More office space allowed at Arena Central, Birmingham | Offices.org.uk

More office space allowed at Arena Central, Birmingham

Posted on by John Cronin

A large scale, mixed-use development in Birmingham has been granted planning permission for additional office floor space.

Arena CentralThe speculative Arena Central scheme (pictured) in Birmingham city centre has been granted planning permission for an additional 300,000 sq ft of office floor space, taking the maximum allowable space up to 800,000 sq ft.

It is hoped that £400m project will now gather momentum and generate additional pre-let enquiries from prospective tenants requiring larger floor plates. The initial demolition phase at the 7.6acre site has now been completed and a residential tower has been constructed in an initial phase. Despite the increase in permissible office space, the complete development is still restricted to a total footage of 2.3m sq ft and all buildings must meet a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’. Arena Central is part of the masterplan for Birmingham city centre known as the Big City Plan.

Grade A office accommodation is proposed for Arena Central and is to be constructed around a new, landscaped public square. Two or more new office buildings will complement the adjacent 1970’s, 27-storey Alpha Tower that offers 200,000 sq ft of office floor space. Office suites within Alpha Tower start at 1,500 sq ft and maximum floor plates are in excess of 7,000 sq ft. The building has recently undergone a £3.3m programme of internal and external improvement works. Average rental prices are quoted at £15 / sq ft on new, flexible term leases.

Martin Guest, CBRE Birmingham, joint letting agent for Arena Central, said:  “Arena Central is already extremely well placed to capture any bespoke pre-let enquiries. The increased office capacity to 800,000 sq ft will further enhance its appeal, making it the city centre’s largest consented, deliverable, office scheme.”

Joint developers for the scheme are Miller Developments and Bridgehouse Capital.

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