Plain English Version
Central areas include (among many things) expensive offices and other businesses, a large variety of shops, flats, leisure, tourism and cultural facilities. Mostly these are in the very centre of the city, within the Queensway (inner ring road).
However, the city can change and as it develops, we will need a larger central area. In fact, this has already been happening. Changes to the Queensway have made it for the central area to expand and in the last 10 years, it has spread out to the west around Brindleyplace. If we look at the large office area at Fiveways, we could say that changes to the central area have been happening for almost 50 years. Recently, the central area has started spreading out to the east.
Brindleyplace has been very successful and is an easy walk from New Street. The Mailbox, Baskerville House and the leisure uses along Broad Street have also expanded the central area to the west. The Bullring to the south has helped improve people’s knowledge and opinion of Birmingham. It fits in well with the shops on New Street.
The central area will expand further while the Big City Plan is happening. The Plan will help make the central area bigger and better quality. The next place that the central area will spread out into is Eastside. The Masshouse development and Millenium Point have already started this process.
We have a great chance to improve the area to the south of the Historic Core, starting with the re-building of New Street Station. The new station will be very important in improving people’s knowledge and opinion of Birmingham and will make the experience of visitors arriving in the city much better.
Also, the Wholesale Markets are a very large site near the central area. These two areas will make up a large part of changes to the south of the traditional Historic Core. They can be used to improve the quality of the streets, spaces and transport links in the whole of the southern part of the city centre. We should think about the areas of New Street Station and the Wholesale Markets together.
So, even though the way the Big City Plan is organised is based on the existing central area, it will expand into nearby areas particularly Eastside, Westside and Southside. We want these areas to have lively and different features: for example the Gay Village and Chinese Quarter in Southside, leisure uses in Westside, the learning district in Eastside and food and specialist services and markets in Southside.
So, when you are reading the following sections, please remember that although the policy areas are set up by lines on a map, the activities in the city are changing and the central area activities will not really be limited by these boundaries.
Original Document
Central areas include (among many things) high value offices and commercial uses, a varied and large retail offer, high density city centre living, leisure, tourism and cultural provision. Traditionally these were contained within the Historic Core at the heart of the city, an area mostly bounded by the Queensway.
However, the city is not static and Birmingham’s growing role as a global city will require a wider area to accommodate these central area uses. In fact, this has already been happening for some time. The Queensway has become more permeable in recent years, and in the last 10 years central area uses have expanded to the west around Brindleyplace. Arguably, this process has been going on for almost 50 years if the large scale office development in the Fiveways area is taken into account. More recently, central area functions have begun to expand to the east.
The expansion to the west in the form of Brindleyplace has been very successful and is easily walkable from New Street. The Mailbox, Baskerville House and the leisure uses along Broad Street have also expanded the city’s central area functions westwards. The iconic Bullring development to the south has made a very positive contribution towards raising the profile of Birmingham. It integrates well with the retail offer in New Street.
During the life of the plan, there will be further expansion of the central area functions beyond the historic core. The Big City Plan will be the catalyst for expanding the scale and improving the quality of these functions. The next location for central area expansion is Eastside. The Masshouse development and Millennium Point have already started this process.
There is also huge potential to improve the built environment to the south of the Historic Core, beginning with the redevelopment of New Street Station. This transformational development will be fundamental to raising the profile of Birmingham as a global city. The proposals for New Street Station will be immensely beneficial to improving the arrival experience into the city.
In addition, the Wholesale Markets are a very large site close to the heart of the city. These two big opportunities will form the basis of a major transformation to the south of the traditional Historic Core. They form two poles of growth which can be used to transform the quality of the streets, spaces and transport links in the whole of the southern part of the city centre. To get the most out of these opportunities, New Street Station and the Wholesale Markets must be considered together.
Thus although the structure of the plan is based on the defined policy areas for the sake of convenience, central area uses will expand beyond the historic core into neighbouring areas of the city centre, and in particular into Eastside, Westside and Southside. The intention is that these areas will develop vibrant distinctive characters: for example the Gay Village and Chinese Quarter in Southside, leisure uses in Westside, the learning quarter within Eastside and food and specialist functions and markets in Southside.
In reading the following sections, therefore, it is important to bear in mind that, whilst the policy areas are defined by lines drawn on a plan, the activities within the city are changing and dynamic and the central area functions will not be confined by these boundaries. An important part of the Big City Plan will be to allow for the growth and expansion of Birmingham’s central area functions.
Plain English Version
To raise the city’s profile, several things need to happen. The plan must offer chances for high-quality offices and shops in the central area to expand and for the city to carry on holding important international events in modern, high-quality venues. It must also allow for culture to develop, including the idea of using the city itself as a gallery; for the city’s academic and research profile to be raised; and for businesses and specialist activites to be set up and developed. It must also do something that is not so easy to plan for, which is aim to create or increase the things that make the city interesting, exciting and varied. So the central area will spread out, and there will be an area around it that will have a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5.2. The questions later on in this report ask you what you think we can do in the city centre to let us achieve these goals:
- one of the most important cities in the world for business and high value commercial operations
- important in arts and culture
- a leader in making and using digital technology
- a source of research, development and new enterprise from our universities
- a profitable and growing environment for new high technology and green industries
- famous for its entertainment and leisure facilities
- shopping and town centre services and surroundings that are suitable for one of the most important cities in the world
- the right conditions to develop creative and fringe activities
- very good open spaces and public places (such as parks and squares)
- nice city centre surroundings where a variety of people live, especially families
- a city that is easy to get to and around with good transport and stations and that is good for telecommunications (such as phones, internet and cable services)
Original Document
To raise the city’s status, a number of factors need to come together. plan will need to provide opportunities for central area uses such as prime offices and shops to expand and for the city to continue to stage high level international events in modern, quality facilities. It will need to create the right conditions for the further development of the cultural assets of the city including developing the concept of the city itself as a gallery; the raising of the city’s academic and research profile; and for starting and growing central area businesses and niche, specialist activities. Less easily planned for, it must aim to create or foster the conditions that add human interest, excitement and diversity to the city. The central area will therefore expand further out of the core, and there will be a transition zone outside this area which will contain a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5. 2. questions in the later sections of this report ask what can be done in the city centre to enable to realise the following ambitions as a global city:
- A world player in business and high value commercial operations
- A big international presence in arts and culture
- A leader in the development and application of digital technology
- A major seed bed for spin-off research, development and new enterprise from the universities
- A profitable and growth-oriented environment for clusters of emerging high technology and green industries
- A famed range of entertainment and leisure facilities
- Shopping and town centre services and environment commensurate with global city status
- supportive conditions for the strong development of creative and fringe use and activities
- Outstanding open spaces and public places
- An attractive city centre living environment for a diverse range of residents, especially families
- Outstanding accessibility, both physical and virtual, through high quality sustainable transport and user-friendly transport interchanges and high speed next generation telecommunication
Plain English Version
The choices in the Birmingham Core Strategy suggest most grow will be in the city Centre. There are already a lot of major office buildings in the centre, from Five Ways Edgbaston and in Brindley Place, Broad St, Snow Hill and Colmore Row. The last pieces of Brindley Place is being built and there are lots of buildings just or nearly finished in ‘Colmore Plaza’ and Snow Hill. Eastside and the south end of the Jewellery Quarter are also places that are seen as for offices. The Jewellery Quarter is often used by professional companies.
Original Document
The options in the emerging Birmingham Core Strategy focus office growth within the city centre. The city centre has a well defined belt of major office buildings, which stretches from the Fiveways area through Brindleyplace and Broad Street, to Snow Hill and Colmore Row, The last phase of Brindleyplace is under construction and there are several major schemes recently completed or under construction at Colmore Plaza and Snow Hill. Eastside and the southern end of the Jewellery Quarter are emerging parts of this office belt, with the latter forming a focus for professional offices.
Plain English Version
The rents for offices in Birmingham are high compared to other cities in the World – which might be because there aren’t enough to go round.
It’s possible that new types of development – perhaps offices in buildings that are also something else (like the Mailbox or those in Brindley Place) – would be good.
Original Document
Birmingham prime office rents are high even on an international scale and suggest a historic constriction on supply. There may be a need to look at ways in which a range of new office accommodation can be brought on stream perhaps as part of mixed use schemes like Brindleyplace and Eastside to appeal to a variety of potential occupiers.
Plain English Version
The Regional Spatial Strategy says Birmingham needs 590,000 square metres of new offices in the city centre by 2026. Because of the cost and performance of the economy, it’s likely that this won’t happen at a steady rate of 30,000 square meters a year. It’s possbile that more of it may have to wait until nearer 2026.
Original Document
The Plan needs to respond to the RSS requirements of 590,000 square metres of new office development by 2026 in the city centre. If Birmingham is looking to create a step-change in its economic performance it may take time to create the right conditions infrastructure and image to deliver this. Thus commercial office floor-space may not be delivered at an even rate throughout the plan period. Rather than an average of 30,000 sq m p.a., higher rates of development might be expected in the latter part of the period.
Plain English Version
Creating too many office before they’re needed won’t work. We also need to back a choice over where the offices are built first, so that it’s clear to everyone what’s happening.
The ‘core’ (inner city centre) is a obvious first choice, but when should we add further offices in Eastside , Westside or Southside.
Original Document
Trying to create too much space before the market is ready will be counter-productive. Equally a choice may need to be made over the phasing of development areas so that they do not compete with each other and send out confused messages to the development market. For example whilst the core is the obvious first area for development a choice may need to be taken over when to bring forward development in Eastside, Westside and Southside.
Plain English Version
How can we have more and a bigger variety of buildings for offices and high value business activities?
Original Document
How can we improve the amount and range of accommodation for offices and high value business activities that will further Birmingham’s ambitions as a global city?
Plain English Version
Where should we make this new area for offices and businesses, so that we have more variety in places for different types of business?
Original Document
Where should this new office and business development be accommodated, to create a more diverse range of locations for different types of business?
Plain English Version
Southside for offices.
A major new office quarter would be located near New Street Station and around the area of the Wholesale Markets.
To make sure that the area isn’tdeserted in the evenings and at weekends, there would also be residential apartments and active ground floor uses, such as restaurants and cafés.
Original Document
Southside as a prime office destination. A major new office quarter would be located near New Street Station and the area of the Wholesale Markets with ancillary independent retail, cafés and restaurants. In order to maintain activity in the area in the evenings and at weekends, the offices would be supplemented by residential apartments and active ground floor uses, such as restaurants and cafés.
Plain English Version
Westside as a commercial quarter.
This would encourage higher value office, shops and leisure facilities to build on the success of Brindleyplace and act as an extension to the legal and financial core of the city.
Original Document
Westside as a commercial quarter. This option would encourage future commercial redevelopment within the Westside area, including higher value office, retail and leisure uses. This would build on the success of Brindleyplace and capitalise on the proximity of Westside to the legal and financial centre of the city.