Secret plans for Birmingham’s new tallest building on Westside

Exciting but secret plans have been drawn up to build Birmingham’s new tallest structure at a canalside site on Westside.

The 58-storey building would be erected as part of a proposed new development at 2-10 The Wharf in Bridge Street, according to exclusive reports in the specialist Architects’ Journal.

A screenshot from the website of Architects’ Journal

If the plans are approved, the new tower would eclipse Birmingham’s long-standing highest structure, the 140-metre BT Tower built in the Jewellery Quarter in the 1960s, as well as the ongoing 49-storey residential Octagon tower, part of the Paradise development, due for completion in 2025.

The Architects’ Journal reports that the plans for the 58-storey residential tower at The Wharf have been unveiled by Manchester-based Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio.

When Westside World approached the firm to discuss the plans, Keith Hamilton, a director of Stephenson Hamilton Risley Studio, said: “We are instructed by our client not to discuss the project with anyone.”

Despite the secrecy, the Architects’ Journal reported that the giant tower would form part of a huge three-block canalside scheme, with a slightly smaller building topping 40 storeys and the third structure comprising a 14-storey hotel.

The site is said to be just north of the Mailbox and the Cube, and south of Birmingham Library and Centenary Square.

An artist’s impression on what the building would look like from Centenary Square, taken from a screenshot from the website of Architects’ Journal

Planit, the landscape architect on the project, says landscaping would step down from Bridge Street to the north, towards the canal, according to Architects’ Journal.

A detailed planning application is apparently due to be submitted to Birmingham City Council once a decision has been made on the need for an environmental impact assessment.

Images: all screenshots from Architects’ Journal online report.

ENDS

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