application can be submitted.

“High technology is the future for this part of the Longbridge site and, subject to planning permission, we look forward to continuing to work with St Modwen Properties on this exciting scheme.”

Alan Folwell, Chief Executive of the Central Technology Belt, said: "Longbridge Technology Park is a vital site at the heart of the Central Technology Belt. "By encouraging investments using advanced materials, like the proposed nanotechnology centre, we shall begin to establish a knowledge-led business base which will bring new and sustainable employment to south-west Birmingham."

Conincidence or what :hahaha

£12m bill for park in Eastside Aug 25 2005
By Paul Dale, Chief Reporter


An eight-acre park touted as the green heart of Birmingham Eastside could cost the city council £12 million to build.

Cabinet regeneration member Ken Hardeman admitted being lost for words when he was given an estimate for turning a large part of Digbeth into finely-mown lawns, flower beds and woodland.

A large proportion of the expenditure involves assembling the land on which the park will be built, which is in the possession of a variety of owners.

Coun Hardeman (Con Brandwood) is confident of assembling a funding package for what would be the first new city centre park for more than 100 years.

He hopes that the final cost can be reduced from an initial figure of between £10 million and £12 million.

A bid to the National Lottery is planned in addition to an application for money from the European Social Fund and Advantage West Midlands.

Private sector developers will contribute £1 million towards the park in return for planning permission for a variety of Eastside projects.

Coun Hardeman added: "I know that £12 million sounds like a lot of money. I couldn't get my breath at first, but we are talking about an eightacre site.

"The estimate may be excessive but it is far better to over-estimate the cost of something than to be landed with a huge additional bill at a later stage because initial soundings were too cautious and you end up paying twice as much. It is a step-by-step operation."

He said it would be impossible to place a final figure on costs until the exact content of the park had been decided.

Architects hoping to win the contract to design the park have been told to think largely along traditional lines, but not to be afraid to dabble with selective modernist features.

The city council cabinet will approve a design brief next month.

Coun Hardeman, who is the chairman of a steering group charged with delivering the park by 2008, plans to hold a design competition with a short-list of six architects being paid £5,000 each to come up with proposals. The winning firm will get the right to design the park.

Coun Hardeman said the cabinet was unanimous in the view that the park should be largely traditional. A previous suggestion of a Japanese design has been rejected.

He added: "The message is that we mean business. The park has been talked about for a long time but we have identified the funding and it is actually going to happen now.

"There is a united view that we want to see it as green and traditional. However, we want to see a bit of imagination around what could be a visitor attraction to the city.

"There will be one or two features that will be unique and special but will not detract from the bigger picture which is a park for the people of Birmingham to use.

"We don't want several acres of gimmicks but if we can add to the attractiveness then that will bring people into Birmingham. Certain areas of the park could be specific to a theme. It is not just going to be the whole area grassed over."

The park, an eight-acre green spine, will connect Park Street Gardens and Moor Street Station to the Digbeth Branch Canal.

sounding good...its good to see that they arent affraid to add something a little more contempry......and also good to see plans are coming along nicely.....looking forward to next month!

......AND WHAT THE HELL IS AN INCUBATOR BUILDING???

Maybe its a special place for baby incubators.

This looks more like a shanty town in Rio than Central Birmingham :eek:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/Priorysquare1.jpg


but once you pan out it looks more familiar, still a bit shocking though
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%204/PriorySquare2.jpg

jesus, its like all the shit traders moved out of the old bullring to there.
Thank god there gonna tear it down!

good say ...... THANK GOD ITS GOING TO BE TURNED INTO A PILE OF RUBBLE SOON!

Demolision has begun on the old Gala Bingo hall on Bath Row and the old plating factory next door

also a huge sign is outside the Old Birmingham Mint building advertising apartments, which must mean a start on site very soon x

.... cool, now we can wait for the rendings of the building on that sitye to start!

The kingsoak development called 'skyline' is going there I believe. They are advertising it on loads of property websites but aren't showing a picture. I don't expect it to be very tall, but it will be a improvment on whats currently there.

well i few days ago i applied for a brochure so will let u know what i find!

Here's a link to LSyds Birmingham pics from his recent visit.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=5220963#post5220963

Library plan fails to win funding
Aug 30 2005

Controversial plans for a split-site Birmingham library have suffered a serious blow after the Government turned down a request for a financial lifeline. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell refused to approve a city council bid for a £55 million Private Finance Initiative.

A PFI contribution would have covered more than a third of the £147 million cost of the new library and Ms Jowell's decision has left the council facing a major funding crisis.

Labour last night claimed the library project was now "dead in the water" and blamed the council's Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition for insisting on a split-site location - with the lending and reference section at Centenary Square and the archives at Eastside.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced successful library and sports PFI projects across the country at the end of last week.

Six local authorities have been chosen to go forward for funding from the Government and private sector. They are: Bristol, Worcestershire, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Wigan councils. Worcestershire County Council will receive £33.4 million for an integrated public and university library facility.

Coun Ian Ward, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council's Labour group, said the PFI bid would have stood a greater chance of success if the council had stuck with plans for a library at Eastside, designed by Lord Richard Rogers.

Coun Ward (Shard End) added: "Without a PFI contribution, the council's chosen scheme is undeliverable. It is dead in the water.

"It is disappointing but I am not surprised we have not been chosen. The split-site scheme being proposed by the Tories and the Liberal Democrats would never have pressed any of the right buttons as far as the Government was concerned."

Birmingham's Conservative-Lib Dem coalition remains upbeat, despite Ms Jowell's ruling. Other funding avenues are being explored. A spokeswoman said council-leaders were optimistic that the split-site library would be built.

She added: "Government sources were very encouraging when the project was discussed with them.

"The library is high on the city's list of priorities and there is huge optimism about it remaining in the Government's remit for libraries.

"Opinions are also high about the innovative split-site location that would locate it in the heart of the city while providing an additional presence in the rapidly developing Eastside."

Council leader Mike Whitby said: "We are very encouraged by the project. It is a subject that has caused more than a ripple of excitement in the city and we have always known that it is good for Birmingham."

Projects for PFI funding from 32 local authorities in England were assessed by experts from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council before being passed to Ms Jowell for a final decision.

Ms Jowell said: " I am particularly impressed by the vision of the chosen projects".
Good news and nice to see worcester city council is capable of putting together a deliverable library

Foxtrot beat me :hahaha:


Well I always new Worcester COLLEGE was gonna get it as ... well (I cant say) ;) but it should be announced within the next month, We knew about that one for ages ...

But its a shame about our library, I feel very pessimistic about this, and have extreme anger at our council ... :bash:

If they can't get funding for a single site new site I'd rather see the old building patched up with a possible extension than the split site.

Good news and nice to see worcester city council is capable of putting together a deliverable library

Assuming that we think that the split Library site is a bad idea, and we want a "landmark" wonderfully designed single Westside building, is this loss of funding a good or bad thing?

Well if they can't find funding for a split site I think it's very good news.
"Opinions are also high about the innovative split-site location that would locate it in the heart of the city while providing an additional presence in the rapidly developing Eastside." Council leader Mike Whitby said: "We are very encouraged by the project. It is a subject that has caused more than a ripple of excitement in the city and we have always known that it is good for Birmingham." Innovative? FFS No other cities are pulling their libraries apart and relocating sections to separate buildings. Why? because it's the wrong thing to do.
I'll give him a fucking ripple of excitement :evil:

I know considering it seems to have no popular support and cant win funding, what makes it so innovative and where is this ripple of excitement, it makes me so angry

The Rogers Library was the all the above comments and more ? GAMES GAMES GAMES

and they are still playing games with the fucking metro too

Stupid Halfwitted Idiotic Tories

I suspect that this is actually a good thing, we don't want the library to be split up, it would be a real pain for students and illegal immigrants wanting to use the free computers, I would much rather see a single new development like the rodgers design but not necessarily in eastside. Eouldn't be surprised if the old brum labour council havn't pulled few strings in government with the hope of the old/new library design still in mind somewhere down the line.

yeah but how long will it take for the current council to figure out this point?

We'll Tessa Jowell has always supported the Rogers design, pity they haven't disclosed why the funding was turned down, is it because even the government isn't mad enough to put money into such a divvy idea, either way hopefully it will stall the current plan to give labour time to regain power and get the Rogers scheme going again.

well lets just hope that as soon as these clowns get kicked out, then they can come back into power and re-submit the old library design!

i got the Birmingham post today with the magazine and on the front it had pics of the arena central and richardsons tower but inside it didnt say much more than what we already know

but i suppose that is all anyone will know untill they release more detailed plans


looks positive about arena central anyway

wats the point of the article/magazine.......... the revelry between these two towers have now been made public then lol

its a disgrace that we cant build something as simple as as libary, what the hell this thing has been in developent for donkeys years it should have been done by now

it should have but anything to do with councils/government take ages¬

News Snippet

Award-winning Austrian practice Querkraft has won the Wharfingers Cottage competition – the first part of Urban Splash’s 7ha Walsall Waterfront development.

From their website "we will built a gastronomic project in walsall - Birmingham".

http://www.querkraft.at/media27/1-aktuell/wtfseite0802.jpg

so is this a listed cottage that they want to build a glass extension to?

Not sure if it is listed this article has more details

Revival is on the way in town
By Catherine Ryan
Aug 29, 2005
A multi-million pound scheme set to transform 17 acres of derelict Walsall land into a leisure, entertainment and residential area to rival Birmingham's Brindleyplace has moved a step closer.

Detailed plans for the first part of the £180 million Walsall Waterfront scheme are expected to be submittted to the council by the end of the year.

The conversion of the run-down mid-19th century Wharfingers Cottage near the New Art Gallery into a canalside restaurant is the first stage of a massive plan to revamp the derelict area over the next 12 years, creating around 600 jobs.

The development is planned for either side of the canal behind the art gallery and will include new homes, offices, bars and restaurants plus leisure facilities and high quality public space together with new canal bridges.

Developers Urban Splash wanted to keep the cottage - once the home of the boss of the canal wharf - as an original feature within the scheme and challenged 11 emerging architects to come up with ideas.

Querkraft came out top in the competition and designers are drawing up detailed plans for the cottage with a planning application due to be submitted to Walsall Council shortly.

Urban Splash boss Jonathan Falkingham said: "Its initial idea is to create a bar and restaurant space and marry the beauty of the original building with contemporary modern interventions."

Walsall Regeneration Company chief executive Peter Cromar added: "Querkraft's proposals are very exciting and are exactly what is needed to ensure lift-off for this transformational mixed use initiative.

"They will provide an impetus for our wider plans for Walsall where the regeneration company is placing a major emphasis on high quality design."

Mucklow submits plans for Birmingham mixed-use scheme Property Week

| 26.08.2005A&J Mucklow Group has submitted its largest-ever outline planning application, for a 500,000 sq ft (46,451 sq m) mixed-use scheme in Birmingham.

Who the fu*k are Mucklow? :hahaha: Sounds good, hope its a tower, could be looking at 30 storeys if thats the case :yes:

Actually after looking at the website they build shite, and its more then likely to be on an industrial site, nevermind ;)

Application C/04972/05/OUT

27 Jul 2005

Applicant
A&J Mucklow & Company Ltd

Redevelopment (outline with access and sitting unreserved) for a mixed use scheme of 46,484 sqm gross internal floor-space comprising up to: 38,850 sqm Class C3 residential, 7,634 sqm commercial (car showroom/class A3 cafes and restaurants/class D2 leisure/class A2 offices/class B1 offices and up to 2,499 sqm Class A1 retail). 652 sqm Class D2 community use, new public open space, private amenity open space and up to 670 car parking spaces.

Heres the full story

Mucklow submits plans for Birmingham mixed-use scheme

A&J Mucklow Group has submitted its largest-ever outline planning application, for a 500,000 sq ft (46,451 sq m) mixed-use scheme in Birmingham.


26.08.2005

By Robin Marriott

The West Midlands group wants to develop the scheme on the site of its industrial holdings called the Bull Ring Trading Estate.

The estate was built in the 1980s and currently houses 69,000 sq ft (6,410 sq m) of units in a district known as the Market Quarter, just a quarter of a mile from the new Bullring shopping centre in the city centre.

Mucklow, whose property portfolio is based mainly in the West Midlands, has been advised by architects Broadway Malyan and DTZ.

It is anticipated that such a large outline planning application will take a year to gain consent.

The company has been working on the plans for the past 10 months. It will have to submit detailed assessments of traffic, air quality, and noise impact, as well as ecological reports and flood risk assessments.

Birmingham council planners view the Market Quarter area of Birmingham as a key regeneration area.

Mucklow said it wanted to get in on the city’s regeneration aspirations at an early stage.

Once outline consent is won, a detailed planning application will be made.

Heres the full story

Mucklow submits plans for Birmingham mixed-use scheme

A&J Mucklow Group has submitted its largest-ever outline planning application, for a 500,000 sq ft (46,451 sq m) mixed-use scheme in Birmingham.


26.08.2005

By Robin Marriott

The West Midlands group wants to develop the scheme on the site of its industrial holdings called the Bull Ring Trading Estate.

The estate was built in the 1980s and currently houses 69,000 sq ft (6,410 sq m) of units in a district known as the Market Quarter, just a quarter of a mile from the new Bullring shopping centre in the city centre.

Mucklow, whose property portfolio is based mainly in the West Midlands, has been advised by architects Broadway Malyan and DTZ.

It is anticipated that such a large outline planning application will take a year to gain consent.

The company has been working on the plans for the past 10 months. It will have to submit detailed assessments of traffic, air quality, and noise impact, as well as ecological reports and flood risk assessments.

Birmingham council planners view the Market Quarter area of Birmingham as a key regeneration area.

Mucklow said it wanted to get in on the city’s regeneration aspirations at an early stage.

Once outline consent is won, a detailed planning application will be made.

Broadway Malyan have done some nice quality work in London so should hopefully be a good scheme.

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/

yes, and some towers too.....

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/CDD1C0DCD1EE63DF78BE1F5E0F78D2A8.jpg

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/CDC795F0DD734AC48C110E1F3D93E2AB.jpg

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/6C732995DD8E1F9171E6DF516E46C3E7.jpg

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/8BE24502DC5F98F0E33A4756B67D1951.jpg

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/81B302EBCC52E835345DCABA2F1553C9.jpg

http://www.broadwaymalyan.com/bmalyan/dms/BF9AC48D90BF0D2B4B4550B9C9D9BDC8.jpg


....so all is not lost!

man i want something like that in brum!!

man i want something like that in brum!!

We could always do a Manchester, and start to exapand our borders?

At the risk of sounding like a troll here, (well maybe not here, but), I was in Urbis today, and they had a board saying "Why is Manchester the Second City in the UK" notice board thingy, needless to say my note corrected them!

And I mentioned Liverpool was bigger, they'll hate that.

But just ignore me, I'm rambling.

Sounds interesting....Digbeth needs some schemes like this x

http://www.birmingham.metblogs.com/

good website

that link dont work

yep, cant see it!

here you go, interesting

Brum 'not in Euro city premier league yet' Sep 1 2005




By Jonathan Walker, Political Editor


Birmingham is still failing to reach the "premier league" of European cities, a Cabinet Minister has warned.

David Miliband, a local government Minister, said the city had not enjoyed the same success as rival cities in Europe.

He highlighted Turin or Valencia as examples of thriving cities with strong economies and high quality services – and warned that Birmingham needed to catch up.

Mr Miliband was speaking to The Post in advance of a “no holds barred” summit on how the city is run.

Business leaders, councils, and young people will be invited to meet him and set out how they want Birmingham to improve over the next ten years, and what the Government must do to help.

Issues on the agenda could include introducing a directly elected mayor, following calls from the Institute of Directors for a mayor along the lines of Ken Livingstone in London.

Mr Miliband said: “Britain’s cities were once a by-word for decline and depopulation but, in the past 20 years, business is better, quality of life is better, services are better.

“However, the European premier league for cities has very high standards, and we have got to ask ourselves what gets Britain’s cities to the top of the premier league.”

He added: “The Birmingham renaissance happened rather earlier than in other British cities. The commitment to arts and culture put Birmingham on the map – but you can’t live by culture alone.”

His comments came as the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said there was a “gut feeling” among businesses that the city would be better off with an elected mayor.

Jerry Blackett, policy director at the BCI, said a “Mr Fixit figure” like Ken Livingstone was an attractive idea. Mr Miliband said Birmingham had a strong sense of identity, but this was not enough to ensure its success.

“If we are going to have a strong economic and social community we have to build on this sense of identity and create the systems that allow change to happen, and encourage change to happen.”

The Government was willing to consider changing the way Birmingham was run, he said.

“What sort of relationship do you want to have with central government to help you make the most of yourselves? There are no holds barred.”

This could include a directlyelected mayor, said Mr Miliband.

“The drive for decentralisation doesn’t stop with Scotland, Wales and London. I think many people outside London are looking at the Greater London Authority, and Ken Livingstone, and thinking ‘how do we have that sort of drive in our city’” It was also important that different parts of the region worked in partnership, he said.

“My view is that thriving Birmingham should be good for the wider West Midlands. It is not a competition between Birmingham and Wolverhampton – a thriving Birmingham is good for Wolverhampton.” There was a need to “sort out” the way that some services, such as police, were organised on a West Midlands basis while other services, such as education, were run by a number of different authorities.

One of the greatest challenges facing Birmingham was to improve its reputation, Marketing Birmingham said last night. Director of marketing Dave Hodgson said: “We can deliver as much or more than other European cities, but the challenge is making sure people know it.”

Interesting and positive for Birmingham me thinks...

Iranian air link takes off Sep 2 2005




By Edward Stephens, Evening Mail


AN Iranian airline has set up its UK headquarters in Birmingham after the success of its service linking the city with Teheran.

Mahan Air had expected to make a loss for the first two years of its operation from the Midlands but is already making a profit after just 14 months.

Because of the success of the Birmingham operation it plans to operate a service from Manchester from December and is looking at other UK cities.

The airline's director of international relations, Hossein Hosseine, said: "Birmingham has been very supportive of our operation so we decided to set up our UK headquarters here.

"The local community, the airport and the local authority have given us a lot of backing.

"We are soon to start our on-line service and expect to see a real boost in passenger numbers resulting from that.

"Traditionally an airline would expect to make a loss for the first two years with a new operation but in Birmingham we are making a profit after just over a year."

He was speaking at the official opening the airline's new offices on Hagley Road.

Among the 50 guests present at the official opening party was the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Coun John Hood, members of the Iranian Embassy and senior airline officials and management from Birmingham International Airport.

The airline flies to Tehran from Birmingham twice a week.
:)

Chase Commercial boosts business quarter Sep 1 2005
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



By Steve Pain, Deputy Business Editor


Birmingham's lettings market has been boosted by the latest deal at 134 Edmund Street - Chase Commercial's 83,750 sq ft, ten storey office development in the heart of the city’s business quarter.

Law firm Anthony Collins Solicitors has taken 35,000 sq ft over the top five floors.

The firm will move from its present offices at St Philips Gate in December this year.

Deborah Evans, practice director at the law firm said yesterday: “We have invested a lot of time and effort in staff consultation about their desired working environment and 134 Edmund Street really seems to match our criteria.

“There is no doubt that the new offices are a real improvement on those we currently occupy and will enable us to continue to develop our business.

“The building is also flexible enough to allow each individual unit to tailor their own working space in ways that will improve how they function as a team.”

Tim Haslam, managing director at Chase Commercial, added: “We built 134 Edmund Street to address the severe shortage of Grade A office space in the city centre, so to let five floors to one tenant really comes as no surprise.

“Nor is the huge amount of interest we are currently receiving in the remaining five floors.

“ W i t h strong links continually being made between the importance of the work environment and the effect it has on productivity and staff retention, we are certain that Anthony Collins Solicitors’ staff will thrive in their new environment once they move in, in December.”

With an estimated value of in excess of £35 million, 134 Edmund Street is a Chase Midland/ Countrywide joint venture, funded by The Royal Bank of Scotland.

The deal with Anthony Collins follows the letting to the recently opened Opus restaurant, which is situated on the lower ground floor of the development.

Savills acted for Anthony Collins Solicitors while GVA Grimley and Knight Frank represented Chase Commercial.

Knight Frank team boosted for launch Sep 1 2005

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


By Steve Pain, Commercial Property Editor


The national softening of the property market has seen many estate agents tighten their purse strings but at Knight Frank in Birmingham, a different picture is emerging.

Instructed on two of the most anticipated landmark schemes in Birmingham to date, Rotunda and Masshouse, the property agency has boosted its new homes sales team, ready for the launches of the new high profile developments over the next six months.

Knight Frank represents a number of high profile developers including Barratt, Bloor Homes, Cala Homes, Calthorpe Estates, Charles Church, Chase Homes, Crosby, David McLean, David Wilson Homes, Fairclough, KingsOak, Parkstone Developments, Revurban and Urban Splash.

David Fenton, head of residential development for Knight Frank in the Midlands, said: "Although we too have experienced consumers' caution in buying properties, there is no doubt that the condition of Birmingham's city living market remains strong.

"Vitally, developers' confidence has not faltered, demonstrated by the arrival of some of Birmingham's most impressive residential schemes over the next six months. It is this plethora of high quality new projects and continued confidence that has seen our new homes team stretch rather than shrink.

"Alongside the new instructions we have gained in recent months, the expansion of our team also illustrates the high footfall we are receiving across many of our sales offices and is indicative of the ongoing demand for new homes both in the city and beyond."

Traditionally Knight Frank's Birmingham new homes team has held sway over new developments in the city centre, but with estimates showing the agency is now instructed on at least 80 per cent of the city's new luxury apartments, it is making a continued expansion into the suburbs.

Mark Evans, partner at Knight Frank's Birmingham office, added: "We've long operated in the well-heeled suburbs of Sutton Coldfield, Edgbaston and Solihull and now our expertise is being called on in Dudley, Wolverhampton, Hagley and Walsall and even as far as Leicester and Coventry. We are thrilled that our track record in consistent sales rates is getting noticed and the credit for that needs to go back to our staff."

As the Birmingham division of the agency spreads its wings across the Midland developments, it has also moved to a new office to cater for the expanding number of employees across all sectors.

The relocation of 70 staff to new offices at One Colmore Row is seen as a significant milestone for the agency, which began operations in the city centre seven years.

Knight Frank also expects developers will be encouraged to invest in sites in and around Eastside and Digbeth which have long promised, but have yet to produce, residential hotspots.

As well as Masshouse and Rotunda, other developments being marketed by Knight Frank's new homes department include Carisbrooke Court, Chantry Park, Garden Court, Granville Court, Holliday Wharf, Lingwood Hall, Octahedron, Orion, Magnolia Court, PostBox, Quartz, Rednal Park Grange, Southside, Tettenhall Gate, The Old Courthouse and The Square on the Square.

Good news, sounds interesting about Knight Frank

Yeah, Lets hope we can get some more intereting developers and taller buildings in response to this.

two interesting planning applications this week...the first if obviously the Cube but look at the second ones.... think its the twers next to centenary square?

C/05218/05/FUL
29-37 Commercial Street, and all land compromising to canal, City

Erection of a building in the form of a cube incorporating a mix of uses to include car parking, retail, restaurant, office, residential, boutique, hotel, and sky line restaurant.

Birmingham Develoment Co
61-63 Wharfside Street
The Mailbox
Birmingham
B1 1XL

C/05532/05/BCC
Civic Close / Brindley Drive, Galton, Norton and Cresent Towers, City

External Refurbishment of 4 No. tower blocks

Housing Department
Louisa Ryland House
115 Newhall Street
Birmingham
B3 3PL

Yeh think its the towers next to Centenary Square considering they are doing that area up, good news, doubt it be anything special though.

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/birmingham/dud56.htm

Just look at all the shit buildings in this picture alone which need knocking down and developed

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/birmingham/bmd32-canal-locks.htm

Yeh think its the towers next to Centenary Square considering they are doing that area up, good news, doubt it be anything special though.

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/birmingham/dud56.htm

Just look at all the shit buildings in this picture alone which need knocking down and developed

http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/birmingham/bmd32-canal-locks.htm

Civic close, at last, lets just hope the council take a cue from optima and go for subtle and stylish......as most of the council blocks tend to look worse when done up...usually with cheap windows are garish colours x

two interesting planning applications this week...the first if obviously the Cube but look at the second ones.... think its the twers next to centenary square?



mailbox cube, i wander what the council will make of this

has anyone else noticed several shops in the mailbox seem to have shut down ? and its supposed to be doing well !!! there are at least 7 empty shop units in the main shopping part

a simmilar story ion the bullring too, even the dixions xl store has closed a large part of the second floor off, cirio citerio has closed down too along with a few others

yeah i noticed several bullring shops had closed

I think all the Ciro Citerio stores have closed down. Or, at least the one i saw in London had closed.

Infact, thinking about it, most of the shops in the Bullring that have closed recently have done so becasue the company has gone bust, closing all their branches.

So i don't think all is lost. I read recently that retail in Brimingham is still doing very well, dispite a national downturn in 'hightstreet spending'.

i think this is common place....... Dixons has nothing to do with birmingham....just company doing bad and wat tends to happen when new places open (bullring) some retailers have way too much ambition... i mean i still cant believe Clintons opened 2 new stores in one shopping centre and them both being huge lol

and from all accounts Mailbox is doing the best it has ever been and from my recent visits it seems that way...there are more people using it now than ever........ though i cant remember it ever being full!

Very true. And it seems that most the closed down shops in the Bullring are having new ones open in their place pretty quickly.

I can't wait for the Krispy Kream doughnuts section to open in Selfridges. :eat: