Out-Law News 1 min. read
05 Feb 2015, 5:20 pm
The Snow Hill masterplan (17-page / 8.2 MB PDF), which was produced by the Council in partnership with the Colmore Business District, is intended to help inform decisions on development and infrastructure investment in the area surrounding Snow Hill railway station until 2035.
Under the masterplan, office uses would "continue to be the mainstay of the Snow Hill district". The document said "a series of sizeable landmark office buildings" would be considered suitable for the immediate vicinity of a reworked Snow Hill Station, following the proposed demolition of the Livery Street multi-storey car park.
Downgrading the A38 to provide "a series of attractive boulevards and public spaces" would allow the existing office core to expand to the north and the west of the station under the masterplan, which also provides for further development of office uses around Colmore Row, together with "complementary retail and leisure development".
A new "sustainable neighbourhood" with a mix of residential, commercial, leisure and education uses has been proposed for the Steelhouse Lane area under the masterplan. According to the document, the planned departure of large institutions such as the Birmingham Children's Hospital, the Victoria Law Courts and the Central Police Station are expected to present "major opportunities for development, both new build and through the reuse of historic buildings" in the area.
Mixed-use redevelopment has also been proposed for the Ludgate Hill enterprise zone on the fringe of Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, to the west of Snow Hill station. The masterplan said the area was intended to "provide a flexible mix of office, residential hotel and leisure uses centred around a new public space and incorporating existing historic buildings".
Sir Albert Bore, leader of the Council, said in a statement: "Birmingham is putting in place the building blocks for a global business and financial centre. The city is already investing heavily to ensure that firms have everything they need to thrive there."
"The Snow Hill masterplan provides a bold and exciting proposal for how Birmingham can continue to grow its thriving business and professional services sector," said Bore. "With time, we want the city to replicate the success of Canary Wharf, with areas like the Snow Hill district forming the cornerstone of this vision."
Public consultation on the masterplan will be open from 9 February until 23 March.