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Birmingham 20 in 20: celebrating an unexpected year

Our Birmingham team started 2020 with a clear mission: to mark our 20th anniversary in the city by celebrating the people, projects, clients, and everything in between, that have contributed towards making our first two decades special.

Of course, 2020 has not quite been the year any of us were expecting, but is one that most of us won’t forget. So while we perhaps haven’t been able to revel in the way we had intended, there is much that our team (and the wider industry) has accomplished in the last 12 months, and this is something we think is worth celebrating more so than ever.

We reflect on the past year, and celebrate 20 things that we are proud to have achieved in 2020. With the help of our colleagues, clients and other acquaintances across the industry, this has been one of our most successful years to date, and we look forward to what 2021 and the next 20 years will bring.

1. Our 20th year started well and we kicked things off in mid-January securing committee approval on behalf of Euro Property Investments for Birmingham’s tallest building - 100 Broad Street - reaching 61 storeys in height. 
2. The celebrations continued shortly after when at the end of January we secured committee approval for Martineau Galleries, one of Birmingham’s biggest regeneration sites. The scheme, designed by Glenn Howells Architects on behalf of Hammerson, has been years in the making, and will change the face of Birmingham, creating a new arrival destination on the doorstep of HS2.
3. In February, activity continued and we submitted plans on behalf of the NEC Group for the expansion of Resorts World Arena. The plans, which would see Resorts World Arena become the largest arena in the UK, were approved in May 2020. Little did we know when submitting the application how much would change in those few short months and, by the time of approval, the NEC Group had transformed parts of the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) into one of NHS England’s seven Nightingale Hospitals.
4. When lockdown hit in March, those working in the planning and development industry had to adapt quickly. Not least the newest member of the Birmingham Team, David Blackadder-Weinstein (Strategic Communications), who quickly set about championing digital engagement in the planning process, and reminding the industry that public consultation ‘needn’t be face to face’.
5. Despite the uncertainties and a few hiccups to start, the planning world quickly embraced new virtual ways of working, and with the Government encouraging local authorities to keep planning processes moving, the successes continued. In April we secured planning approval on behalf of Bruntwood SciTech for Enterprise Wharf expanding the Innovation Birmingham Campus and building on Birmingham’s growing digital and tech economy.
6. Virtual working also allowed us to connect with our colleagues, clients and consultants in new ways. In April, co-owners from Birmingham helped launch ‘Ride On with Turley’, a weekly virtual cycling meet-up encouraging people across the industry to train, network, socialise, and keep on top of their physical and mental well-being.
7. By May, for some the novelty of working from home was starting to wear off, and we admitted that we missed working face-to-face with our colleagues and clients. Whilst many were suggesting that the benefits of ‘agile working’ would result in the ‘death of the office’, we called for the industry to strike a balance and remember the positives to be gained from physically interacting with those you work with on a day to day basis.
8. As the months rolled on, across the industry crisis responses and recovery plans were quickly being prepared, and in May, the West Midlands Combined Authority formed the ‘Advanced Manufacture in Construction (AMC) advisory group, to help the West Midlands ‘build back better’ using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). At around the same time, we submitted a reserved matters application for 98 new homes at Port Loop, Birmingham, where Urban Splash are proving that modular can be beautiful, and building quickly doesn’t mean compromising design quality.
9. In June, the UK Prime Minister told us to ‘Build, Build, Build’, announcing that a series of ‘radical reforms’ to the UK planning system would follow, and further encouraging the development industry to push on through the pandemic. Our clients were already demonstrating clear resolve and commitment to projects, and in June we submitted major proposals to transform Digbeth, Birmingham on behalf of Oval.
10. During the summer months, while the world showed its love and appreciation of the great outdoors, in July we made a splash by securing planning approval for The Wave surf lagoon on behalf of Emerge Surf Birmingham.
11. Also in July, with many students and universities questioning what the next academic year will bring, we played a lead role on Vita Students most recent scheme in Coventry where we secured planning permission for an iconic proposal comprising 472 studios on a key gateway site close to the station and Greyfriars Green conservation area. 
12. The Planning Reform announcements dominated the months of July and August, with changes to permitted development rights, changes to the Use Class Order, and of course the publication of ‘Planning for the Future’. Our team set about commenting, giving CPDs and renewed strategy advice to clients, and writing representations in response to the reforms.
13. Following this year’s surge in the use of online shopping there has been a renewed acknowledgement of the importance of the logistics and distribution sectors. In August, acting on behalf of IM Properties, we submitted a hybrid planning application for an employment park north of Towcester, after the site was confirmed as an employment allocation in the Local Plan. 
14. Securing approval for The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, a national monument of hope, gave us more reasons to celebrate in September. Every single brick in its structure will be linked to a personal story of answered prayer submitted from individuals all across the world. The Trustees have also committed to donating one million bricks to social housing projects. This will be fulfilled through an alliance with Ibstock Brick and Cornerstone. It is expected that this could support the delivery of 100 homes (75 in the UK and 25 abroad) of which 22 will be in North Warwickshire.  
15. October brought with it a ‘reshaping’ of the city of Birmingham, and a new era for the transformational Paradise development, when we submitted a planning application on behalf of Argent for ‘Octagon’, the world’s first pure octagonal tower.
16. November saw us securing planning approval for a long-standing project: Great Charles Street, acting on behalf of Moda. The plans include 722 homes, exclusively for rent, alongside boutique retail, bars, and cafes, transforming a transitional site on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter.
17. The importance of our population’s health and the healthcare system has been thrown to the forefront during the pandemic, and the development industry has been quick to respond. We’ve played our part, and acting on behalf of Bruntwood SciTech, a joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General, in partnership with University of Birmingham, we submitted ambitious plans in December for the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC).
18. Also in December, acting on behalf of Watkin Jones Group, we submitted exciting new plans for residential development on Sherlock Street, Birmingham. The proposals will unlock wider regeneration proposals for the Rea Valley Urban Quarter, helping to create a new sustainable residential neighbourhood south of Birmingham City Centre.
19. We recently wrote about our contributions to Birmingham City Centre through the Colmore BID. The work being undertaken by Business Improvement Districts across the country is more important than ever, particularly for smaller businesses who rely on the transient office workforce. Last week, we assisted in the launch of a major research study which will use Colmore Business District as a case study to assess the long term impact of COVID-19 on central business districts and provide recommendations for ensuring they remain attractive and successful places.
20. Last, but certainly not least, we wanted to celebrate our people. It’s been a difficult year, and whilst some in the team have had struggles of their own, we have pulled together and found time to support those in greater need through a number of charitable acts. These have included the LandAid QuarenTEN, running 300km in 30 days, a half marathon, a press-up challenge, and 500km cycling between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

For more information on the work we do in Birmingham please contact a member of the team. 

22 December 2020