[Last updated March 2023] A guide to flexible serviced offices and workspace for rent in Birmingham as well as general information that may be useful if you are thinking of renting office space in the city.
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Overview
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England, UK. It is the most populated British city outside of London with a population of 1,101,000 (2014 estimate) and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the UK’s second most populous Urban Area with a population of 2,808,400 (2014 estimate).
Birmingham was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England, which led to it being referred to as ‘the workshop of the world’ or the ‘city of a thousand trades’.
Although Birmingham’s industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre.
Birmingham is a national hub for conferences, retail and events along with an established high-tech, research and development sector, supported by its three universities. It is the fourth-most visited city by foreign visitors in the UK and has the second-largest city economy in the UK and often is referred to as the ‘Second City’, although this title is fought over with its North West counterpart.
In 2018, Birmingham was ranked as the 50th-most ‘liveable’ city in the world, according to the Mercer Index of worldwide standards of living.
Economy
Locate in Birmingham state that Birmingham city centre is the region’s major cluster with around 600 professional and financial sector firms and a driver of sector activity throughout the region. The city has 200 law firms, boasts a wealth of highly talented banking specialists, many top accountants, 50 major property services companies, and one of Europe’s largest insurance markets.
Two of Britain’s largest banks were founded in Birmingham – Lloyds Bank in 1765 and the Midland Bank in 1836.
Tourism is an important part of the local economy. With major facilities such as the International Convention Centre and National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the Birmingham area accounts for 42% of the UK exhibition and conference trade.
The city’s three Universities, Aston University, University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University and two University colleges have over 65,000 students and employ around 15,000 staff, contributing to the city’s economy as well as its research and innovation base.
The city is the largest centre in the UK for employment in the public sector and, in September 2017, the government signed a 25-year lease on nearly 250,000 sq ft at Arena Central which will be the new Midlands regional hub of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The government is proposing a new High-Speed train network called ‘HS2’ which will increase the capacity and efficiency of the UK rail system for both passengers and freight transportation. The proposals are that the West Midlands will become a major hub and interchange for the whole network.
Independent research carried out in 2013 predicted that with a fully operational HS2, the West Midlands could see:
- 50,000 new jobs (25,000 of which would be in Birmingham and Solihull).
- An average gross value added (GVA) increase of £690 per worker.
- A £4 billion increase in economic output for the region per year.
Office Space to Rent in Birmingham
Grade A headline office rents have seen strong growth in the few years preceding 2023 representing an 8% increase from Q3 in 2019 to the end of September 2022 where rents reached £40 per square foot for prime office space in Birmingham city centre.
This has been driven by a ‘flight to quality’ with tenants showing an increased appetite for high-quality space.
The take-up from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022 totalled just over 635,000 square feet which represented a 21% increase on the same period 12 months prior.
In 2023, Grade A office space in Birmingham’s central business district is expected to achieve between £40 and £41 per square foot and between £25 and £26 per square foot for second-hand space.
In Digbeth, prime office space is expected to reach between £30 and £31 per square foot with Grande B space achieving between £18 and £19 per square foot.
In Birmingham’s Eastside, Grade A space is expected to reach between £26 and £27 per square foot with Grade B office space achieving between £18 and £19 per square foot.
Grade A office space in Westside is expected to achieve between £27 and £28 per square foot with second-hand space achieving between £18 and £19 per square foot.
In 2023, there are 14 flex space providers in Birmingham including a relative newcomer to the city, The Boutique Workplace Company which opened its space at 102 Colmore Row in Q4 2021. Profiles of all Birmingham flexible space operators can be seen in this directory.
Transport
Due to its inland central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway and rail networks. The city is served by a number of major motorways and probably the best-known motorway junction in the UK: Spaghetti Junction.
The nearest airport is Birmingham Airport (BHX), located in the Borough of Solihull to the east of the city. Passenger throughput in 2017 was just under 13 million, making it the 7th busiest UK airport
Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram. The city’s main railway station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national railway network. Birmingham Snow Hill station is another major railway station in the city centre, and a terminus for the Midland Metro which operates between the station and Wolverhampton, also serving the nearby towns of Bilston, West Bromwich, and Wednesbury. Birmingham has a large rail-based park-and-ride network that supplies the city centre.
Travel time between Birmingham and London is approximately 1hr 25 minutes by train.
The UK’s railways carry 1.25 billion passenger journeys per annum and increasing levels of rail freight and because capacity is almost at its limit, the government is proposing to increase capacity and efficiency through a new High-Speed Rail Network. HS2 will reduce Birmingham to London journey times to under 50 minutes.
Landmarks and Tourism
Birmingham is home to two of the country’s oldest professional football teams: Aston Villa, who play at Villa Park; and Birmingham City, who play at St Andrew’s.
Six times County Championship winners Warwickshire County Cricket Club play at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, which also hosts test cricket and one-day internationals.
Two major developments have regenerated two parts of the city in recent years. Brindleyplace is a major canalside development with restaurants and office buildings along with the National Sea Life Centre. The other is the Bullring Shopping Centre which is the twelfth largest in Europe covering over 23 acres. The Mailbox, a canalside development, features designer stores together with offices and apartments.
The National Indoor Arena is one of the busiest large-scale sporting and entertainment venues in Europe.
The nightlife in Birmingham is concentrated mainly along Broad Street and into Brindleyplace. There are also a number of late-night bars in the Irish Quarter.
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