Site owner says ‘clear distinction’ between closure announcement and ‘future longer-term for Martineau Galleries’
A visualisation of what the Martineau Galleries in Birmingham city centre could look like. Taken from a 2019 design document by Glenn Howells Architects
The indefinite closure of a Birmingham city centre shopping centre has thrown up new questions about the huge development which could replace it – five years after it was approved.
The Martineau Galleries project was backed by the city council as long ago as 2020 but little has been heard of the enormous project in recent years.
Now, with The Square, better known as Priory Square, closed for the foreseeable future and business told they must leave, attention has turned to what may come next.
READ MORE: Priory Square shuts ‘indefinitely’ live as shop tenancies ‘brought to end’
Property developer Hammerson, which owns the Square, has said its plans for the site of the scheme, which includes The Square Shopping Centre and King’s Parade, would deliver a “signature gateway” from the HS2 Curzon Street terminal.
It includes proposals for a ‘new neighbourhood’ with more than 1,000 homes, office space and a new hotel.
Providing an update on the Martineau Galleries on Monday, March 31, a spokesperson for Hammerson said: “There is a clear distinction to be made between today’s difficult decision to close Priory Square and the future longer-term for Martineau Galleries”.
The Square Shopping centre closed suddenly last week(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
They said Hammerson had been continuing to “work hard with Birmingham City Council to progress plans” on Martineau Galleries.
But they did not provide details on when construction works for the enormous project could potentially start.
On how it could transform this part of the city centre, the Hammerson website states: “The scheme will deliver a new neighbourhood that extends the High Street, and embraces key future connections, including train, tram and bus networks and the Curzon Street station and Metro extension.”
A letter from the shopping centre’s management team explaining the closure(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
It continued: “Approximately 350 full-time construction jobs will be created per year over the life of the demolition and construction phases of the project.
“Once completed, the development will support around 8,000 new full-time jobs on site, across the office-space, restaurants, and cafes.”
The Square closed suddenly last week for health and safety checks and a fire assessment.
Today, Monday, March 31, a spokesperson for the site said the assessment found the improvements needed were “materially beyond what is reasonably practicable to implement” and would require businesses to be out of the Square for a “prolonged period”.
“Following careful review, and with the safety of all tenants and the public a priority, the only option is to close Priory Square indefinitely,” a letter read today.
“This difficult decision has not been taken lightly, and we have begun to actively engage with tenants.”