2007 - A Flagship Year For Edgbaston

Birmingham Post - July 2007

The west end of Birmingham is changing. Edgbaston is about to undergo its biggest transformation yet – more than £350 million worth of change.

The next few months will see the start of the largest regeneration of Birmingham’s western gateway, further underlining Edgbaston’s reputation as the jewel in Birmingham’s crown. 2007 marks Calthorpe Estates’ 290th year and is set to be one of the most significant years in their history.

All of the property developer and investor’s work behind the scenes is about to come to fruition as their £350 million regeneration portfolio starts to become a reality. 2007 has already seen them deliver the city’s first Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) “excellent” rating for an office building at 19 George Road.

The achievement recognised how the £2.2 million scheme exceeded current building regulations and incorporated some of the latest requirements for a sustainable building. Later this year, work will begin on not just one, but three of their four flagship regeneration schemes, which will rejuvenate areas such as Five Ways Island and the Hagley Road.

Calthorpe Estates commercial director, David Povall, explains: “We are about to embark on an unprecedented regeneration strategy for the west end of Birmingham.

“Edgbaston already has a reputation as a prestigious area to live, work and relax and we have a strong desire to build on this for the future.

“What we put in place today must also deliver benefits for local residents and workers for years to come. We are proud to see that our long-held vision of delivering sustainable regeneration for the Estate as a whole is now turning into a reality.”

A Unique Approach

Calthorpe Estates takes a uniquely integrated approach to regeneration, focusing on enhancements for the whole area, rather than just independent parts.

The Estate has provided an exceptional environment for people to enjoy for over 290 years.

A blend of elegant Georgian period properties, contemporary buildings and first-class facilities and services are all set amid the tree lined avenues of one of England’s largest urban conservation areas.

Committed to sustainable development, Calthorpe Estates invest in their land to preserve and enhance this unique environment for the benefit of future generations. Delivering Office Excellence.

Birmingham is already fast becoming one of the UK’s best-performing office markets, with industry experts predicting rental growth to out-perform all locations outside London. Calthorpe Estates is strengthening this market with new build office accommodation of the very highest quality, incorporating striking architecture and sustainable design, which Edgbaston is becoming increasingly well known for.

In order to draw investment and the best companies to Birmingham, Calthorpe Estates is creating office accommodation which meets occupier needs both now and for the future. Schemes such as the £40 million Calthorpe House development are being designed with large open floor plates to offer flexibility of space, while also being built to the highest environmental standards in order to provide sustainable premises – a priority for many of the country’s leading organisations.

Calthorpe House, set in a prominent location by Five Ways Island, offers over 100,000 sq ft of Grade A space with open floor plates of up to 22,000 sq ft.

The development is on track to achieve a BREEAM “excellent” rating which reflects the building’s emphasis on build quality, energy performance and environmental impact.

Work is set to begin on this impressive scheme in a matter of months, with completion in 2009. The development follows in the footsteps of the recently completed offices at 19 George Road.

Designed by 3D Reid, a merger of Reid Architecture and 3D Architects, 19 George Road boasts top quality commercial finishes and energy conservation measures such as fresh cooling, flow regulators to strictly monitor water consumption and high efficiency lamps to keep it as environmentally efficient as possible. Creating Retail and Leisure Destinations With a desire to increase the number of exceptional lifestyle facilities within Edgbaston, as well as improving the diversity of the amenities in the area, Calthorpe Estates is creating two new retail and leisure destinations for the west end of Birmingham.

With a prominent location opposite Edgbaston Cricket Ground, which attracts over 250,000 people a year, and next to the Midlands Arts Centre, which attracts over 500,000 visitors, Edgbaston Mill is set to deliver much needed facilities to the area.

The £100 million nine-acre scheme will offer everything from restaurants, a food store, a specialist food retailer, leisure facilities and even 344 luxury residential apartments at Redrow Homes’ Hemisphere scheme.

A 200-bedroom hotel and Grade A offices are also planned to complement these amenities. With Calthorpe Estates’ commitment to the aesthetics of the wider Estate and dedication to enhancing the conservation area, two new public squares will also be built.

The main one, fronting the scheme on Edgbaston Road, will be the same size as Victoria Square in the city centre and will be complemented by new tree-lined avenues and extensive landscaping.

The retail offering is also set to be enhanced at Five Ways Island with the largest regeneration of a principle gateway into Birmingham – Edgbaston Galleries.

The £110 million scheme will transform the dilapidated Edgbaston Shopping Centre into a high-quality retail and leisure destination. Work is beginning on both sites in 2007, with the first phase of Edgbaston Mill scheduled to start on site and the demolition planned to take place of Edgbaston Shopping Centre later this year.

In the meantime, a major improvement to Birmingham’s key gateway, the Hagley Road, is under way.

Calthorpe Estates’ desire to improve this main arterial route into the city centre has seen them invest £4.5 million in regenerating the site of the former Duck Inn, by creating a 62 bedroom Premier Travel Inn and Beefeater restaurant. Being developed by Whitbread, work has begun on site, with the facilities set to open in January 2008.

Building Birmingham’s Science City Following the demise of manufacturing and the designation of Birmingham as a science city in 2005, the West Midlands has experienced a rapid evolution from manufacturing to intellectual property.

Already home to a wealth of scientific and technological expertise, rich in universities and research centres, as well as great commercial success, a strong knowledge economy has developed within the West Midlands. Calthorpe Estates aims to strengthen Birmingham’s science and innovation credentials with the most significant investment in the city’s rapidly developing knowledge economy – University Science Park, Pebble Mill. The world-class £90 million 12-acre science park will be pivotal to the region’s wealth creation strategies and will help to stimulate opportunities to attract new investment to the Midlands.

It is being delivered through a unique alliance involving Calthorpe Estates, Advantage West Midlands, University of Birmingham, Central Technology Belt and Birmingham City Council.

The park will include a biotechnology incubator, which will be a highly-specified, serviced laboratory facility to house new and innovative companies, to stimulate the emerging entrepreneurial culture in the biomedical sector in the region.

The incubator will be the first building in the Park’s phased development and will provide a unique opportunity to support business growth from University and Medical sectors and their biomedical research excellence.

Already attracting interest from the biomedical industry, detailed masterplanning of the site is under way, with work expected to commence on the scheme in 2008.