Great Charles Street regeneration tops out

Moda Group has topped out its largest BTR neighbourhood to date at Great Charles Street, the Group’s third development in Birmingham.

The topping out event on 12 June celebrated construction of the 722-home neighbourhood reaching its highest point, making an exciting construction milestone in the delivery of a vibrant new urban community in the heart of the city.

The neighbourhood, located on the former Ludgate Hill Carpark, started on site in April 2023 and is made up of three blocks ranging from six to 39- storeys.

In addition to the one- to three-bedroom homes for rent, the neighbourhood will give residents access to an extensive range of amenities, including a 24/7 gym, co-working spaces, private dining rooms, resident sky lounges, roof terraces, and a cinema room.

These will be complemented by a regular programme of events with a focus on community, health and wellbeing.

Reactivating a gateway site between the Colmore Business District and the Jewellery Quarter, the new neighbourhood will be surrounded by landscaped green spaces and public realm, aligned with Birmingham City Council’s proposals to create a more accessible and pedestrian-friendly city centre.

The character of city’s iconic Jewellery Quarter is also reflected in the design for the ground floor retail spaces which are expected to be home to boutique shops, independent café-bars and restaurants and wellness amenities.

Construction of Great Charles Street has seen the continuation of Moda and Sisk’s Skills and Training hub first launched during construction of Moda, The Mercian, and backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

So far, delivery of the project has resulted in:

• 35 apprentices and graduates trained
• 292 people trained on site
• 555 local people employed
• 305 hours spent supporting unemployed people into work
• 50,000 tonnes of waste either reused or recycled
• £12m+ spent with local businesses

To recognise the work of the Skills and Training hub, the Topping Out was marked with talks from four of the 35 apprentices working on the regeneration project. They then made the final concrete pour on top of the building, cementing builder’s tools into the top of the building to secure the legacy of the Skills and Training hub in the development.

As with all Moda Living neighbourhoods, Great Charles Street will target leading ESG certifications, including three-star Fitwel certification as part of Moda’s status as a global champion for the healthy building accreditor.

The project is backed by an investment JV between Apache Capital, Harrison Street and NFU Mutual and Apache Capital. The finance deal for the neighbourhood was the largest ever seen in a UK regional city for a BTR development.

Tony Brooks, Executive Chairman at Moda Group, commented: “We are extremely proud of have topped out our third rental neighbourhood in Birmingham, bringing us a step closer to delivering 722 fantastic new homes to the city, along with a range of long-term community benefits.

“The team at Sisk are doing a fantastic job bringing our vision to life at Great Charles Street, and the success of the second iteration of our skills and training hub on site speaks for itself. With two developments already operational and a pipeline of thousands more homes in Birmingham, we remain committed to this fantastic city and the impressive transformation it is undergoing.”