Smithfield Birmingham: architects appointed for major £1.9bn city centre development

Smithfield Birmingham is set to become a new destination for the city centre.

Spread across 17 hectares it will provide a new home for Birmingham’s historic Bull Ring Markets - set to become a prestigious, globally recognised market district.

It will also be home to a festival square and cultural quarter, hotels, cafes, restaurants and bars - and 3,000 homes.

Birmingham City Council is working with global real estate group LendLease to deliver the project.

A host of international and local architects have now been appointed to bring this vision to life.

The architects will be working together with market traders, local communities and businesses to design the homes, workspaces and leisure and commercial spaces across the site.

The masterplanners are Prior+Partners and David Kohn Architects, appointed following an international design competition. Working alongside them, the architects appointed for the first phase of the project include:

• dRMM and Intervention Architecture
• Haworth Tompkins and Minesh Patel Architects
• RCKa and Intervention Architecture

Lendlease said that Birmingham-based Eastside Projects is also working in partnership with the teams, and is currently engaging with market traders and customers to help inform designs for the new market.

They added: “Celebrating the history of Birmingham and its roots as the ‘city of a thousand trades’, the vibrant new market will be a colourful and lively destination with a distinct day and night-time feel.”

What else will Smithfield Birmingham bring to the city?

The development is expected to create a range of new employment and training opportunities including an estimated 8,000 jobs.

It includes major improvements to accessibility aimed at bringing the area into the wider city, including the creation of new and improved walking and cycling routes, as well as a green pedestrian boulevard helping to connect the Bull Ring to the wider city centre and sustainable transport connections.

The developers add that Smithfield is also aimed at anchoring an expanded city centre - helping to accelerate a wider transformation of Birmingham and support long-term economic and social prosperity within the region.

What have the developers said about the appointment of architects in their own words?

Commenting on the appointments, James Amos, Development Director at Lendlease, said: “Our chosen team of architects brings a fantastic blend of creativity, local talent and experience, alongside a clear commitment to sustainability.

“The design team is now developing initial proposals and in March we will begin formal consultation on the masterplan with local people, market traders and stakeholders to gather feedback on our ideas and help shape the best possible vision for Smithfield.”

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Smithfield Birmingham is a real once in a lifetime opportunity to create a new community in the heart of our city – and we are really excited to be working with Lendlease Europe, who have an internationally proven track record for bringing forward major developments like this.

“This £1.9bn development means jobs, homes and opportunities for people across this city and Smithfield Birmingham will become a shining example of inclusive economic growth that will create a real legacy in the heart of Birmingham. We’re keen that this scheme also celebrates our heritage and the historic Bull Ring Markets will be central to this development."

When will the Birmingham Smithfield consultation take place?

Consultation on the Lendlease masterplan will commence in March 2022 and will provide an opportunity for people across Birmingham to directly engage and shape the future of the site, initially starting with a series of drop-in events.

Following consultation with the local community, a planning application for the masterplan and phase one will be submitted to Birmingham City Council.

For further information on Smithfield, please visit the website by clicking on: Smithfield Birmingham www.smithfieldbirmingham.co.uk where you can sign up for updates on the proposals.

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