Shopping centre’s transformation tipped for green light

A bid to transform the site of a 1960s shopping centre in Birmingham into up to 1,300 apartments, a 400-bedroom hotel and major office, retail and leisure space is expected to be backed by councillors.Hammerson, which co-owns the Bullring and Grand Central, is behind the Martineau Galleries project which is set to be voted on by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee on Thursday 30 January.It is the company’s first major application as a part of its City Quarters concept and has been recommended for approval by the authority’s planning officers.The plan looks to regenerate the 7.5-acre Martineau Galleries site which includes the Square Shopping Centre, Dale End car park and 1-7 Dale End.The proposal include the delivery of new homes and up to 1.4 million sq ft of workspace that will offer opportunities for a range of businesses, as well as a new city centre hotel, restaurants and cafes.The scheme would support about 9,800 gross full-time jobs on site and 350 construction roles every year while building work is underway.Up to 1,300 new homes would be created as well as up to 1.3 million sq ft of office space, 400 hotel bedrooms and 296,000 sq ft of space for retail, food, entertainment and leisure uses.The plans were first revealed by Insider at the start of May 2019 and officially announced in July.