Green light for 49-storey Birmingham apartment tower

A new 49-storey apartment tower planned for Birmingham city centre has been given the green light.

Called Octagon, it will be the first residential element of the £700 million Paradise scheme in Chamberlain Square and will have 370 apartments to rent.

They will have either one, two or three bedrooms and there will be an affordable housing element along with communal space and amenities for residents.

At 510 feet and claimed to be the world's tallest pure octagonal residential building, it will dominate the city's skyline as one of its largest structures.

It will be built on the north edge of the site fronting onto Summer Row on land currently occupied by 1980s office block 77 Paradise Circus Queensway which will be demolished as part of phase three of the long-running scheme which will also include more offices.

Earlier phases of work include new office buildings One and Two Chamberlain Square and One Centenary Way and a revamped Chamberlain Square which was recently completed and reopened.

Octagon, which was first unveiled a year ago, was approved at the latest meeting of Birmingham City Council's planning committee today.

Rob Groves, regional director with Argent which is development manager for Paradise, said: "Octagon forms an integral part of Paradise, creating jobs, promoting skills and providing much-needed new homes for the people of Birmingham in an exemplary setting.

"Our ambition for Octagon is to create a world-class build-to-rent apartment scheme for Birmingham and today is a major step forward to achieving this goal.

"After the completion of phase one of the development earlier this year, we are now moving ahead with a number of new buildings at Paradise, reflecting a massive vote of confidence in Birmingham and the regional economy's recovery from the covid pandemic."

The building was designed by Birmingham practice Glenn Howells Architects.

Director Dav Bansal added: "We are hugely excited about delivering Octagon and what this could mean for Birmingham as a truly distinct landmark on the city's skyline."

Paradise is being brought forward through a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council, with private sector funding managed by Federated Hermes.