Thanks to a wide variety of regeneration projects currently ongoing in Birmingham, the city has become something of a prime target for commercial investors and retail and leisure operators during the past several years.
One of the major advantages of this popularity is a willingness on the part of investors to increase spending for profitable schemes – something which, this week, has led to the announcement that plans for the proposed Serena Hotel in Digbeth are to double in size.
Back in the summer of 2014, Birmingham City Council granted planning permission for a 51 bedroom hotel on the site of the 1930s Ladbrooke House, which would bring the run down property back into use.
However, architects behind the scheme are now pushing for an extension to the planning decision which would allow them to increase the number of bedrooms to 91, as well as enhancing the local leisure offering with a leisure centre consisting of a gym and swimming pool, a fully equipped spa and a 4,445 square foot basement banqueting suite capable of accommodating up to 350 people.
Lead architect for the regeneration project, Alessio Venturi, insists that enhancing the hotel plans would not only benefit the building itself but also the surrounding area.
He says; “At the moment, the building hasn’t been cared for, for a long time, so first of all, we have to improve the quality of the existing building, which is locally listed.
“We want to completely renovate the external space – we will make big improvements.
“Parts of Oxford Street are in a fairly poor state, and the idea is the new entrance will make it a lot better.”
In order to create the space required for the additional 40 bedrooms and leisure facilities, Mr Venturi proposes to construct a T-shaped extension to the existing property, which would lie directly to the rear of the hotel’s main building. This extension would consist of three storeys and a basement level.
Thanks to the upcoming HS2 project, areas of Birmingham such as Digbeth are forecasting a huge rise in demand for hotel rooms in the future – the proposed Serena Hotel, for example, lies in close proximity to the new Curzon Street station.
Furthermore, the ongoing renaissance of the city’s Eastside has continued to grow in pace during the past several months, with notable projects including the development of Birmingham’s tallest office building at the Beorma Quarter, meaning that a wide range of hotel rooms may well be required for an influx of domestic and international businesspeople in the coming years.
This sentiment is echoed by the extended proposals, which state; “The proposed development will bring a breath of fresh air to this part of the city, which is in need of investment, by providing a modern 91 bedroom hotel accommodation.
“This will adequately cater for the needs of visitors to the city in addition to providing much needed jobs for local people, in turn benefiting the local economy.
“By utilising and incorporating an existing locally listed building, the proposals recycle an existing asset and in this manner promote a more sustainable pattern of development at this site.”
Do you think the city council will give the new proposals the green light?
