Plans to transform 
Birmingham into a world-class city received another boost this week, with news that a joint venture to redevelop the Paradise Circus site has been approved.
Occupying a location at the heart of the City Centre Enterprise Zone, Paradise Circus will play a pivotal role in future plans for the city. The £450m redevelopment of the site is intended to improve traffic flow and movement through the city, with better access to other key areas of the city, including the ICC, the Jewellery Quarter, Colmore Business District and New Street Station.
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70,000 sq. ft. of new office space is to mark the beginning of a new direction for Chester – countering criticism that the city has been resting on its laurels.
Construction work is to begin on the six-storey building in early 2014. By 2015, it is expected to provide 1,000 new jobs and a £100m boost to the local economy.
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The Manchester home of the Cooperative Society and E.ON’s energy efficient offices in Nottingham are among the nominees for this year’s regional RIBA Awards.
The RIBA awards seek to celebrate the best of British architecture each year, irrespective of a structure’s size or purpose. As this year’s regional shortlists are announced, a number of office buildings have already been revealed as contenders for the prize.
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An iconic Liverpool building has been saved from demolition thanks to commercial property developers who plan to transform it into business and hotel space.
After standing vacant for over 10 years, the future of the Littlewoods Pools Building off Edge Lane was looking far from certain until planners approved developer Capital & Centric’s plans for the site last week.
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Businesses across Yorkshire & Humberside are feeling confident about the region’s prospects in 2013. That’s according to data from officebroker.com, which shows that businesses are spending more per workstation and committing to their serviced office spaces for longer.
Compared with the same period in 2011, the average price per workstation across Yorkshire & Humberside for the final quarter of 2012 was up 34%, from £130 to £174. Average licence length also increased to an average of 9.2 months per serviced tenant, from 8.1 months in 2011.
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While London and Liverpool battle outspoken opposition to their contemporary business centre plans, Leeds City Council is taking the next step to turn heritage buildings into office space, making them an integral part of city redevelopment.
For the latest stage in the Holbeck Urban Village development, Leeds City Council will meet this week to consider a proposal to transfer several landmark buildings in the area to City Council ownership. Those presenting the proposal hope that once under Council control, barriers to redevelopment work will be reduced, attracting further investment into the area.
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Ambitious plans for the City Centre Enterprise Zone could see Birmingham gain an extra 1.3 million square metres of office space.
Looking to make the most of Birmingham’s second-city status, the plans aim to boost business, bringing 40,000 new jobs, contributing £2.8 billion to the economy, and building a sustainable growth model over the course of the next 20 years.
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A plan to convert a former Manchester aircraft factory into office space could be on the verge of taking off.
Property development group Town Centre Securities has reportedly submitted plans to convert the historic Grade II listed Brownsfield Mill, located on Great Ancoats Street, into a new complex offering leisure, retail and office space.
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With Liverpool’s historic waterfront undergoing a dramatic transformation and amid the multi-billion pound regeneration of Birkenhead Docks, the Wirral is not to be left out. At least, that’s the view of the Peel Group, who has invited London Eye architect Marks Barfield to draw up plans for a new towering icon at Wirral Waters.
Dubbed the Wirral Beacon, early designs for the structure show a 100m tower with a ramped walkway that hugs a central column, similar to a helter skelter. The Beacon would be located at the East Float of Wirral Waters, part of the Birkenhead Docks’ wider £4.5bn regeneration scheme.
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In case you hadn’t already ‘herd’, a former cattle market in the historic market town of Shrewsbury could be transformed into a multimillion pound business hub.
Plans for a £2.6 million business centre could be on the cards, specifically to provide flexible office space for start-up businesses and local small firms with growth on the agenda. If approved, the plans would transform part of the old cattle market site at Shrewsbury’s Battlefield Industrial Estate, creating a 30,000 sq ft business centre with around 20 offices and planners believe it could also generate dozens of jobs in the process.
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