Tall & Urban News

Birmingham’s skyline is set to be transformed after permission was granted to build a 61-story tower at 100 Broad Street. The City Council’s planning committee approved Euro Property Investments’ application on 16 January 2020.                 

The project will provide up to 503 luxury apartments, ground-floor shops as well as a cinema, gym, and workshop facilities for residents.

But its stand-out feature is set to be the “sky lounge” restaurant and bar occupying levels 59 and 60, which will be open to the public.

At 193 meters, the structure will dwarf the city’s current highest building, 10 Holloway Circus, by 63 meters. It will also look down on Court Collaboration’s 51-story ONE Eastside development, which was given the green light in December 2019, as previously reported by CTBUH.

Scheme designers Glancy Nicholls Architects said, “100 Broad Street will be the pinnacle high-rise skyscraper in the emerging Broad Street cluster of tall buildings.”

Committee members were mainly supportive of the development although Councilor Lou Robson expressed disappointment that only 25 of the new apartments would be allocated for affordable housing, a five percent provision against council policy of 35 percent.

“What we are seeing with a lot of these tall buildings is that the level of design and expense involved in luxury apartments then comes back to the viability assessment and we’re told they can’t afford to provide the 35 percent of affordable housing that’s required,” said Robson

“We hear this is going to be quite a unique building, certainly in terms of engineering. While I find that interesting it’s a shame that this level of affordable housing can’t be accommodated.”

“If we are making significant buildings it would be very nice to think that all of the population could live in them,” he added.

Councilor Gareth Moore commended the scheme and said that the design of the tower was broken up to avoid it looking like a “giant tall box.” Although he did lament the lack of any car parking spaces provided.

Councilor Mike Ward expressed “surprise” that the current “nice, modern-looking” office building at the site, formerly occupied by Connexions, was to be demolished and said he was “not convinced at all” by the skyscraper plans.

The council’s design officers had previously complimented the new proposal, saying the building would create an “architectural statement” in Birmingham.

For more on this story, go to Birmingham Live.