A major milestone has been marked on Birmingham's landmark development project, Paradise, as the first occupier looks set to move in.

The first completed building has been handed over to professional services firm PwC as it prepares to move across the city to the new One Chamberlain Square site in early 2020.

The company will occupy all of the commercial space in One Chamberlain Square, which is a seven storey, 172,000 sq ft office building with retail and leisure facilities on the ground floor.

Overlooking the Grade 1 listed Town Hall, Victorian Council House and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, One Chamberlain Square sits at the heart of Paradise with direct access from the refurbished Chamberlain Square and surrounding public realm.

At almost 2 million square feet, Paradise will deliver up to ten new flagship buildings, offering offices, shops, bars, cafés, restaurants and a four star hotel across 17 acres in the heart of the city.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, marked the project milestone with Matthew Hammond, Midlands region chairman for PwC, Rob Groves, regional director of Argent, Cllr Brigid Jones, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, and Tim Pile, chair of Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP.


Matthew Hammond, Midlands region chairman for PwC, said: "The handover of One Chamberlain Square today is a significant step in our journey to our new home. We are creating a first-class destination for our people and our clients. Our internal fit-out is complementary to the external design – a truly distinctive destination, which has connections at its heart through flexibility and technology-enabled workspaces. We have very much future-scoped the design to meet the needs of our people and clients now and in the future."

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street added: "The handover to PwC is a major step forward for Paradise and a key milestone in the regeneration of Birmingham. Not only is Paradise beginning to take shape on the city's skyline, but it is delivering on its promise to create jobs and opportunities for local people across the West Midlands, including supporting businesses like PwC to create new jobs in the city.

"The handover is a special moment for me in particular as I was chairman of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP when we set up the Joint Venture with the city council back in 2013. It fills me with immense pride to see our vision from six years ago coming to life and I now look forward to seeing Paradise continue to evolve. We will continue to work with Argent, Hermes, the LEP, and the city council to make sure the development is the best it can possibly be."

Contractor BAM will look to begin the fit-out process to make the building ready for occupation in early 2020.

The entire Paradise redevelopment is being brought forward through Paradise Circus Limited Partnership (PCLP), a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The private sector funding is being managed by Hermes Investment Management which has partnered with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) on the first phase of the development. Argent is the development manager.

Paradise sits in the country's largest city centre Enterprise Zone and has already benefited from investment by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) in enabling and infrastructure works.

(CM/MH)