City planners have recommended refusal of ambitious plans for a new 42-storey residential tower in Broad Street are refused.
The proposed Glassworks development at 80 Broad Street would see the 438-foot skyscraper built directly above the Grade II-listed former Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, creating 300 new city centre apartments.
However, a council officer’s report due to be discussed by the city council’s planning committee on 25 April, has suggested this would “significantly overwhelm” the existing three-storey historic building, which is currently vacant.
According to the report, plans for the new tower have attracted objections from organisations such as Historic England, The Georgian Group, The Victorian Society and The Birmingham Civic Society, due to concerns over “heritage harm”.
The historic Islington Villa building dates back to the early 19th Century when it was owned by glass manufacturer Rice Harris, who had a nearby glassworks. It later became a hospital in 1842, being renamed the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in 1955.
It was last used as Zara’s bar, restaurant and nightclub, which closed in 2020.
Plans for the new tower have been submitted by planning, design and development consultancy Marrons on behalf of HJB Investments.
As well as the 300 apartments, the development would include a gym and residents’ cinema, as well as an internal viewing platform to create a “flexible community space”.
However, the council report said the skyscraper would “significantly overwhelm” the listed building and there were “serious concerns” for the structural integrity of the former hospital should the proposed new tower be constructed.
It also said the new development could “severely compromise any legible appreciation and understanding of how this building sat historically in its setting on Broad Street”.
It concluded: “The heritage harm represents a clear reason for refusal for the protection of an asset of particular importance.”
ENDS
