In 2004 permission was granted for a six storey office block on New Union Street, just next to the multi storey car park. The section of land is triangular in shape, with awkward road access, so the developers came up with a unique solution to the road access by proposing car lifts to the basement car park and the corner of the building was where the staircases are located! According to the council’s website, there are discussions ongoing to increase the height of the building to add more office space.

The original plan has the lower floors being used for financial services/professional businesses, and the upper floors as offices.

It would be nice to see more developments like this around the ringroad, utilising the dead land that the ringroad seems to have created.  As this is a stone’s throw away from the Severn Trent HQ, the view from the ringroad would be much improved and more people in the city centre can only be a good thing.

Removing the surface level car parks and building them up seems to be a sensible way forward and brings land back into use and helps create a “proper” city atmosphere.