Pictured above: Pershore Street
Birmingham is on course for a state-of-the-art ice rink after
planning consultants CSJ Brooke Smith yesterday (Thursday 13
January) secured renewed planning consent for the redevelopment of
the former Silver Blades venue.
The site is in Pershore Street next to the Wholesale Markets,
which are expected to relocate shortly.
The original consent from February 2008 was for the demolition
of the existing ice rink and the erection of a new 12-storey
building comprising a new ice rink, ancillary retail and commercial
space, together with more than 200 apartments, all served by
basement parking.
The renewed consent, secured on behalf of Lichfield-based Ragon
Limited, reflects the same mix and extent of accommodation and
provides permission for a further three years. It now gives the
scheme, which has been mothballed for some time, a realistic chance
of being built out.
CSJ Brooke Smith planner Keir Price said: "This comes hot on the
heels of the Travelodge scheme in Upper Dean Street, Digbeth - and
the renewed proposals for the ice rink site indicate continued
confidence in the area. A city of the status of Birmingham needs a
state-of-the-art ice rink that properly reflects its leisure needs
in the 21st century.
"This is a key site to the south of the city centre. It is an
area recently highlighted as the Southern Gateway where Birmingham
City Council is encouraging major mixed use development through the
emerging Big City Plan. The proposals complement national planning
policy, the current Birmingham Unitary Development Plan and the
emerging Core Strategy."
The renewal is subject to a section 106 agreement relating to
the development and training of workers being signed by 21 January
2011.