New £360m skyscraper scheme in Birmingham 'to create 1,000 jobs'

One of the three towers would be taller than Birmingham's current tallest building, the BT Tower

A £360m skyscraper development would create about 1,000 jobs and include Birmingham's tallest building, according to developers.

The Woodbourne Group said they also wanted the Curzon Wharf scheme to be a world-first in carbon-neutral developments.

The project would see three towers, including two skyscrapers, built at Dartmouth Circus, near the A38(M).

A public consultation is under way and will end on 26 March.

The three towers, if approved, would be a short distance from the new Curzon Street HS2 railway station.

The current canal-side site at Dartmouth Circus of 1960s-era industrial units would be demolished.

The three towers would include 1,497 homes and an office block

Of the three towers, the tallest would be 172m (562ft) high with 500 apartments and stand above Birmingham's current tallest structure, the BT Tower, which is 152m (498ft).

However, the city council has already given the 100 Broad Street residential tower block planning permission, and it would be 193m tall (633ft).

The second 41-storey skyscraper of the project would have 732 flats for student accommodation, while the third tower would become a life sciences hub, with laboratories and research and development space.

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The developers believe at least 69% of carbon emissions could be cut across the three blocks by making them highly energy efficient and using renewable energy to power them.

Woodbourne's chief executive Tani Dulay said the build would position Birmingham "as the UK's leading smart and sustainable city, helping to pave the way for the UK's green revolution".

City council leader, Labour's Ian Ward, welcomed the development and said it would put the city at the "forefront of green, sustainable development".