Leading property adviser Bilfinger GVA has completed the sale of an additional site at Birmingham City University’s (BCU) City North Campus in Perry Barr.
The two buildings, totalling 112,000 sq ft, have been sold to Perry Beeches Academy Trust and will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment and remodelling at the beginning of next year.
This is the latest phase of the University’s relocation strategy from the Perry Barr site to the Eastside campus, on which Bilfinger GVA is advising.
Bilfinger GVA has previously completed the sale of a four-acre part of the University’s holdings to Tauheedul Education Trust in October 2014, and was instrumental in negotiating the relocation of a number of the University’s functions from the City North Campus to the former New Technology Institute (NTI) Building in Birmingham city centre.
Carl Potter, Senior Director at Bilfinger GVA, said: “We are delighted to have secured another sale at the Birmingham City University’s City North Campus and to achieve this before any formal marketing of the University’s property holdings within Perry Barr has begun.
“This sale, coupled with that to Tauheedul Education Trust, demonstrates the level of demand evident in the market at present and the interest from a variety of use types and occupiers has already been very strong.
“We will continue our work to ensure that disposals continue to be undertaken in an orderly manner and to ensure that the departure of Birmingham City University from the North Campus, which is anticipated in the near future, leaves behind firm foundations for the re-use of the site.”
The buildings’ refurbishment will be complete prior to opening in September 2016 for the 2016/17 academic year. The sale leaves 14.5 acres of academic buildings and land which the University will occupy for the next two years but will seek to dispose thereafter.
Graham Rhodes, Director of Estates at Birmingham City University, said: “Perry Barr will always be an important part of Birmingham City University’s history. This sale reflects once again the University’s commitment to ensuring the site continues to benefit young people in Perry Barr for a long time to come.
“Bilfinger GVA has been instrumental in making this deal so successful and we look forward to continuing to work with them through the completion of our site disposal strategy.”
Situated just three miles from Birmingham city centre, the site has diverse transport links, with the nearby A34 Walsall Road offering access to the motorway network and the Perry Barr train station providing connections to wider rail services.