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| 24/09/2007 PLANS FOR STUNNING CITY CENTRE OFFICE LANDMARK GET GREEN LIGHT |
| Plans for the second and final phase
of a £25 million redevelopment scheme within Birmingham's core business
area have been passed by the city's planners.
Nurton Developments completed the first phase of the landmark Priory & Cannon House office block last year, when Cannon House was relaunched after an extensive refurbishment of the building. Now, the developers will move ahead with their proposals to transform Priory House in even more dynamic fashion. The design for the property includes a futuristic, glazed entrance, projecting from the new façade, 40,000 sq ft penthouse office accommodation, and rationalised basement parking, incorporating improved disabled parking facilities. |
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The planning application has been approved by Birmingham City Council's Planning Committee, and work is expected to start on site within four to six weeks, and be completed before Christmas 2008. The main contractor is Ashford Construction, who oversaw the refurbishment of Cannon House. Architect Stuart Taylor, of Seymour Harris Architecture, said the plans had been passed approved within the statutory time period, and without modification. "We have worked very hard with the planning department, to ensure the smooth passage of what is a complex application, through extensive consultation and discussion," he added. Priory House sits on the western edge of the Steelhouse Lane Conservation Area. Nurton's scheme was praised by Cllr Peter Douglas Osborn, Chairman of the Conservation and Heritage Panel, who welcomed the idea of bringing the existing building back into use, and said the proposed development would be "an asset" to the Steelhouse Lane Conservation Area. Stuart Taylor said: "Cllr Osborn and the panel had already seen the plans, and discussed them, in June, and there had been very positive feedback relating to the redevelopment and re-use of the building, revitalising existing stock, which Nurton is renowned for. The area in undergoing a renaissance in terms of prime location and regeneration, and this is a major contribution towards it." Nurton is keen to accentuate Priory's prominent position - on the corner of Colmore Square and Priory Queensway - to best effect while, at the same time, complementing its sister property, Cannon House, next door. However, while there will be a degree of continuity between the two buildings, Priory, due to its faceted facade compared to Cannon's curved outline, will have a bold and distinctive identity of its own, with a stunning, glass centrepiece projecting from the building. "The fact that the council approved the application, which included contemporary forms and materials, within an historic conservation area, emphasises the quality of our design proposals, and also shows that the city council is forward-thinking in its strategy for the redevelopment of the city centre," said Stuart Taylor. Guy Bowden, director at Nurton Developments said "I'm really looking forward to this scheme starting, because its striking design will bring further prominence and identity to the area as a whole." The remaining facades will be renovated, using the same, specialist sub-contractors who helped transform Cannon House last year. In addition, a further 20,000 sq ft of rooftop space will be constructed, to link up with the existing 20,000 sq ft that already runs across the top of both buildings at the rear, which will be combined and offered as top-of-the-range, penthouse office suite on the new, 7th floor. Nurton is also investing additional sums to adhere to strict, thermal and environmental criteria, in order to achieve a BREEAM excellent rating for both buildings. The current proposals will significantly improve the buildings thermal and environmental performance. Cannon House was launched at the end of January, before an invited audience of the city's top professionals. Cannon & Priory have a combined floorplate of around 45,000 sq ft - the largest commercial footprints in Birmingham City Centre - potentially providing 300,000 sq ft of offices over five floors, and ground-floor retail in 12 units, currently let to retailers of varying sizes, including Lloyds TSB and Snow+Rock, which doubled its floorspace after taking on a mezzanine sales floor of 3,875 sq ft. Cannon provides 70,000 sq ft of office accommodation; 44,000 sq ft is currently under offer to the Insolvency Service. Letting agents GSD and GVA Grimley. |
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