Detailed proposals have been submitted for 42 High Street Birmingham, a mixed-use development comprising new homes, retail space and generous public realm in the heart of Birmingham city centre.
Designed by Squire & Partners for developer Bluecastle Capital, proposals would transform the long-vacant landmark site into a new eastern gateway to the city centre.
Situated next to Moor Street station and the future HS2 Curzon Street station, proposals respond to the city’s Birmingham Central Heart Prospectus – its long term vision for the regeneration of this strategically important area – with 51% of the site given back as publicly accessible space, improving the connectivity between the city’s commercial core and future HS2 station.
The development is designed to sit within Birmingham’s emerging cluster of tall buildings, reflecting the ambitions set out in the Prospectus for a higher-density city centre quarter as its skyline evolves to support the arrival of HS2.
The proposals include:
• 53-storey landmark building providing 729 build-to-rent homes across a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with extensive residential amenity.
• 346 sqm of ground floor flexible commercial space.
• 1,677 sqm of new landscaping, lighting, and public art – replacing the site’s blank facades with active frontages.
The contemporary design includes a setback colonnaded base that would widen Carrs Lane, expand the area of public realm and activate the street level with retail. The crown of the building repeats the arched colonnade language, and a drop shoulder at Level 48 would provide residential amenity with social lounges and an external landscaped terrace.
The public realm has been designed by landscape architects Layer Studio, working closely with Squire & Partners to create a network of distinct character areas across the site. A ‘workshop garden’ at the eastern edge of the site greets pedestrians arriving from HS2 Curzon Street with a quieter, plant-filled seating area anchored by a piece of civic art. A rich, red material palette draws on Birmingham's industrial heritage, echoing its traditional brickwork. At Level 48, the roof terrace continues this narrative with materials reclaimed from the existing building repurposed throughout the landscaping.
The design of the development creates a distinctive landmark that would complement the city’s skyline, respect key views and reference the civic materiality of the surrounding and emerging city centre.
Bettina Brehler, Partner at Squire & Partners, said:
“42 High Street Birmingham represents an exciting opportunity to transform a long-vacant landmark site opposite the future HS2 Curzon Street into a new eastern gateway to Birmingham, which would give back 51% of the site as public realm and deliver 729 new homes. The design responds to its civic context through materiality and rhythm, with a striking setback colonnade that grounds the building at human scale and widens Carrs Lane to create a welcoming pedestrian route from HS2 into the heart of the city centre.”
Ed Williams, CEO, Bluecastle Capital, said:
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a landmark residential development at the heart of one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities, our vision is to deliver an outstanding build-to-rent scheme that sets a new benchmark for quality, sustainability and urban living. Birmingham’s connectivity, culture and momentum make it a key city for our long-term strategy, and the site’s strategic location next to the HS2 terminus makes it a critical piece in the city’s regeneration puzzle.”
