£125m plans for old factory site Historic Jewellery Quarter manufacturer to make way for shops and flats
AFACTORY site in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter is set to be transformed into more than 300 apartments plus new shops and bars in a £125 million regeneration which will create 500 jobs.
Developer team Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital have unveiled their vision for the AE Harris site, between Newhall Street and Northwood Street, after they acquired the three-acre plot last year.
New plans have been lodged with Birmingham City Council for 320 apartments, including lofts and duplexes, 100,000 sq ft of commercial space and a new public thoroughfare.
The project, which has been designed by Birmingham practice Glenn Howells Architects, will comprise 20 individual buildings of between two and five storeys and be called St Paul’s Quarter.
There are two grade-II listed buildings at the site – the former Harper’s Hill Works at 109 Northwood Street and a neo-Georgian factory on the corner of Newhall Street and James Street – which will be preserved.
Another two buildings will also be retained: 123 Northwood Street, which extends to Regent Place, and 128 Northwood Street.
There is no public access through the site so a section of Northwood Street currently closed will be opened up and a new public square will be surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants at ground level.
This is latest project in the city to be unveiled by the joint venture team of Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital.
It is also developing The Timber Yard apartment complex near the Hippodrome theatre, around 800 houses at the Soho Loop site in Ladywood and it recently bought an office where ments.
Stephen Conway, chairman of Galliard Homes, said: “The Jewellery Quarter is one of Birmingham’s best assets. Our plans will create a new animated hub in the area where block in Summer Hill Road it plans to build 500 apart- people can live, work and play. As well as new homes, the scheme’s ground-floor commercial space will provide opportunities for up-andcoming independent bars and restaurants, whether that’s local heroes or brands new to the city.”
Component maker AE Harris was founded in 1880 and has occupied the site since 1964 but now only uses a third of it. It will move to new premises in Frankley by the end of the year.
It is owned today by Birmingham Post columnist Russell Luckock, the grandson of the company’s cofounder Howard Luckock who launched the business with his brother-in-law Albert Harris.
Mr Luckock said: “In the decades following our move to Northwood Street, we acquired neighbouring plots to accommodate our growing business.
“However, today’s modern manufacturing methods mean we no longer require all this space and many of the buildings have become surplus to our requirements.
“Being in the middle of a bustling city centre is also no longer necessary or ideal for our operations.
“Importantly, the sale of the site will release capital to invest in and further grow the business.”