A brace of property agencies in Birmingham have been appointed to find tenants for the The Grand development in Colmore Row.

Johnson Fellows and Lambert Smith Hampton have been tasked with marketing the office element of the former hotel building which is currently undergoing a major programme of renovation.

Family-owned Hortons' Estate has invested more than £1.5m creating 10,000 sq ft of grade A offices on the first and second floors of the development, overlooking Birmingham Cathedral.

To be called Imperial and Whitehall, the office space will be available from October following an eight-month fit-out programme.

The release of the Colmore Row offices, which were designed by Jewellery Quarter-based BPN Architects, along with ten retail and leisure units, marks the completion of the first phase of the multi-million pound restoration of The Grand hotel.

Repair work on the Colmore Row and Church Street façades of the Grade II listed building and the installation of a new roof, are also close to being completed.

Work on phase two of the restoration, the £1.25million repair of the Barwick Street façade, has now commenced.

Tony Green, chief executive at Hortons' Estate, said: "The restoration of The Grand is a long, painstaking and expensive process.

"While a lot of work remains to be done to return The Grand to its former glory, releasing the commercial space on the Colmore Row façade is a significant milestone and kick-starts the renaissance of one of Birmingham's most prominent and best-loved buildings."

Charles Warrack, head of office agency at Johnson Fellows, said: "The accommodation is currently undergoing a complete refurbishment, which has created magnificent space, brought to market when there is a drought of small grade A office suites in Birmingham.

"There has already been a surge of interest from small professional service sector businesses looking for prime accommodation in Birmingham city centre."