New city centre apartments set for former college building site
A BIRMINGHAM developer is planning a huge city centre residential scheme after signing a deal for a landmark development.
Court Collaboration is planning a huge residential scheme after buying the giant CEAC building in Eastside from Birmingham Metropolitan College.
Colmore Row-based Court has become one of the city’s most prolific developers, with thousands of new homes being built at developments such as Holloway Head in the city centre and The Franklin in Bournville, but this deal represents the first direct purchase.
Court Collaboration founder Anthony McCourt said: “We want this to be about not only creating something spectacular in a landmark spot of a growing part of the city but also about pushing new boundaries for city living.
“That doesn’t mean putting in a coffee house, or a gym, or a restaurant – something much more innovative.
“When you live in Birmingham city centre, do you need a gym in your building? I don’t know, but we will listen to people and deliver what they will actually want and use.
“There’s every reason to create something really big here.”
Mr McCourt admitted it was a “big moment” for Court – the Birmingham Post Small Business of the Year – to put its money where its mouth is but it showed real progress for a business born in a city Starbucks eight years ago.
“It is also a statement of how much faith we have in the future of the city,” he added.
Meanwhile, £125 million work to transform Holloway Head, close to the giant Radisson Blu tower, will start next year, bringing 487 new apartments a stone’s throw from the main business and leisure areas of the city.