House of Fraser plan submitted
PLANS have been lodged with the city council for the wholesale revamp of the House of Fraser department store in Birmingham – only House of Fraser does not appear to be in them.
The building’s owner Legal & General announced in December that it was bringing forward proposals to regenerate the site in Corporation Street to create a mixed-use complex akin to Birmingham’s famous Mailbox.
House of Fraser was plunged into financial turmoil last summer before it was bought out by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct group.
After initial uncertainty over the department store’s future, it appeared to have been saved in October when staff were informed the shop was staying open. But the new plans appear to spell the end for House of Fraser’s future in its current guise in Birmingham although proposals for 105,000 sq ft of retail, leisure and restaurant space are included in this new application.
The project comprises the store and the adjoining unit at 43 Temple Row whose tenants include office space provider Regus and a branch of Lloyds Bank.
It would see the creation of nine floors of offices, bars, a new roof terrace overlooking Birmingham Cathedral and a hotel of up to 200 bedrooms through the refurbishment of 43 Temple Row. Legal & General said it had previously been in discussions about a reformatted store before House of Fraser entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement last summer.