Enabling work has started on a £5.5 million gastro hub and apartment scheme in an upmarket Birmingham suburb.
The School Yard will see the conversion of the prominent clock tower building on Harborne High Street into three restaurants and a cookery school.
The structure, a former Victorian school built in 1891 and a Grade II listed building, most recently used as an adult learning and community centre, will be comprehensively and sympathetically restored.
The scheme will also include cafes and shops around a public courtyard on the footprint of the disused school playground.
There are also plans for a new contemporary building at the rear of the square, expected to house a small number of apartments.
Midland developer EDG Property, the new venture from Cube director Neil Edginton, has appointed its professional team for the project.
Birmingham based K4 Architects is leading the design team, alongside mechanical and electrical engineers Jonathan Richards Associates, structural engineers Curtins and acousticians JRA Acoustics.
Eversheds and Presence Marketing are also providing advice, while the shortlisting process for the main contractor is under way.
Neil Edginton, managing director of EDG Property, said: “Harborne is already home to a number of successful, independently owned businesses and we now have the opportunity to breathe new life into this beautiful, but derelict, Victorian building and add to this vibrant neighbourhood.
“Announcing our professional team and starting enabling works are major milestones for the project and announcing our dream team is a great way to end the year.
“It sets us up to hit the ground running with construction early in the new year and, when we confirm our main contractor, we can press ahead with work onsite and hit our target to start tenant fit-out towards the end of the summer.
“We all want to enjoy the new public square next Christmas.”
Two restaurants, upmarket Italian chain Prezzo and a new Mediterranean offering from Chris Kelly’s Metro Group, the company behind the successful Metro bars on Cornwall Street and in Solihull, have already confirmed lettings at the landmark scheme.
The Kitchen cookery school is the brainchild of Jayne Bradley and will run courses for the public and the local community.
Bob Ghosh of K4 Architects said: “This is a golden opportunity to mesh old and new, bringing a local landmark back into community use and developing a building that is fit for purpose as well as being somewhere people want to spend their leisure time.
“Our designs are focussed on creating a ‘heart’ at the centre of the scheme with a new publicly accessible courtyard in the footprint of the original school playground.
“This will provide a focal space for outdoor eating, speciality markets and seasonal events.”
