LOCAL planners in Birmingham have approved plans for a new 210,000 sq ft office development in the city.

Construction work on 2 Arena Central in Broad Street is expected to begin next month following the planning decision by Birmingham City Council.

The brand new offices, situated in Birmingham Enterprise Zone, have been leased by HSBC for the head office of their ring-fenced bank for UK personal and business customers. About 1,000 positions will be moved from London Birmingham.

Speaking recently, Antonio Simoes, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC UK, said: “We want to be the bank of choice in the UK. Creating our ring-fenced bank head office in Birmingham gets us a step closer to that ambition for our 16 million personal and business customers.

“We have a strong track record of establishing banks outside of London, with first direct in Leeds and M&S Bank in Chester both recognised for great customer service. Birmingham City Council has worked hard and significantly invested to make the city an attractive home for UK businesses and their employees.”

Arena Central is a mixed development which will include over 600,000 sq ft of office space in total alongside leisure & retail, residential units and a hotel.

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