The shape of things to come
Birmingham’s skyline is undergoing rapid change. looks at the many development projects on the horizon that have emerged over the last 12 months in this special four-page Post feature
has revised their plans for new apartments, it usually means they have added a few extra units or increased the parking provision.
Not so with Nikal which took its proposals for phase two of Exchange Square and threw them out of the window.
Planning permission was in place for 223 apartments, a public square and retail units across two blocks of nine and 16 storeys respectively.
But the Manchester-based group decided it wanted to go large so in October revealed it had redesigned the project to comprise a part seven-storey, part 46-storey residential tower containing around 565 apartments.
There would also be outdoor terraces and garden areas, shops and a residents’ sky lounge and garden on the 46th floor.
Although specific details of the final planning application are not yet available, the project is likely to be the tallest residential tower in Birmingham if built as proposed.
Nikal said the building work would start in spring 2018 and take three years, subject to planning approval.
Exchange Square, in The Priory Queensway, is a residential-led development with work well under way on phase one, to contain 603 apartments in a complex reaching up to 27 storeys.
But this one from October may just top the list in recent years for ambition.
Joint applicants Lench’s Trust and ES Lancaster Birmingham are planning to build 1,023 bedrooms across three blocks of accommodation reaching nine, 13 and 24 storeys respectively in a C-shaped complex.
Common areas would include a cinema room, reception, offices, lobby and a kitchen and the upper ground level will have a landscaped courtyard.
The application site, next to the Lancaster Circus Queensway island and flyover, is currently used as a 120-space car park but the development could become quite the landmark as it would dominate the view for drivers entering the city from the north.
This is not the first time the site has attracted the attention of ambitious developers as plans for 734 bedrooms over 20 storeys were lodged back in 2008.
If approved, the project will merely cement Birmingham’s Gun Quarter as actually the city’s new Student Quarter as more and more halls of residence spring up in this incredibly densely populated area.