Stoford Developments has been appointed to deliver the £200 million redevelopment of a key property portfolio around Typhoo Wharf in Birmingham city centre.
The Gooch Estate, owners of more than 10 acres of land in Digbeth, has selected Birmingham-based Stoford as development partner. The Digbeth portfolio includes Typhoo Wharf and the former Typhoo Tea building together with the adjoining canal basin, where tea used to arrive in Birmingham from London.
Typhoo Wharf will almost immediately adjoin the new proposed HS2 Curzon Station. It has been identified as a premier strategic regeneration opportunity and key catalyst for growth within Birmingham City Council’s Big City Plan, near Birmingham Curzon, the new rail terminus for HS2 at the heart of the city.
At least 1,000,000 sq ft of development is anticipated, which will include Grade A office space, SME business incubator space, bars and restaurants, artist studios and homes. The opportunity is expected to attract major inward investment into Digbeth and create hundreds of jobs.
A planning application will be prepared in the summer and work is due to start on site in mid 2018. Typhoo Wharf will become a destination in its own right as a mixed-use development and innovation hub. The original 1930s building will be converted and new buildings will follow on the remaining underutilised and vacant land.
The announcement is being made to potential investors by the Midlands UK delegation at international property convention MIPIM in Cannes, France, where the proposed development is being showcased during the event which starts on Tuesday, March 14.
Jon Andrews, director at Stoford, said: “This is a very ambitious scheme that promises to set the tone for transformation of the Digbeth area of the city and we are delighted to have been selected to play a central role in delivering this important development programme.
“This strategic development opportunity is within short walking distance of Birmingham’s proposed Curzon Street HS2 railway station and adjacent to the Metro tram line extension to High Street, Deritend, which is due to open in 2023. This transformational infrastructure places the Gooch Estate portfolio at the heart of a programme of commercial and cultural development that will be of national and international significance.
“We will be working closely with Gooch Estate, Birmingham City Council and Curzon Regeneration Company, Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, Savills and other local stakeholders to ensure the vision for this ambitious scheme can be delivered with a collaborative approach.”
Jon added: “There is a fantastic and thriving arts community in Digbeth which makes it the contemporary cultural heart of the city. This is an important part of the mix that will attract unique occupiers and position Digbeth as an internationally attractive location in which to live and work.”
As a director of Grand Union – an artist-run gallery and studio space located in Digbeth – Jon is keen to promote arts and culture organisations already located in the area as an integral part of the area’s redevelopment.
Waheed Nazir, strategic director, economy, at Birmingham City Council, said: “The city council sees the Digbeth area as a major regeneration zone. Located on the doorstep of HS2 and with a £724m Investment Plan, Digbeth will be set for significant transformation. This announcement is a major step forward and hugely positive.”
Barry Allen, director of Savills Development and head of Savills Birmingham office, said: “Typhoo Wharf is another key element in Birmingham’s growth, adding to the breadth of the offer, acting as a catalyst to attract further inward investment, and leveraging the catalysing effect of the HS2 Curzon Station and the extension of the tram system.”
Liz Peace CBE, Chair of the Curzon Delivery Board, said: “This announcement is a key step forward in realising the huge growth potential of the Curzon area and demonstrates the impact that HS2, Metro and the Curzon Investment Plan are having as catalysts for private sector investment. The Gooch Estate, including Typhoo Wharf, incorporates a number of important sites in the area that will help deliver our targets for 36,000 jobs and 4,000 new homes.
“I’m delighted that Stoford, as a local Birmingham based developer, have been selected as the development partner for the Gooch Estate and I look forward to working with them closely to help deliver transformational regeneration across the area.”
The development forms part of the council’s plans to create a Knowledge Hub, bringing together some of the city’s leading educational establishments to enhance what is already a growing quarter of the city and will benefit from the arrival of the new HS2 line at Curzon Street in 2026.