New images showing how the revamped Pavilions shopping centre and Primark store will look have been revealed.
The graphics (see gallery above) give a glimpse of Primark's plans to carry out a wholesale regeneration of the beleaguered shopping centre in High Street following its
The 263,600 sq ft centre, completed in 1988, is mostly vacant and has suffered in recent years since the opening of in 2003 but is now set for a bright new future following Primark's buyout.
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The budget clothing retailer, part of the Associated British Foods conglomerate, has lodged new plans to remodel the existing structure of the centre to create a new four-storey shop covering around 150,000 sq ft.
The regeneration project, to be called Primark Pavilions and due to open in spring 2018, will also involve a new pedestrian access route running directly between Moor Street and High Street and new façades fronting these two streets.
The scheme has been designed by Jewellery Quarter-based architecture practice 3D Reid which is also working on the expansion of Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull.
A statement prepared by the firm for the application said the reconfigured Pavilions would "heal the rift between High Street and the Bullring" and activate connections to areas such as Eastside.
"Primark envisages creation of a 'permeable flagship' with escalators and customer lifts providing a direct route through the block during opening hours," it said.
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"A new entrance to Moor Street flanked by display windows will be formed beneath the service road but raised to provide active frontage at street level.
"Positioned at the gateway between the retail core and the Curzon Street Masterplan, Primark believe the Pavilions is the ideal location for a flagship development that can help revitalise the high street, act as an anchor to pedestrian movement along New Street and provide a viable connection from Moor Street to High Street in anticipation of increased footfall.
Existing tenants such as H&M, Marks & Spencer, Three and Thorntons are expected to remain in situ once the redevelopment is complete while Primark's existing store in New Street will close.
Staff of around 460 will transfer to the new shop which is expected to have a total of 800 employees, providing a boost to the city's job market.
The shopping centre itself will not change in size but the reconfiguration of the malls will result in an increase of the gross internal area by almost 19,000 sq ft to 282,983 sq ft, meaning more retail space is available to Primark and other tenants.