Orion Building - Planning History

Planning History

The first planning application for the Orion Building was submitted on December 3, 2001 to Birmingham City Council. It was approved on April 25, 2002. Soon after gaining planning permission, the scheme encountered problems. The original contractor, Carillion, fell out with Crosby Homes and construction on the site stopped. Carillion quit their involvement on the scheme and Taylor Woodrow took over with construction recommencing soon after. Before construction of phases 1 and 2 commenced, all of the 150 apartments had been sold. The next planning application was submitted on October 10, 2002 for the second phase of the scheme. It was approved on July 8, 2003. Another planning application was submitted for the reuse of 93-97 John Bright Street, a listed building, as apartments and retail. It was submitted on June 25, 2004 and was approved on October 2, 2005. On October 5, 2004, Crosby Homes submitted a planning application to add another four floors to the tower and another storey to the block adjacent to it. Alterations were also made to the layouts of the apartments between floors 10 and 19 to provide a further 29 flats. The planning application was approved on December 16, 2004. The building was constructed in three phases with Phase 1 being the corner on Navigation Street and John Bright Street and the John Bright Street frontage. Phase 2 is a low rise element to the complex that fronts on to Navigation Street whilst Phase 3 is the main tower overlooking Suffolk Street Queensway.