Planning granted for new public space at Paradise

Planning permission has been granted by Birmingham City Council for a significant new public space at Paradise Birmingham as part of the completion of Phase Two of the £700 million development.

The plans improve city centre connectivity with a series of new public spaces and pedestrian routes through Paradise and improved linkages between Colmore Row and the city core and Westside and the Jewellery Quarter.

The approved links include the new Ratcliff Passage alongside the Town Hall, Ratcliff Square, and Western Terrace leading to Easy Row with a newly renovated subway route through to Alpha Tower and Arena Central.

This planning permission follows a number of successes at Paradise, with Birmingham City Council also recently awarding permission for a new 17 storey, 152-bedroom hotel on the corner of Paradise Street, while in December enabling and construction began on the world-first Octagon apartment tower at the northern apex of the Paradise site.

The new public realm is designed by Grant Associates landscape architects.

Rob Groves, regional development director with Paradise development manager MEPC, said: “The success of the existing public realm is reflected in what we are now proposing with more high-quality stonework with a variety of tones and finishes alongside mature trees and greener elements.

“With two green lights for both the public realm and new hotel now awarded, we 've brought cutting edge new designs for exemplar new public realm which will continue to knit Paradise into the wider city centre. ”

Planning and development consultancy Turley has worked with the design team and MEPC on delivering a number of planning applications for the completion of Phase Two.

Paradise Birmingham has already completed phase one of the development with One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square providing some of the best views in Birmingham.

PwC, the leading professional services firm, moved its 2,000-strong team to One Chamberlain Square in January 2020 and has since been joined at Paradise by DLA Piper which has taken occupation of the top two floors of Two Chamberlain Square along with Knights, Mazars and Atkins also in the building, while Arup has committed to taking three floors of the new One Centenary Way building in 2023.