City centre walkway to reopen after two years
TWO of Birmingham’s landmark squares will be reconnected this weekend when a walkway reopens after being closed for two years – but drivers are bracing themselves for more road closures.
Centenary Way connects Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square and used to run under the old Central Library building.
It was one of the city’s busiest pedestrian routes, enabling people to access Broad Street and the ICC via the Paradise Forum shopping mall whose shops closed at the end of 2014.
The walkthrough was finally shut in November 2015 to allow for the demolition of the old Central Library as part of the £700 million Paradise development, sending pedestrians on a detour via Fletchers Walk.
It will reopen on Saturday, November 11.
In addition, demolition will now commence on the former Birmingham Conservatoire, following its move to a brand new home in Jennens Road, and Chamberlain House next door.
As part of the demolition, one lane of Paradise Circus Queensway will be closed southbound from Sandpits to Suffolk Street Queensway from November 13 until next summer.
Internal works to strip out and dismantle the buildings has already started but a 32-metre high crane will move in to raze the complex.
Developers said 90 per cent of waste, around 19,000 tonnes, from this stage of demolition would be recycled and it is due for completion next summer. The demolition work will also enable the reopening of the main entrance to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in Chamberlain Square.
Rob Groves, regional director of Argent which is project managing Paradise, said: “With One Chamberlain Square now clearly visible on the city skyline and Two Chamberlain Square following, work is steaming ahead on the enhanced public realm.
“These latest demolition works will support the next phase of develop- ment and represent yet another key milestone in this transformative project.
“Paradise is, without doubt, one of the most complex regeneration projects we have worked on, not least due to its geographical position, requiring enormous patience and flexibility from businesses and local people in coping with the changes to pedestrian routes, for which we are grateful.
“With the Great Charles Street road improvements and new pedestrian crossing now complete, the Centenary Way route reopening better connects Chamberlain and Victoria Squares to Centenary again.
“This really is a landmark moment for the development and indeed for the people of Birmingham.”
The overall Paradise project comprises plans for eight office buildings and a new hotel on land around Chamberlain Square. Square and Broad Street
Work has started on the first two buildings – called One and Two Chamberlain Square – and plans were recently revealed for the third element, a 13-storey building called One Centenary Way. If given the green light, this will be built on the site of the old conservatoire and Fletchers Walk shopping precinct.