A derelict Birmingham city centre site known as the bomb site because of its appalling condition is set to be transformed into new offices.
Plans will be submitted later this year for up to 500,000 sq ft of office accommodation, shops and a large car park on the site in Great Charles Street.
Business leaders welcomed the scheme, which fronts the A38 inner ring road, and will create thousands of new jobs.
Colmore Business District chairman Gary Cardin said: “Most residents and businesses in the city know that site as the bomb site – it has been like that for as long as we can remember. It has been targeted on many occasions for various developments but the key thing is to finally see something to transform that site.”
Previous plans for the site included a coach station but they all bit the dust.
James Howarth, of developer Sterling Property Ventures, said: “The development of Great Charles Square will create hundreds of jobs through the construction phase. But the lasting legacy of the partnership with Birmingham City Council will be the creation of high-quality space which will accommodate more than 2,500 new jobs.”
The first phase of the redevelopment will involve a new 500-space multi-storey car park.
Architect PRC Group has been appointed to design the scheme.
Mr Cardin said: “People say there are lots of offices to let but it is the type of space – occupiers are no different to someone wanting to trade up in the housing market – they want all the mod cons.”
The scheme is inspired by the city centre enterprise zone, one of six across Birmingham.
Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership chairman Andy Street said: “The news about Great Charles Square is, along with Paradise Circus, the biggest sign of progress yet and demonstrates how the decision to base the enterprise zone in the city centre was the right one.”
