The Pallasades is a shopping centre located in Birmingham, England opned in 1971. The centre was built as part of the reconstruction of Birmingham New Street railway station, and was formerly known as Birmingham Shopping Centre.[1] It occupies 290,000 square feet (26,942 m2) above the station and is currently owned by Birmingham City Council, who purchased it for £91 million on 30 March 2009[2] from the Agora Max Shopping Centre Fund, a property fund of Warner Estate. It was sold to Agora Max by the previous owners, The Mall, in October 2005.[3]
The exterior of the shopping centre is likely to be refurbished extensively as part of proposals to renovate the railway station, however the complete demolition of the shopping centre no longer appears likely. The Pallasades has seen a loss of custom due to the reconstruction of the Bullring Shopping Centre located nearby, though the reconnection of a link between the two shopping centres has helped to improve customer footfall.
Access to the shopping centre from New Street is in the form of a narrow ramp divided into two by a painted line on the ground, so that pedestrian traffic entering and exiting the building does not collide. A narrow staircase, which gives access from Stephenson Street, meets the top of the ramp, another narrow stairwell formerly led from Stephenson Street and ended just outside the Armed Forces Recruitment Centre, and a disabled access ramp spirals down from the Pallasades to the corner of Stephen Street and Navigation Street, but is now out-of-use.
The BBC soap opera Doctors uses the shopping centre as filming locations occasionally for shopping mall and even airport scenes.
The shopping centre is set for a complete redesign as the rest of the railway station is also rebuilt. The entire redesign could cost £150 million for the shopping centre alone in the £500 million Gateway Plus project. All of the stores have shut from the middle section with some retailers moving to the edge of the centre as there will be a Skylight going down into the concourse of the Station.
John Lewis store is to anchor the centre, due for completion in 2014, it will include 4 floors and will be one of the largest stores outside of London, it will expand the Pallasades to the south of the station. [4]
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