Plans for two towers overlooking historic area

Major plans for two new towers overlooking one of Birmingham’s most iconic areas have been recommended for approval.

Developers are seeking permission for two residential buildings – one of 30-storeys and another of 17-storeys – on land within the wider Arena Central masterplan, a mixed-use regeneration area in the city centre.

If approved by the council’s planning committee next week, the towers will be close to the Gas Street Basin, known as the heart of Birmingham’s canal network.

The picturesque basin is one of the city’s most beloved areas and recently featured in Peaky Blinders film The Immortal Man.

The scheme would provide 526 apartments, ancillary retail and commercial space, communal amenities for residents and landscaped areas around the buildings for pedestrian routes.

Those behind the plans said the scheme, if given the green light, would create a “connected and attractive sequence of public spaces that integrate seamlessly with the […] wider pedestrian network.”

They also said it would make a “significant positive contribution to Birmingham’s skyline, public realm and housing offer”.

But potential issues have been raised by the likes of the Canal and Rivers Trust, who said they had concerns regarding the “scale and massing of development at the interface with Gas Street Basin”.

Historic England welcomed the opportunity to complete the development of an important city site but also had concerns over the proposed height of one of the towers and its possible impact on nearby buildings.

They suggested a reduction in height would help mitigate any potential harm.

In a new report, a council officer acknowledged that the proposal would “alter elements of the setting” of nearby designated heritage assets, such as the views from and around the Hall of Memory.

They go on to accept that the most “noticeable effects” arise within views from Gas Street Basin, Regency Wharf Bridge and surrounding canal-side locations.

“Notwithstanding these changes, no heritage asset would be physically altered or lost,” the council officer argued however. “The architectural, historic and group value of the affected assets would remain readily appreciable.

“The proposed development proposal would not seriously affect a key element of the asset’s significance.”

The officer continued that the harm to the setting of nearby heritage assets needed to be weighed against the proposed scheme’s public benefits.

These include over 500 homes, new public open space, the regeneration of the site, ‘improved perceptions’ of the area, construction employment and biodiversity net gain.

On calls to lower the height of the 30-storey tower, they wrote: “[Doing this] would not significantly lessen its impact on the setting of nearby heritage assets.

“Moreover, the Arena Central Masterplan envisages tall buildings on Plots 4 and 5 [on the application site].”

The council officer added that lowering the height would “detract from the

architectural quality of the building” as it’s designed to be tall and slender.

They ultimately decided to recommended the proposed scheme for approval, subject to a legal agreement, ahead of a planning meeting next week.

“Whist I note concerns about the impact on heritage assets, I do not consider that lowering the height of [the 30-storey tower] is necessary, as the public benefits outweigh the harm caused to the setting of nearby heritage assets,” they concluded.

“In principle, residential development in this location is consistent with national and local land use planning policies.

“The housing mix, although skewed toward smaller apartments, is acceptable, given the site’s city centre location.

“I also welcome amenity and commercial uses proposed.”

The officer also said the application is consistent with the vision behind the Arena Central Masterplan.

“Although the buildings are taller than shown in the masterplan, their heights are appropriate given the surrounding city centre context,” they said.

On the design, the report said the proposed scheme has a “strong, creative architectural concept” and a “form, scale and mass complementary of its surroundings”.

“The relationship of the two buildings to their immediate and wider context has been carefully considered,” it said. “Overall, I consider that the proposed development is well designed.”

The plans will be considered by the city council’s planning committee next Thursday, November 12.

By Alexander Brock | Local Democracy Reporting Service