The next phase of work at the £700 million Paradise scheme in Birmingham city centre has been approved.
Developers will create a series of new public spaces and pedestrian routes through the project which will add to the links already in place to Colmore Row, Broad Street and the Jewellery Quarter.
The consent work includes the new Ratcliff Passage alongside Town Hall, Ratcliff Square, and Western Terrace leading to Easy Row with a newly renovated subway route through to Alpha Tower, Arena Central and Centenary Square.
Ratcliff Passage will also accommodate relocated statues of James Watt and Joseph Priestley.
The new public realm has been designed by Bath-based Grant Associates landscape architects.
This latest consent follows the news in January that a new 17-storey, 152-bedroom hotel next to Town Hall had also been approved by Birmingham City Council.
Alongside the public realm and new hotel fronting onto Paradise Street, phase two of the project also includes new office buildings One Centenary Way, currently under construction, and Three Chamberlain Square.
Rob Groves, regional development director with Paradise's development manager MEPC, said: "This is yet another significant milestone for Paradise and allows the team to move towards completing phase two of the development with its important new buildings and enhanced new public space.
"The success of the existing public realm is reflected in what we are now proposing with more high-quality stonework with a variety of tones and finishes alongside mature trees and greener elements.
"With two green lights for both the public realm and new hotel now awarded, we've brought cutting edge new designs for exemplar new public realm which will continue to knit Paradise into the wider city centre."
Members of Birmingham City Council's planning committee voted unanimously to approve the plans at their latest meeting.
