This gigantic 50-floor skyscraper is set to be the biggest tower in Birmingham

Currently, the title of tallest building in Birmingham is shared by The Octagon in Paradise and One Eastside on James Watt Queensway. But plans for a new 53-storey tower in the city centre would make the two current Brummie record holders look like squat siblings.

The 42 High Street development is set to stand at 172 metres tall, becoming Brum’s tallest tower alongside the Curzon Wharf scheme – another sky-high building project which was given the green light three years ago but is still yet to be built.

Part of Birmingham’s Central Heart regeneration strategy, more than half of 42 High Street’s land area would be open to the public, with 1,677 square metres of landscaping, public art and walkable routes connecting transport links with Brum’s central shopping hub. 

On the ground floor, plans include a street-level retail and commercial space and colonnaded outdoor walkway. The rest of the building would be dedicated to residential flats, made up of one-, two- and three-bedroom build-to-rent apartments and amenities. The project’s blueprints even feature a landscaped roof terrace on level 48. 

The mixed-use development would be built on the former Marks & Spencer site on the corner of High Street and Carrs Lane, just around the corner from Birmingham Moor Street Station. 

Plans put forward by developer Bluecastle Capital need to be approved by Birmingham city council. If they’re given the go-ahead, construction is scheduled to begin late next year and complete in early 2031.

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