Sphere’s £350m Rackhams Place regen set to launch
Plans to redevelop a Birmingham department store into more than 500 city centre apartments look set to move forward as Sphere Group gets ready to launch a consultation this week.
The proposals for the former Rackhams, which closed in June, will launch to the public on Thursday, 24 September.
A scoping opinion request lodged with the city council earlier this year said Sphere’s plans for the L&G owned site could include up to 650 homes and 380,000 sq ft of office space – although 500 homes and around 225,000 sq ft of office space is a more likely target for the proposals.
The mixed-use regeneration plans form part of Birmingham City Council’s Birmingham Central Heart Vision, spanning 42 acres of underutilised commercial retail and office space within the city centre’s retail core.
A public consultation event is being held at One Temple Row in the city centre 24 September between 3.30pm and 7.30pm, with a dedicated website also set to launch on Thursday.
The former Rackhams site on the corner of Corporation Street and Cherry Street. Credit: Google
The public consultation with stakeholders and the local community will take place prior to the submission of a formal planning application, according to Thomas Taylor, managing director at Sphere Group.
“We’re really excited to show off our plans and discuss them with our passionate Birmingham community. This is urban regeneration defined by high-quality design, attractive new public realm and new commercial spaces.
“The development could provide modern office space, new homes, new retail and improved public spaces, creating around 1,300 jobs and around £350m in gross development value.”
“We’re a local developer, passionate about our city, and we fully recognise how much Rackhams has been a part of Birmingham’s history. With this in mind, we want to hear people’s memories of Rackhams, which we’ll collate and look to share with the community in the future.”
