The plans, submitted by JBVJ and developer Beyond Property Group , will add five storeys to the existing seven-storey structure at 55 Holloway Head.<\/p>\n
The revamped building will also include 607m2 of commercial floorspace. A further nine townhouses and four apartments will also be built on a vacant car park along Chapmans Passage, which is within the same block.<\/p>\n
Submitting the planning application in October, JBJV said 55 Holloway Head would be \u2018one of Birmingham\u2019s most unique and desirable mixed-use residential developments\u2019.<\/p>\n
During the council\u2019s planning hearing, committee chair Lee Marsham said: \u2018I actually think this is one of the better applications we have seen. If you look at the current state of the building and the rendering of what is proposed, it is really high quality.\u2019<\/p>\n
The current building, known as Lee Bank Business Centre, is a 10-minute walk from New Street station, and was constructed in 1958 by the City of Birmingham Public Works Department.<\/p>\n
It is a relatively rare example of a \u2018flatted factory,\u2019 a kind of industrial building subdivided into smaller units for light manufacturing and assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond Property Group received permission to create 122 apartments and nine townhouses on the site back in 2021, but that permission has since expired.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Recommending the latest plans for approval, a council officer said the development would see \u2018the delivery of a high-quality residential-led development in a sustainable location on brownfield land, bringing back into use a vacant building\u2019.<\/p>\n
They added that it \u2018would make a meaningful contribution towards Birmingham\u2019s housing provision and the regeneration aspirations for this part of the city centre\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n