A landmark former Birmingham department store is set for a major new chapter as Sphere Group advances plans for a £350 million mixed-use transformation of the Rackhams site in the heart of the city.
The Birmingham-based developer, formerly known as Court Collaboration, is preparing to unveil its latest vision for the former department store and neighbouring buildings at One Temple Row and 43 Temple Row.
More than 500 new homes are proposed alongside approximately 225,000 sq ft of modern office accommodation, with new retail, restaurants and cafés planned at street level.
Sphere Group is acting as development partner for freehold owner Legal & General, with global architecture and design practice Gensler responsible for the mixed-use masterplan.
Central to the proposals is the regeneration of a prominent but underused part of Birmingham city centre, combining new residential and commercial uses with improvements to the public realm. New public spaces are intended to create greater activity around the development and strengthen connections with the surrounding streets.
The plans represent the latest evolution of proposals for the site. Earlier environmental scoping work examined the potential for a larger development of up to 650 homes and approximately 380,000 sq ft of offices. The emerging scheme retains a substantial residential component while reducing the amount of proposed commercial floorspace.
Thomas Taylor, managing director at Sphere Group, said the developer was looking forward to presenting the plans and discussing them with Birmingham’s community.
He described the project as urban regeneration centred around high-quality design, attractive public realm and new commercial spaces, with the potential to provide modern workplaces, homes, retail and improved public areas.
The development is expected to represent approximately £350 million in gross development value and could support around 1,300 jobs, adding a significant new residential and employment component to the city centre.
The transformation of Rackhams also sits within Birmingham City Council’s wider Central Heart vision, which seeks to rethink around 17 hectares of underused retail and commercial land within the city centre.
The wider strategy reflects the changing role of UK city centres as traditional retail locations evolve towards more diverse neighbourhoods combining homes, workplaces, hospitality, leisure, culture and public space.
For Birmingham, the Rackhams proposals could provide a significant example of that transition. Rather than allowing a major former retail landmark and its surrounding commercial buildings to remain underused, the project would introduce hundreds of residents alongside employment space and active ground-floor uses.
With Gensler shaping the masterplan and Sphere Group leading the development on behalf of Legal & General, the £350 million scheme has the potential to become an important component of Birmingham’s next phase of city centre regeneration.
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
