Almost 2,000 apartments are set to be built as part of plans to revamp a Birmingham city centre street which has been the subject of long-running redevelopment proposals.
Developer CEG wants to construct three separate tall towers containing around 1,800 units to rent on Smallbrook Queensway, along with ground-floor commercial and retail units and public squares.
It would involve the demolition of the existing curved block, called the Ringway Centre, which was designed by James Roberts, the man behind Birmingham's famous Rotunda - something which has left one local campaign group "horrified".
This would be replaced by a 44-storey building to the west of Hurst Street, a 56-storey block between Hurst Street and Wrottesley Street and a 48-storey tower on the eastern end closest to Bullring.
The apartments would be fully managed on site and have a 24-hour concierge service while the ground floors would provide a range of commercial uses.
There are also three planned new public spaces:
- Hurst Plaza, a mainly pedestrian area at the junction of Smallbrook Queensway and Hurst Street
- Wrottesley Steps, connecting Wrottesley Street with Smallbrook Queensway
- Smithfield Steps, aimed at improving the descent from Smallbrook Queensway to Dudley Street and Pershore Street
There are also discussions with the city council regarding adding more greenery to the southern half of Smallbrook Queensway as part of wider plans to claim back underused road space for active travel and space for relaxation.
London-based CEG has now launched a public consultation into the project ahead of submitting a planning application to Birmingham City Council.
Its previous proposals for the Ringway Centre comprised a mixed-use office and residential scheme which won consent in 2017 but never got off the ground.
CEG said it was hoping the new iteration of the project would "reactivate a prominent and mainly unused site", taking inspiration from the existing architectural and design features.
A statement said: "We're delighted to be bringing forward these ambitious plans that will breathe new life into this part of the city centre and create new routes to and from Southside.
"Throughout the development of our scheme, we have put particular effort into ensuring proposals for much-needed housing within the city centre also help to create an extensive new public realm which can be enjoyed by those living and working in the area.
"We are working in close partnership with the council to get these proposals right, regenerating a significant site in the city centre."
The previous consented project would have seen the Ringway Centre stripped back and reclad to create new office and commercial space while the link bridge over Hurst Street was set to be demolished and replaced at that corner with a 26-storey apartment block.
At the time of awarding consent, councillors were very supportive of the scheme to knock down the Hurst Street link bridge, with the city's planning committee branding it "awful" and "horrendous" but supporters such as local campaign group Brutiful Birmingham wanted it preserved.
Mary Keating, speaking on behalf of the group, said that, while she welcomed elements of this new project, she was "horrified" by the proposals.
"We welcome the improvement of the public realm and the fact the proposals are for residential accommodation but both of these could be achieved by repurposing the current building and retaining the features that make it a distinctive Birmingham building," she told BusinessLive.
"In addition, what appears to have been ignored is the huge environmental impact of demolition. There is very little left intact of James Roberts' legacy which makes the Ringway Centre together with the Rotunda crucially important.
"Smallbrook Queensway was the first section of the Inner Ring Road to open and currently remains the most intact area of post-war architecture in Birmingham.
"This has the potential, with a growing interest in architecture of this period and in the right hands, of becoming a major tourist destination, bringing more people and revenue into the city.
"The Ringway Centre is highly distinctive with the concrete panels and uplighters.
"It is a sad indictment it might be replaced by bland architecture that has nothing to recommend it and results in Birmingham losing any sense of uniqueness.
"Crucially there is the environmental impact of demolition. Recent statistics reveal UK construction and demolition accounts for 62 per cent of the total waste we produce and 45 per cent of all CO2 emissions.
"We wonder how, with plans like this on the table, Birmingham is intending to meet its carbon reduction targets."
Planning consultancy Turley and architecture practice Corstorphine & Wright are also part of the project team.
*** The public consultation into CEG's new plans has now launched and will run until Monday July 18. An online webinar with the project team is being held on July 13 at 6pm. For more details and to register feedback on the proposals, visit www.smallbrookqueensway.co.uk
