Last week, the Urban Land Institute hosted a "net-walking" tour at Birmingham’s Eastside district, a major regeneration zone undergoing transformative development. The area is anchored by the arrival of HS2 at Curzon Street Station.
The area is being reshaped into a dynamic mixed-use district, combining the Knowledge Quarter and Innovation Birmingham with transport and public realm improvements.
Starting in the Grade II-listed Woodman pub on Curzon Street, the event moved on to six key development sites, where the ULI organised an impressive line-up of speakers at each location.
The Woodman is a staple in the neighbourhood, next to the development site for HS2 and where the proposed train station will be. Nick Jackson from Birmingham City Council started by giving a strategic overview of Eastside's industrial past, how Birmingham City Council and key stakeholders have directed its transformation since the announcement of HS2 and the huge change that is expected over the next 10 years, including thousands of new homes and expansion of the science and innovation hub. Key schemes include Eastside Locks, the Metro extension and the creation of Eastside City Park.
The tour moved on to One Eastside, where general manager Peter Benko showed off the new 51-floor development, Birmingham’s tallest residential building. The BTR development features 667 new homes for rent, state-of-the-art coworking spaces and a range of amenities for residents, including a cinema room, sky lounge, spa and gym. The property offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, with some of the units on the top floors having rents ranging between £1,850 and £2,050, including access to additional amenities. The property managers are set to target young professionals and families working in key sectors in Birmingham.
Continuing through Aston University, Adam Reilly, the head of maintenance, engineering and infrastructure, detailed the University’s regenerative transformation. This included showcasing its cutting-edge research, new students' union and upcoming estate projects, from education hubs to state-of-the-art labs. These will modernise its city-centre estate and embody its "urban university" identity. Adam also spoke about their business partnerships, the recent purchase of Council offices that will house the new business school and plans for more student accommodation, which has international students in mind, as they account for approximately 30% of the students at the university.
To the north of the campus sits Bruntwood SciTech’s 140,000-square-foot Enterprise Wharf, a flexible office workspace with SMART building infrastructure designed for digital and tech businesses. Senior asset manager Moe Ali explained the vision for Innovation Birmingham, the remodelling of the space and reception and the tour included a view across the city from the eighth floor.
Paul Davis, the deputy director of estates) from neighbouring Birmingham City University showed the group round the multi-award-winning STEAMhouse building and former Belmont Works, a bicycle factory. The new expanded building offers students, businesses and innovators a collaborative community, access to flexible spaces and prototyping facilities. It was highlighted during the tour that many of the students move on to take apprenticeships or graduate placements within companies that are based in the building, underscoring cross-collaboration across the education and private sector.
The tour ended at Glasswater Locks, Berkeley’s new flagship residential development, which has regenerated a three-acre brownfield site overlooking the Digbeth Branch Canal off Lawley Middleway. Polly Mathews, the senior land and planning manage, highlighted the scheme's success, while showcasing a 3D model of Birmingham. The development, once fully finished, aims to create a local community, with additional amenities, such as a canal-side restaurant, making the destination more appealing for residents and visitors.