Spring is here at last and Broad Street has a freshly-planted public garden to enjoy – at the foot of a new 35-storey tower block.
Residents in Cortland Broad Street (The Square) will have additional access to private courtyard gardens, complete with yoga mats for anyone seeking extra flexibility.
But local pedestrians will also benefit from the aesthetics of a narrow, tree-lined rectangular garden running alongside the neighbouring eight-storey development on Ryland Street. You can watch our video on the new garden here:
There’s also a newly-planted garden square at the corner of Broad Street and Ryland Street, directly opposite the 12-screen Cineworld on the other side of Bishopsgate Street.
Both gardens will be handy for anyone looking to record various plants and insects as part of a global wildlife challenge that’s being held across this weekend from Friday to Monday in conjunction with The Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and EcoRecord.
The view from the cinema towards the Cortland tower doesn’t promise much in the way of greenery. But once you are in Ryland Street itself and looking back across Broad Street towards Cineworld, then the garden takes on a whole new purpose by transforming the whole area, helped by a mature London plane on the corner.
As well as a long bench, the gardens also have low level lights to improve the sense of safety at night.
On a street where the West Midlands Metro tram track is now so dominant, the added greenery to the row of trees on the Broad Street side of the tower is a lovely reminder of the importance of plants to accentuate the built environment.
One of the other interesting features about the new tower is that pets will be welcome – providing their own owners pay £25 per month rent.
Up to two pets can live in each apartment and must be microchipped. Any pet requiring artificial heat, such as snakes or reptiles, will not be permitted.
As well as a dog park, the Cortland facilities will include a fitness centre and flexible studio space. Although the development is called Cortland Broad Street, the site’s address is 1 Ryland Street, Birmingham B15 1AX. For more details, visit www.cortland.com or call 0333 188 9975.
Larger gardens in the Westside area include Centenary Square, Brindleyplace and the Civic Centre behind the Library of Birmingham.
Other new developments on Broad Street in recent years include the two Bank towers on the corner with Sheepcote Street and the Moda Living Mercian tower directly opposite.
Another three towers might be built between Ryland Street and Bank Towers in years to come, subject to planning permission. But one bid to put a 42-storey tower directly above the early 19th century, Grade II-listed building at 80 Broad Street (latterly Zara’s nightclub) currently looks set to fail, as we detailed here.
ENDS
