Edgbaston's desirability as one of Birmingham's premier residential suburbs has in the past, overshadowed the area's commercial property appeal.

That is hardly surprising, given that much of Edgbaston's office accommodation has historically consisted of two distinct types of space - either outdated 1960s and 1970s high-rise towers or refurbished period buildings - both of which appeal to different markets.

That is about to change as Edgbaston's business property market enjoys an upsurge and its office landscape is revitalised.

Jamie Philips, office agent at Bruton Knowles (BK) in Birmingham, is extremely upbeat about the prospects for the area and cites a number of reasons for Edgbaston's turnaround.

"Much of Edgbaston's high rise office stock has reached the end of its lifecycle," says Mr Philips.

"In the same way that we have seen the city centre office market being rebuilt and transformed, it is now quite clearly Edgbaston's time for redevelopment.

"Investors and landowners are committing to the upgrading and renovation of classic rendered property which is so synonymous with Edgbaston.

"A clear example of where this has reaped benefits has to be Calthorpe Estates" sympathetic restorative work on a lot of its Georgian and Victorian property stock.

"We've witnessed a huge increase in the take-up on these office locations by media types and other  professionals in recent years.

"There is also huge investment being ploughed into new build schemes. Mars Pension Fund and Taylor Woodrow's proposed mixed-use scheme on the Five Ways Shopping Centre site underlines the confidence in  the area.

"Although no firm details have been released, Estates Gazette magazine recently reported that Mars favours plans for around 500 homes in two towers, a hotel with 250-300 beds, 100,000 sq ft of retail and leisure, and 80,000 sq ft of offices.

"There is also Calthorpe Estates' new mixed-use development on Hagley Road which will be built on the existing Edgbaston shopping centre site and which will offer over 100,000 sq ft of space.

"This quality build is the first Grade A accommodation of its size to be built in the area for at least 15 to 20 years."

Redevelopments in Edgbaston are being planned on a specula- tive rather than pre-let basis which underlines the confidence and strength of the local market. Mr Philips continues: "The majority of business occupiers do not have the time to wait for offices to be built; office requirements are usually for immediate occupation or within six months, and there is huge pressure on office space in the city centre.

"Occupiers with requirements for over 7,000 sq ft are hard pressed to find quality space in the city centre and therefore are widening their search to areas like Edgbaston and Solihull.

"We've seen a great level of interest in offices at 1 Hagley Road for example and have completed on a number of deals in the area.

"It is as if Birmingham's Southside transformation has been overshadowed by all the development activity that is tak- ing place on Eastside.

"Southside is suddenly coming into its own and areas like Edgbaston, with rents at around the #12.50 per sq ft mark, are able to offer a viable option for corporate players, government departments and quangos.

"It is also attracting more and more professionals like solicitors, brokers and banks who are con- solidating their property assets after merger and acquisition activity.

"It is all part and parcel of a noticeable shift in corporate culture. It is no longer perceived as financially viable or commercially savvy to pay more for office locations than is totally necessary.

"Value for money and prudent accounting has to be demonstrated on the balance sheets and private and public sector organisations alike are questioning the need to pay rents of #25 per sq ft when #12.50 provides good quality space with all amenities to hand.

"Government quangos in particular need to justify their rental costs and have to be transparent in their property dealings.

The commercial core is redefin- ing itself in Birmingham; the success of Brindley Place and the Mailbox, and plans for Paradise Circus and Eastside, are blurring the office market boundaries.

"Industry predictions about a massive expansion of professional services jobs over the next decade means further pressure will be put on office space in the central core.

"A lot of companies are choosing to quit the city centre with considerations such as possible congestion  charging and car parking playing a part."

Mr Philips concludes: "Over the previous two decades, the trend has been for more businesses to move from Edgbaston and Solihull to the traditional business district in the city centre.

"However, the reverse is now happening and Edgbaston's property scene is getting its life back.

"Coupled with the lack of supply in the city centre, a sea change in attitude among workers is helping this migration to Southside.

"Helped by IT advances, the business community is far more open minded than it used to be about relocating to peripheral areas.

"Gone are the blinkered views that if you weren't located in the business heartland, you couldn't conduct business.

"Today's younger workers are far keener on gaining a modern working environment and an enjoyable business lifestyle."