Lendlease Proposes Updated £1.9bn Smithfield Plans in Birmingham

Lendlease, in collaboration with its design team featuring David Kohn Architects, has resubmitted plans for the £1.9 billion Smithfield area project in Birmingham’s city centre.

Last October, modifications were reported as the developer had to make significant design adjustments to its original planning application filed a year ago. This was prompted by objections from Historic England regarding potential harm to the historic cityscape and concerns from the government’s heritage watchdog about disturbing ‘significant medieval remains.’

The revised plans also incorporate adjustments to comply with forthcoming changes to fire safety legislation, necessitating a second staircase in residential buildings over 18m tall.

The masterplan for the 17ha site, home to Birmingham’s historic markets, was devised by Prior + Partners with New York High Line lead James Corner Field Operations. It features contributions from RCKa, Stirling Prize-winners dRMM and Haworth Tompkins, as well as local practices Intervention Architecture and Minesh Patel Architects.

Significant alterations were made to the proposed market designed by David Kohn Architects and Birmingham-based ‘artist-run multiverse’ Eastside Projects. Originally set above the buried remains of the historic moat and manor house of the de Birmingham family, the indoor markets (Plot 5A) will now be relocated north to avoid the archaeology. The site will become the main public space in the development’s early stages, renamed Manor Square to highlight its significance as the Birthplace of the City.

The indoor market building maintains the design principles of the original application, featuring a sawtooth roof over the fish and meat market hall, colourful signage, wayfinding, and a brick exterior with shops along the perimeter.

The relocation of the public square resulted in adjustments to the workspace building by Haworth Tompkins and Minesh Patel Architects (on Plot 3A). An extra storey has been added to increase the total office space. All residential buildings by dRMM and Intervention Architecture (on plot 1D) have been redesigned to include an additional staircase accessible to all residents.

Lendlease was named as the development partner by Birmingham City Council in late 2018 for the site, a portion of which previously housed the now-demolished wholesale markets.

Colin Murphy, project lead on Smithfield Birmingham for Lendlease, stated, ‘Throughout 2023, Lendlease and our design teams redesigned aspects of the masterplan to further enhance and protect the heritage of Birmingham’s markets. The resubmission of our planning application reflects that engagement and is an important step forward in Birmingham’s transformation as an international city.’