Tall & Urban News

The Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet voted in favor of formally appointing property firm Lendlease as development partner for the full Birmingham Smithfield scheme.

Lendlease was named in December 2018 as preferred bidder for the role. bringing forward the residential, retail, leisure and cultural hub.

But on 15 December, Birmingham City Council's Cabinet was given four options, including scrapping the project, scaling it back or speeding up certain elements of it.

The committee acted in line with a report by its acting director of inclusive growth, which recommended taking the fourth option – appointing Lendlease to deliver the scheme as it stands, in partnership with the council.

This option was best as “it will deliver the council’s vision and policies for the site,” said the report, and it had come out top in a benefit-cost ratio assessment.

The scheme will create a new home for Birmingham’s historic Bull Ring Markets, a family destination featuring leisure and cultural facilities, a new public square, integrated public transport, and more than 2,000 homes, with a public park and community facilities.

The joint venture agreement will now be put to the Lendlease board early next year. Work could then begin towards submitting a planning application.

Council leader Ian Ward said: “Birmingham Smithfield is a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new community in the heart of our city – and we are really excited to be working with Lendlease Europe, which has an international proven track record of bringing forward major developments like this.

“This £1.9 billion ($US2.6 billion) development will be a major boost for the city as a whole: Birmingham Smithfield will become a shining example of inclusive economic growth and will create a real legacy in the heart of Birmingham.”

Lendlease earlier this year appointed a team led by David Kohn Architects to design a mixed-use market building at the heart of Birmingham Smithfield.

A spokesperson for Lendlease said: “Birmingham Smithfield has the potential to become one of the most significant transformations of a city center in the world, and to provide extraordinary opportunities for future generations of residents and businesses in the city.”

For more on this story, go to Architects’ Journal.