// Hammerson receives planning consent to transform the former John Lewis store in Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre
// The store will be transformed into 200,000sq ft of modern wellbeing-designed offices called ‘Drum’
The former John Lewis store in Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre will be transformed into a “wellbeing-designed” office after Hammerson receives planning consent.
The store was occupied by the department store chain and will be transformed into 200,000sq ft of modern wellbeing-designed offices called ‘Drum’ because of the shape of the building.
This consent marks the next step in Hammerson’s vision to enhance its Birmingham Estate and create a multi-use destination by leveraging the strength of Bullring & Grand Central.
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The plans include a ground-floor restaurant along with a “premium grocery offer”, a gym, a physiotherapy room and changing and storage facilities for cyclists.
Planning consent enables Hammerson to continue the process of working with other stakeholders and begin marketing with the aim of commencing the development.
Hammerson chief development and asset repositioning officer, Harry Badham said: “We welcome Birmingham City Council’s approval of our plans, with the decision a significant boost to Birmingham’s reputation as a city for business, one that is progressive, dynamic and setting the benchmark for others to follow across the UK.
“Drum is a great demonstration of how Hammerson’s creativity and a deep understanding of occupier needs can create assets that thrive by diversifying their purpose to accommodate an even greater range of uses and users.”
