As the £700m development at Paradise steams ahead, almost 100 new jobs have been created to support the delivery of phase one of the scheme, supporting local people with full-time employment.
With over 280,000 hours now worked on site, the Paradise development has so far supported the creation of 44 apprenticeships across 30 different trades as well as 79 work placements directly related to the development. The figures have been obtained from Carillion, contractor for the infrastructure works and One Chamberlain Square.
Furthermore, up to 50 new jobs are expected to be created by contractor BAM, when the construction of Two Chamberlain Square gets underway in December.
Rob Groves, Regional Director at Argent, said: “As part of the delivery of this transformative redevelopment as a new destination at the heart of Birmingham city centre, we are committed to supporting local employment and giving the surrounding community an opportunity to help shape the new development.
“With One and Two Chamberlain Square now clearly visible and growing at pace and the public realm improvements well underway, we are already looking ahead to future phases of the development and will of course continue to employ local people across all disciplines.”
Highlighting its commitment to supporting the local community, over 50% of the new jobs have been filled by local people living within 10 miles of the Paradise development, whilst a number of employees have joined the site team through the Business in the Communities ‘Ready for Work’ programme, which aims to provide employment opportunities for those struggling to find work or facing boundaries to entering the workplace.
Simon Dingle, Operations Director at Carillion, said: “At Carillion we are committed to ensuring that employment opportunities within the construction industry are offered both to young people coming through the education system in Birmingham, as well as local people who may have experienced an absence from work or other boundaries to securing employment.
“It is incredibly rewarding to look back at the employment figures and see just how many local opportunities have been created, from apprenticeships that have turned into full-time roles, to people coming through the ‘Ready for Work’ programme who have previously struggled to find meaningful employment and we hope to see many of our recruits onsite at Paradise and across the region, developing their skills.”
The first phase of the Paradise project, which will completely transform the city centre, includes 355,000 sq ft of office space – 90,000 sq ft of which has been let to PwC – aimed at meeting demand from the growing Business, Professional and Financial Services (BPFS) sector. Enhancements to the public realm in Chamberlain Square will complete in 2018, whilst One and Two Chamberlain Square will complete in 2019.
The Paradise team is now preparing to submit a detailed planning application for One Centenary Way, a further office building which will provide around 290,000 sq ft including ground floor uses and will represent the first building in the development’s second phase.
The Paradise redevelopment is being brought forward through Paradise Circus Limited Partnership (PCLP), a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The private sector funding is being managed through a JV between Hermes Investment Management and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). Argent is the development manager.