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ABOUT US -
ABOUT US -
ABOUT US
ABOUT SMITHFIELD
Smithfield, an area in Birmingham city centre, will undergo a £1.9bn regeneration that will transform the city’s landscape and unlock its potential for long-term economic and social prosperity. The new market at Smithfield will be a vibrant hub that celebrates Birmingham’s rich trading history and its roots as the ‘city of a thousand trades’.
The new market will be a dynamic place with something for everyone. At its heart will be the new market alongside Manor Square and new cultural spaces that will allow Birmingham’s musical and artistic communities to come together. Alongside this will be business and leisure space, including hotels, cafés, restaurants and bars, helping to create a range of new employment opportunities, as well as training and apprenticeship opportunities.
Smithfield will be an iconic new centrepiece for the city centre, a creative and cultural hub that serves local needs and draws people together. It will be an international destination that celebrates Birmingham’s history and diversity, and a vibrant market that thrives for years to come.
ABOUT THE TEAM
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Lendlease
Lendlease has been selected as Birmingham City Council’s Development Partner to bring forward plans for Smithfield. Lendlease is an international real estate and investment group with significant experience in shaping cities and creating strong and connected communities across the world.
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Team
Our wider Smithfield Birmingham team includes planning, infrastructure and landscape consultants Prior + Partners, WSP, James Corner Field Operations and DP9.
We have appointed a host of international and local architects and artists to reinvigorate this site in the heart of Birmingham, including David Kohn Architects, Eastside Projects, dRMM, Intervention Architecture, Haworth Tompkins, Minesh Patel Architects and RCKa.
Working with Digbeth-based Beatfreeks, we have brought together a youth panel to engage with the views of Birmingham’s young, diverse population as we develop our plans.
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The Site
Smithfield (the site) is the area formerly occupied by the wholesale markets (now demolished) and where the Indoor Market, Rag Market and Open Market currently operate. Sitting just to the south of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre, Smithfield connects with the city centre, Eastside, Digbeth, the Gay Village, the Chinese Quarter and beyond.
Site history
The redevelopment of the Smithfield site is part of the City Council’s ambitious Big City Plan, which was launched in 2010, the Birmingham Smithfield Visioning document (2015) and the Birmingham Smithfield Masterplan (2016). It also forms part of the Birmingham Development Plan (2017).
The masterplan proposals retain and enhance the ‘Big Moves’ that underpin the Council’s aspirations for the site, ensuring that Smithfield supports and encourages the transformation of the wider area. The ‘Big Moves’ are:
- Vibrant markets and leisure
- Creation of a new public square, Festival Square
- New pedestrian routes and boulevards
- Integrated public transport
- A new residential neighbourhood
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Key Principles
Our proposals for Smithfield Birmingham are based on local context, drawing from Birmingham City Council’s Big Moves principles. This has shaped our four defining place principles.
Smithfield will be:
- An international destination which supports the city’s art and cultural ambition.
- Reflective of the character of the wider city.
- A mixed use community with something for everyone, complementing and enhancing existing aspects of the city.
- A celebration of Birmingham’s heritage.
- Reconnected with the rest of the city, reinstating the historic street pattern to unlock disconnected parts of Birmingham - prioritising pedestrians and cyclists, and increasing access for the public.
- Home to a diverse public realm that is walkable, accessible, and inclusive.
- A resilient, sustainable environment that uses resources wisely to reduce its impact on climate change, and incorporates new green spaces to improve wellbeing and biodiversity.
- Safe and welcoming for residents and visitors alike.
