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Paradise development 2020

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ellbrown said:
I wont be able to get back to the city centre until lockdown ends. Only people living in the city centre would be able to get photo updates.

It's Your Build from Birmingham We Are would have updates.
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Yes, those & essential workers passing through.
 
Note the plan for the Paradise site posted above on April 9th has actually changed, the new plan is below.

The "yellow" office block at the top of the image, Two Congreve Square, has been removed and has been replaced by a RESIDENTIAL tower called The Octagon.

For those interested in the colour scheme of the buildings in the image, the two building in RED are Phase ONE (already built and just being "finished off") - One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square.

The buildings in GREEN are Phase TWO. One Centenary Way (an office block) has just started being built. And the other two buildings in phase 2 (Three Chamberlain Square and a hotel) will be added later (neither started yet).

The buildings in YELLOW are phase Three. None of these have started yet but my guess is the Octagaon residential block will be started first (though there is currently a building in its place).

I am sure the Coronavirus pandemic has affected the building of this site as the demand for office space must have reduced due to the worldwide economic situation. It may be that we don't see the rest of phase 2 started for a couple of years and phase 3 may not start for 5 years or more, but I hope not.

Remember the old "Madin" library complex was supposed to cover the whole site but stopped part way through which is why we finished up with a hotch potch of buildings on the site (like the Copthorne Hotel and the old Chamberlain House). I hope the same does not happen to the Paradise scheme.

Paradise.JPG

Here is John Madin standing over his plan for the whole site, though much of the building on the left was never built. Even the building on the right was not built as per this plan, note the huge "block" in the front right, which I assume was going to be a concert hall, which was not build in that position.

Note there was planned to be a link bridge over to Baskervile House (see lower left of photo), luckily that was never built.

City-architect-John-Madin-in-the-Birmingham-City-Centre.jpg
 
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Not only a contraction of business and the fact that many office workers are now working from home - and so much admin can now be done online - I get the feeling that built office blocks may find fewer businesses wanting office space plus there could be a question mark over those not yet built. This, of course, not only applies to Birmingham but other cities. If the city can attract government departments to move out of London and to Birmingham then maybe that could be a good thing.
 
Radiorails said:
Not only a contraction of business and the fact that many office workers are now working from home - and so much admin can now be done online - I get the feeling that built office blocks may find fewer businesses wanting office space plus there could be a question mark over those not yet built. This, of course, not only applies to Birmingham but other cities. If the city can attract government departments to move out of London and to Birmingham then maybe that could be a good thing.
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RR, I think you are absolutely correct............We are seeing the same in the US & Canada and I am sure most industrialized countries. i saw a fellow on a business channel talking about this, he said that the work from home or virtual working, we were now where it was thought we would be in 2024/5!
 
With all these people working from home will the councils soon be charging them business rates?
 
They should normally, at least on a proportion based on how much of the house is used for business. Presumably this has been put on hold in the lockdown, but I would expect it to be implemented after
 
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Radiorails said:
Not only a contraction of business and the fact that many office workers are now working from home - and so much admin can now be done online - I get the feeling that built office blocks may find fewer businesses wanting office space plus there could be a question mark over those not yet built. This, of course, not only applies to Birmingham but other cities. If the city can attract government departments to move out of London and to Birmingham then maybe that could be a good thing.
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I agree completely. I have expressed concerns about the speed & size of development before now. There is already lots of empty office space in the City centre, yet they keep building more.

There is only so much office space required & the current situation has shown that the already slow creep towards home working has now turned into a sprint!

I think you are right that future office developments have a question mark over them. I think maybe housing will be the way to go. You look at old pictures & maps & there used to be a lot of residential in the City, then it all but vanished, I can see it swinging back the other way.

Would do the City good to have more full time residents.
 
ellbrown said:
The box and pages of Thomas Attwood is now back in Chamberlain Square.



View of the statue on the new steps.

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So glad to see him bac
mikejee said:
They should normally, at least on a proportion based on how much of the house is used for business. Presumably this has been put on hold in the lockdown, but I would expect it to be implemented after
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I don't think so.

Would be different if you were running a business from home, but as an employee working from home it doesn't make the property a commercial premises. The business you work for pays the rates.

Many people worked from home before & those people didn't pay business rates (and I've known plenty of people in that situation over the years including many at the company I work for now), so I don't see why it should change now.
 
Thank you Judi
What I was thinking of , from memory, was the following :
" If you make it clear that part of your home is dedicated for business use it may attract the attention of the local authority Valuation Office who could look to apply business rates. If the space is for "mixed use", personal as well as business use, then business rates should not be applied. "
Though looking at this it would appear that it is only a possibility.
 
mikejee said:
Thank you Judi
What I was thinking of , from memory, was the following :
" If you make it clear that part of your home is dedicated for business use it may attract the attention of the local authority Valuation Office who could look to apply business rates. If the space is for "mixed use", personal as well as business use, then business rates should not be applied. "
Though looking at this it would appear that it is only a possibility.
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I think for the vast majority "mixed use" would apply - for instance working at the kitchen table, or (as in my case) a spare bedroom that is also used for personal things.
 
Found this "Paradise" video on YouTube (posted July 2020)

It is a "speeded up" run though of the changes which took place on the Paradise site over the last 4 years, the knocking down of the old library and the building of the first two buildings.

It is from a webcam situated on top of the Birmingham Museum and Art Galley

 
As it was such a lovely sunny day today (Thursday 20th August 2020) I decided to go up to Birmingham for the first time in months.

Here are some photos of the Paradise development.

Photo 1 below is Two Chamberlain Square. I believe currently only the top two floors have been taken, but I guess other companies are looking at the building as it is now finished.

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Photo 2 below is One Chamberlain Square. This building has been taken by PWC (Price Waterhouse Cooper).

A restaurant has already opened on the ground floor

IMG_4627.JPG

Photo 3 below shows One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square.

The path between them can be used to walk from the city centre and Victoria Square in to Centenary Square, Brindley place etc.

IMG_4621.JPG

While the Paradise site was being cleared and the buildings built a useful passageway called Congreve Passage was closed off.

This was a useful route for people to get from Victoria Square and City Centre to the Jewellery Quarter and nearby areas.

Congreve Passage is now fully open (and has been for a while).

IMG_4629.JPG

Here is a view looking down Congreve Passage. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is on the right (currently not open).

IMG_4623.JPG
 
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So many of the photos by Elliot in this thread are lacking the hustle and bustle usually associated with city and town centres. There is now a concern that many people employed in offices may not return to work but continue working from home. Some companies are already cutting back on office requirements and others looking at flexi hours. This most likely will make those small businesses, who rely on office workers for trade, to close down or in turn reduce their opening hours.
I am sure much that has been built will not find occupants for some while, if ever, for the purpose they were built. Presumably alternative uses might be found?
There seems little to attract people there which, I guess, does not help matters.
 
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