New images show long overdue work to transform an upmarket Birmingham suburb is set to become a reality.
The £15 million regeneration of Mere Green, mooted for more than a decade, is finally under way with significant demolition work already complete.
The project, a joint venture between Salmon Developments and NFU Mutual Assurance Society, will see a three-acre site transformed with new bars, restaurants and shops, with the likes of Marks & Spencer and Boots already signed up.
City architect Bob Ghosh drew up the masterplan for the scheme, called Mulberry Walk, and said he aimed to create a public square to become the new focal point of the area on the edge of Sutton Park.
Mr Ghosh, principal of K4 Architects, said: "The Mulberry Walk project is not just about providing retail space but creating a new heart to the town centre.
"The current townscape is dominated by a series of surface car parks - a sea of tarmac, with no apparent quality or focal point.
"Mulberry Walk will be a transformational project for the area and K4 looks forward to realising it with the construction team."
The Mulberry Walk site will be clear within a few weeks, ready for the main contractor to take possession and start construction, which is scheduled for completion in autumn 2016.
The scheme will deliver 53,000 sq ft of new-build retail space as well as the new public square and on-site car parking.
It will be anchored by Marks & Spencer Food and Boots, with Prezzo, Greggs, Caffè Nero, Explore Learning and Boots Opticians all signed up.
It marks a major return to grace after original developer Castlemore Securities collapsed in 2009, more than three years after bringing forward the scheme.
The original proposal, which was approved in 2006, had a higher density with a significant residential element.
The new project is retail-led and addresses Lichfield Road, Mere Green Road and the land to the rear.
A pedestrian lane will connect Mere Green Road to a new public square outside the entrance to Marks & Spencer.
Birmingham-based Coleman is carrying out the demolition works and Seddon Construction, which has recently opened a new regional office at Birmingham Business Park, has been appointed as the main contractor.
Pictures: Regeneration of Mere Green