Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme
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The Birmingham Redevelopment Scheme is a large redevelopment plan for Birmingham, UK. It was created to regenerate Birmingham and to produce a "world class city" with modern buildings. The city had become an example of 1960s Brutalist which had become disliked by the local people. Several surveys exhibited the effect and image the city was portraying to tourists and subsequently, tourism in the city declined.
The Redevelopment programme's aim is to help Birmingham's tourism and turn it into a landmark city. However, Birmingham City Council has been warned by architects and previous members that doing this leaves an opportunity for architects to test some of their designs and as a result will make Birmingham an "architectural dump".
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[edit] The Bullring Shopping Centre
A large part of the scheme was the redevelopment of the Bullring Shopping Centre. The original shopping centre lost revenue and was no longer desired as much as the time of its opening. The development of the shopping centre was prompted and a £500 million design was produced.
The recreation of old streets and an advertising campaign through television and newspapers to attract to tourists to Birmingham was initiated through this development. However, the effects of the shopping centre's construction have become visible throughout the city centre. Now that shops have relocated to the Bullring, many other lots and spaces are left abandoned and up for sale. Figures released by the Birmingham City Council have showed that fewer people are visiting once popular sites such as Centenary Square, Victoria Square and the canal area.
[edit] Lee Bank
Lee Bank was an inner-city area of Birmingham which was consisted of numerous council housing estates built during the 1960s. However these estates became "rundown" and anti-social behavior became common in the area. As a result, entire estates have been demolished and the land has been cleared for the construction of new, modern apartment blocks with a major student housing development nearby.
The development, known as Park Central, is one of the largest single developments in the city and is expected to rejuvinate the area. Lee Bank, as a result, has been renamed Attwood Green so that the previous image of the area is removed. Construction has commenced and major sections of the site are near completion. Proposals are still yet to be submitted including a corner plot which is contested by two supermarkets, each hoping to construct residences attached to the store. Tesco plan to build a mid-rise curved building known as Monaco House whilst Asda want to build a store on the same plot which will have a 27 storey spiral shaped tower rising above it. Both proposals are in consideration.
[edit] Paradise Circus
This area has been a key point in Councils plans for regeneration and one of the first to be aired. The site is a combination of interconnected buildings some of which are either inside the roundabout / circus or actually over Paradise Circus. At present, it is home to the Central Library, UCE Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, Birmingham Library Theatre, Paradise Forum and various bars and restaurants.
The Central Library and "pass-through" (Paradise Forum) which connects Chamberlain Square and Centenary Square are both relatively old fashioned compared to the surrounding developments, although Paradise Forum was covered and renovate in the mid-1990s. Central Library is receiving increased traffic and it was commented by Prince Charles as "a place for burning books, not keeping them."
The plan would be sensitive to the rest of Birmingham as it would be a link between two major public gathering places. The Council House and the modern developments of Arena Central are located very close to the area. The development of the area will almost certainly include the demolition of the road tunnel and the Birmingham Central Library.
In 2006, the council broadcast progress of the relocation of Central Library to the Eastside and Centenary Square. The UCE Birmingham Conservatoire have also expressed their interest in the site intended for the library in the Eastside which was shelved. The Tall Places document showed that two places in Paradise Circus would be "appropriate" places to build skyscrapers. The first proposals of the development put it in the price range of £1 billion.
[edit] Eastside
The Eastside plan is the latest and largest part of the redevelopment plan. The entire project is being funded by the UK government, European Union, European banks and other sources. Altogether, the estimated cost is £6 billion however may rise as interest in the site grows. The plan involves the demolition of a vast area many times bigger than the Bullring. It will involve the redevelopment of Digbeth, Millennium Point, Curzon Street and Deritend. Several tall high rise apartment blocks are being built in front of The McLaren Building on the site of Masshouse Circus. There were plans for the Central Library to be moved to the site to create a library which will be one of the 10 largest in the world however these plans have been shelved. A vertical theme park was proposed in early 2006 to be located next to Millennium Point. The tower may reach 175 metres and is receiving support from the council.
Massive areas of Digbeth are to be demolished including the recording studios for UB40. The area will be turned into a large focal point for businesses and possibly as an economic centre for Birmingham. The Curzon plan involves the renovation of Curzon Street Station and the creation of an urban park.
Another plan which is in the development scheme for the Martineau Galleries which will be an extension of Martineau Place, a shopping and eating area in Central Birmingham located between Carrs Lane and Corporation Street. The plan will involve the demolition of a 1960s shopping area and a multi-storey car park to produce a shopping and residential area with a 110 metre tall tower with sloping roof.
Despite a number of developments being located within close proximity to each other, they are all separate. The park is the City Gate Park Scheme, while the Masshouse towers are the Masshouse Scheme. The Curzon scheme is alongside the City Gate Park Scheme.
[edit] New Street Station
Designs were shown to the public in mid-February 2006 for a new Birmingham New Street Station in a project known as Birmingham Gateway. The plans featured a foyer of open space with a multi-storey entrance. The roof was composed completely of glass similar to the Bull Ring Shopping Centre to allow natural light to enter. If constructed, Stephenson Tower will be demolished to make way for extra space.
The plans were different to those which some websites monitoring the developments closely had predicted.
Problems were soon outlined such as the lack of available funds for its construction however with numerous donations and funding from companies, the project still remains on track.
The council and developers issued a report in June 2006 which said they were looking at other options which included constructing a new railway station in the Eastside to ease stress of New Street. This station would make the number of major railway stations in Birmingham City Centre total four.
A planning application for outline planning permission was handed in on August 2006 which shows a glass facade with rounded edges. The entrance on Station Street will comprise of two curved 130 metre tall towers.
[edit] Birmingham superhospital
The Birmingham Super Hospital will be the country's first superhospital upon completion in 2009. Construction began in mid-2006 with construction of 5 cranes, one of which was noted for its size. The completion cost is expected to be £553 million. The superhospital will replace Selly Oak Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This super hospital can be visible for many miles around, and is about to remove jobs from existing NHS hospitals, in Redditch etc.
[edit] Other
The council has been removing all old bus stops and replacing them with new ones which have lights, information boards and some have sensors which attract the nearest closed-circuit television camera whenever a window is smashed.
Smaller projects include the construction of Colmore Plaza on the site of the former Post and Mail Tower which was demolished in early 2006. The Rotunda is being redeveloped by Urban Splash which will see it converted from offices to residential apartments with full height windows. Urban Splash are also developing Fort Dunlop which is scheduled to open in December 2006.
Residential development in the city has significantly increased with the construction of Beetham Tower, Orion Building and Mailbox. The final phase of the Mailbox, The Cube, is set to begin construction in late 2006. It will be an iconic structure designed by Ken Shuttleworth. Smaller projects such as Westside and the renovation of a previously office building on New Street have also further increased the development.
Brindleyplace was a key development and the first. It totally regenerated the canal area and turned Broad Street into an international destination which was further helped by the creation of the International Convention Centre.
[edit] See also
- Arena Central Tower - A tower to be built on Broad Street.
- List of highrise buildings in Birmingham, UK
- Architecture of Birmingham
[edit] External links
- A list of developments in this plan (PDF format) you may need to zoom in to read the writing. (November 2004)
