Hammerson, which owns and manages Bullring and Grand Central, has set out its vision for the regeneration of Martineau Galleries in Birmingham City Centre, the first major scheme to be brought forward as part of its City Quarters concept.
City Quarters will create vibrant mixed-use neighbourhoods beyond pure retail to curate and deliver homes, workspace, leisure, cultural and educational space around Hammerson’s existing flagship retail destinations, in thriving locations around the UK and Ireland.
Proposals for the 7.5-acre site include up to 1,300 homes and 1.4m sq ft of workspace that will offer opportunities for a range of businesses, as well as a new city centre hotel, restaurants and cafes. The scheme will also deliver a signature gateway to Birmingham from the proposed Curzon Street terminal (part of the proposed HS2) and high-quality public realm, including a new public square and boulevard.
The site forms a significant part of Birmingham city centre, with strategic links to the wider area, including the High Street which links Martineau Galleries to the Bullring Estate. The scheme will deliver a new neighbourhood that extends the High Street, and embraces key future connections, including train, tram and bus networks and the proposed Curzon Street station and metro extension, creating a natural flow through the city.
Plans for the site, which currently includes The Square Shopping Centre, King’s Parade and Dale End (High Street) car park, have been designed to continue Birmingham’s ambition for growth and further strengthen the city’s position as one of the leading centres for business, leisure and living in the UK. Approximately 350 full-time construction jobs will be created per year over the life of the demolition and construction phases of the project. Once completed, the development will provide around 8,000 new full-time jobs on site, across the office-space, restaurants, and cafes.
Following the public consultation, Hammerson intends to submit an outline planning application to Birmingham City Council later this year, with the aim of starting works in 2022.
Robin Dobson, Development Director at Hammerson, said: “We are pleased to share the plans for our first major City Quarters scheme for this strategically important site in the heart of the city. Martineau Galleries will be a new, vibrant neighbourhood in the centre of Birmingham, where we are already a long term investor, with the Bullring Estate remaining one of the UK’s most successful destinations for both brands and consumers.
“Hammerson has a strong track record of creating great destinations, not just in Birmingham but across Europe, and we look forward to finalising our masterplan, ahead of submission later this year.”
The Festival of Light activation drove significant increases in footfall and attracted new consumers to Hammerson’s flagship destinations
As of 31st Dec 2018, Hammerson’s portfolio of high-quality venues had a value of £9.9 billion and includes 21 flagship destinations, 13 convenient retail parks and investments in 20 premium outlet villages, through partnership with Value Retail and VIA Outlets joint venture. Key retail venues include, Bullring & Grand Central, Birmingham, Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, Freeport Lisboa Fashion Outlet, Lisbon, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin; and Les Terrasses du Port, Marseille. Hammerson also manage more than 2,000 brand relationships and during trading hours, more than 80,000 people visit its shopping centres hourly across flagship destinations in the UK, France & Ireland.
