Curzon Wharf is the most ambitious development in Birmingham's current pipeline — and one of the most significant in the UK outside London. At £360 million, it comprises three towers on a canalside site near Dartmouth Circus, including what will become Birmingham's tallest building. It sits eight minutes walk from the future HS2 Curzon Street station, in an area the city has earmarked as part of its Learning Quarter regeneration zone.
One important clarification upfront: Curzon Wharf is a Build to Rent development, not for sale. The residential apartments will be rented, not sold. This is a fundamentally different proposition from Edition Birmingham or Glasswater Locks — it's relevant to renters seeking high-specification managed accommodation, to investors who may want to understand the broader Birmingham rental market, and to anyone tracking Birmingham's development pipeline. It is not a development where you can currently purchase an apartment.
What's confirmed
| Detail | Information | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Development name | Curzon Wharf | ✓ Verified |
| Location | Dartmouth Circus, Birmingham B7 — canalside, near A38(M) | ✓ Verified |
| Developer | Woodbourne Group (Tani Dulay, CEO) | ✓ Verified |
| Architect | Associated Architects | ✓ Verified |
| Engineering consultant | Cundall | ✓ Verified |
| Total development value | £360 million | ✓ Verified |
| Planning approval | April 2023 — Birmingham City Council | ✓ Verified |
| Section 106 signed | February 2024 | ✓ Verified |
| Construction status | Under construction | ✓ Verified |
| Tenure type | Build to Rent — apartments rented, not sold | ✓ Verified |
| HS2 Curzon Street station | 8 minutes walk (est. operational 2029) | ✓ Verified |
| Sustainability | Net Zero Carbon ready — claimed world first for mixed-use | ✓ Verified |
| Jobs (construction) | ~460 during build | ✓ Verified |
| Jobs (operational) | ~1,000 on completion | ✓ Verified |
| Economic impact (build) | £151 million into regional economy | ✓ Verified |
| Rental rents | Not yet published — awaiting leasing launch | ⏳ Awaiting |
| Completion date | Not officially confirmed | ⏳ Awaiting |
The three towers
Boulton Tower
53 STOREYS · 172 METRES · NORTH TOWER
Watt Tower
41 STOREYS · SOUTH TOWER
Galton Skytree
14 STOREYS · CENTRAL BUILDING
The naming of the towers reflects Birmingham's heritage — Matthew Boulton, James Watt and Francis Galton were all associated with Birmingham during the Industrial Revolution, and the Boulton & Watt partnership gave the world the steam engine. The naming is deliberate: it positions Curzon Wharf as part of Birmingham's identity narrative, not just a generic tower development.
Birmingham BioCity — the life sciences component
Curzon Wharf is more than a residential development. The Birmingham BioCity component delivers approximately 130,000 sq ft of fitted CL2 laboratories and office space dedicated to life sciences research and development. This positions the scheme at the intersection of three major sectors: residential, student accommodation and life sciences — an unusual combination for a single UK development outside London's Knowledge Quarter.
The proximity to Aston University and Birmingham City University is deliberate. The Learning Quarter framing — a collaboration between academic institutions, life sciences businesses and the residential community — is the strategic vision Woodbourne Group has articulated for the site. Whether that vision is fully realised depends on leasing demand for the BioCity space, which had not been publicly confirmed at the time of publication.
Build to Rent — what this means for you
Build to Rent (BTR) is a tenure type that has grown significantly in UK cities over the past decade. Unlike traditional residential developments where apartments are sold individually, BTR schemes are owned and managed by a single operator who rents all units on professional tenancy agreements.
What BTR typically offers renters: longer tenancy options (12–36 months), responsive professional management, in-building amenities (gym, concierge, communal spaces), and greater consistency of maintenance than the typical private landlord market.
What BTR doesn't offer: the opportunity to purchase. If you are looking to buy a property in Birmingham, Curzon Wharf is not available for sale. See our guides to Edition Birmingham and Glasswater Locks for purchasable developments.
Location and transport
Curzon Wharf sits at Dartmouth Circus in the B7 postcode — a location that is simultaneously close to Birmingham city centre and historically underserved by investment. The A38(M) Aston Expressway runs immediately adjacent to the site, providing motorway access to the M6. The canal network connects the site westwards into the city centre canal quarter.
| Connection | Detail | Distance / Time |
|---|---|---|
| HS2 Curzon Street station | Future national high-speed rail hub (est. 2029) | 8 min walk — Verified |
| Birmingham New Street | National rail hub | ~15 min walk / 5 min bus |
| Aston University | Adjacent to Learning Quarter | ~10 min walk |
| Birmingham City University | Eastside campus | ~12 min walk |
| M6 motorway | Via A38(M) Aston Expressway | ~5 min drive |
| Birmingham Airport | Via New Street rail connection | ~25 min by train |
The HS2 proximity is the single biggest long-term location factor. When Curzon Street station opens (currently estimated 2029), journey times from Birmingham to London Euston will reduce to approximately 49 minutes. The Curzon Wharf site sits within an 8-minute walk — placing it in the immediate catchment of what will be Birmingham's most significant transport infrastructure investment in a generation. This is a primary driver of long-term rental demand and value in the area.
The developer — Woodbourne Group
Woodbourne Group is a Birmingham-based developer led by CEO Tani Dulay. Curzon Wharf represents the company's most ambitious project — a six-year development from initial site assembly (which began with acquiring the Motorway Trading Estate in 2016 and subsequently two adjacent sites) to planning approval in 2023.
The scale of Curzon Wharf is a significant step up from Woodbourne Group's previous work, and the company has been deliberate about its Birmingham identity positioning — the "world's first net zero carbon ready mixed-use development" claim is central to how they have marketed the scheme to investors and the city.
Hall's Homes UK note on Woodbourne Group: As a Birmingham-based developer, Woodbourne Group has a strong local knowledge base and genuine investment in the city's growth narrative. However, Curzon Wharf represents a significant scale increase. Prospective renters and any parties with a commercial interest in the scheme should carry out appropriate due diligence on the developer's track record at this scale. The Section 106 agreement and planning approval provide meaningful institutional validation.
Regeneration context
Curzon Wharf does not stand alone. It sits within a broader regeneration narrative that is reshaping Birmingham's eastern city centre:
- HS2 Curzon Street station — £billions in national infrastructure, 8-minute walk
- Curzon Investment Plan — Birmingham City Council's £724 million commitment to the wider Curzon area, delivering up to 4,000 homes and 36,000 jobs across 150 hectares over coming decades
- Paradise Birmingham — £1.2 billion office and public realm scheme, already delivering HSBC UK HQ and attracting Goldman Sachs
- Smithfield Birmingham — £1.9 billion regeneration, 17 hectares, south of city centre
- Learning Quarter — Aston University, BCU and Birmingham Children's Hospital all within the immediate area
Taken together, these schemes represent a sustained, multi-decade investment thesis in Birmingham's city centre that provides genuine structural support for rental demand in the Curzon Wharf area over the long term.
Hall's Homes UK is monitoring Curzon Wharf
We review this guide regularly and update it when verified information becomes available.
Construction progress
Under construction as of July 2026. Completion date not officially confirmed.
Rental pricing
Not yet published. Monitoring for leasing launch announcement from Woodbourne Group.
Birmingham BioCity leasing
Monitoring for life sciences tenant announcements — key indicator of scheme's commercial success.
HS2 Curzon Street progress
Currently est. 2029. Any timeline changes directly affect Curzon Wharf's location premium.
Completion date confirmation
Awaiting official confirmation from Woodbourne Group.
Sources: Woodbourne Group official website (woodbournegroup.com); Associated Architects project page; Cundall engineering project page; Insider Media (Section 106 signing, February 2024); Building Design (planning approval, April 2023); BTR Directory (verified February 2026); London Build Expo; Birmingham City Council Curzon Investment Plan documentation. Hall's Homes UK is an independent information service with no commercial affiliation to Woodbourne Group or any party involved in the Curzon Wharf development.