Tower Furnishing City's high rise ambitions

Glenn Howells has designed a tower, which has gone into planning seeking outline permission, for Broad Street on the site of Lee Longlands.

2011/01279/PA

Lee Longlands 224 Broad Street Birmingham B15 1AZ

Outline application with all matters reserved for tower between 72m (20 Floors) and 40 m (8 Floors) in height above retained facade of Lee Longlands building, with up to 16,125 sqm office space (B1 & A2) and 2,200 sqm retail and leisure (A1-A5 & D2) or 310 bedroom hotel (C1) or 338 bedroom student accomodation (C3) and 2,200 sqm retail and leisure (A1-A5 & D2)

The site is broadly "L" shaped with and is approximately 0.13 Ha in size with Lee Longlands furniture retail store currently occupy the whole of the site. The Lee Longlands shop is a three storey Locally Listed Grade B building that fronts Broad Street and a four story extension that fronts Tennant Street.

The Lee Longlands building was designed by Archibald Hurley Robinson who was based in Birmingham. He designed many cinemas prior to World War II but following this period, demand diminished and his work focused upon office buildings. His cinemas were typically Art Deco in style that was popularised by Oscar Deutsch and his Odeon Cinemas.
The original Lee Longlands furniture store was completed in 1931 and then extended in 1939. It is an uncommon example of a pre-war building by Robinson that was not a cinema.

The site is one near other towers both existing and proposed. It is opposite the Novotel Hotel (9 storeys) and is near the Travel Lodge (9 storeys) and the planning approved Broad Street Tower (41 storeys – 134m). The site for Regal Tower, approved at 56 storeys – 199m is opposite across Broad Street.

Other significant buildings in close proximity the site include:
• Cumberland House — 18 storeys, 6 • 4m (to be refurbished)
• Jury’s Inn — 18 storeys, 61m
• Quayside Tower — 19 storeys, 70m
• Hyatt Regency — 24 storeys, 75m
• Auchinleck House — 13 storeys, 58m
• Trident House — 19 storeys, 61m
• Elven Brindleyplace — 13 storeys, 59m
• Alpha Tower — 28 storeys, 100m

Indicative images from the planning application are shown below: