Plans for a 16-storey, 263-bed student tower on the former Golden Eagle pub site in Birmingham’s city centre have been recommended for approval. The piece looks at student housing demand, the music history buried under the car park, and whether the new “Eagle Point” block will do anything meaningful to recognise what stood there before.
00:00On the corner of Hill Street and Swallow Street, the old Golden Eagle is long gone, in its place a bear car park, now lined up for a 16 storey student tower called Eagle Point, with more than 260 beds and shops, or shared space, at street level.
00:19Developers say it is a classic brownfield regeneration in a prime spot, ringed by universities and rail links.
00:26The pitch is simple, purpose built student rooms close to campus take pressure off family homes, turned into HMOs and bring spending into the city centre.
00:35Planning officers back them saying the scheme meets housing demand and offers economic, social and environmental benefits in a tight urban footprint.
00:45But this patch of tarmac has a longer memory, the Golden Eagle was a key stop on the 1960s and 70s circuit,
00:51with early gigs by bands like the Spencer Davis Group, and later a bikers haunt with a serious live room upstairs.
00:58The building was bulldozed in the 80s, what's left now, campaigners argue, is the chance to mark what stood here, before the CGI's and cladding.
01:07The developer talks about respecting historic context, but the detail will sit in conditions, whether there is public art, a named space or anything more than a plaque by the bins.
01:19Behind it all is a bigger question about the city centre, official figures accept there is a shortfall in student rooms now,
01:26but also admit that if every life scheme is built, the core could tip from shortage to surplus.
01:33This tower will test how far the council is willing to trade skyline, history and street character for more beds in the race to be a student city.
01:42This tower will often be on a long run of the city.
01:46This tower will be a great place in the city.
01:48This tower will be a very small pocket oflingen and to the city of New New York City.
01:52The university of New York City has been a long way from the city of New York City.
01:55This tower will be a huge support for the city of New York City.
01:57This tower will be very important to the city of New York City.
01:59The library will be a useful cause of the building, as a небольшan city,
02:02and the island has been a bright place in the city of New York City.
02:04The library will be fairly good for the city.
02:05The library will be found an epicenter for a new year-looking city.
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