Apartments plan for Chamber site as 1960s offices renovated
MORE than 130 new apartments are set to be built as part of the revamp of a Birmingham office block.
New plans have been lodged to refurbish and build next to Chamber of Commerce House in Edgbaston after the business body sold the site in 2020 for £4.75 million.
Owner Mercia Real Estate is now seeking consent to construct a ninestorey block on a plinth containing 93 apartments and a second new building with 38 apartments across four storeys.
There would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, including four penthouse apartments, and parking.
Under the proposals, there would also be ground-floor commercial space in both buildings, along with other amenities including a gym and co-living/working accommodation, and new public realm at the site on the corner of Harborne Road and Highfield Road.
Planned refurbishment work of
Chamber of Commerce House itself includes cleaning and repairing the façade of the building and replacement of its glazing with contemporary windows to improve energy efficiency.
Chamber of Commerce House is the head office of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, along with other tenants, and was designed by the legendary Birmingham architect John Madin.
It has been the home of the chamber since 1960.
The business group announced in 2014 that it was looking for a buyer for the prime site in order to plug a sizable hole in its pension fund, prompting fears by local architectural campaign group Brutiful Birmingham that it would be sold and knocked down to make way for a new build.
These were compounded further in 2016 when the Government granted the site a Certificate of Immunity from Listing for five years, making it even more attractive as potential suitors circled.
But when Mercia Real Estate
announced its purchase two years ago and agreed a leaseback deal with the chamber, it confirmed it would be retaining the building and carrying
out a renovation programme instead. The site’s connectivity to the city centre was improved over the summer when the Westside extension of the West Midlands Metro tram network opened which included the final stop just a short walk away from the application site.
Samuel Clark, chief executive of Mercia Real Estate, said: “We are excited to be in planning stages for this development project.
“The proposal seeks to both faithfully restore the fundamental elements of the Chamber of Commerce building while introducing proposals that seek to incorporate new vibrancy and uses for the benefit of both the building’s legacy and that of the surrounding area.
“Consideration has been given to the current and potential future linkages around the site with a view to improving the connectivity of the chamber and new transport infrastructure works associated with the metro extension.
“Our approach focuses around the retention and improvement of current access points to the site and enabling future pedestrian links from the metro stop in Hagley Road, improving future connectivity to the wider city and beyond.”