I visited 'Paradise' in Birmingham and something made me feel quite hopeful

This pretty corner of Birmingham is heading into a new season with new openings

In one way, I'm delighted that Birmingham is undergoing a period of redevelopment. I'm happy for the future versions of ourselves, who will be able to do radical things like get a tram to Digbeth, shop at a stall on Smithfield Market and maybe have a drink in a bar of a boutique hotel up on the Paradise development.

But current me? Well, I've had it up to here with the bleeding roadworks, cranes, noise and scaffolding. Call me selfish but, I just want it all to be done already so I can walk around feeling chuffed about it all.

As we approach Christmas, it's starting to feel like Paradise is edging closer to fulfilling its destiny and living up to its name. Units that have lain empty are starting to fill up and so, for the average Brummie who might not ever live in its 'build to rent' homes or hire out loads of square footage of its office building, we're finally getting the chance to enjoy the £1.2bn project that describes itself as the 'most important development in a generation'.

Read more: Nine new restaurants opening in Birmingham city centre before Christmas

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Even on a grey morning this week, I couldn't help but smile when I arrived in the corner of town that's shaping up to be one of the most beautiful in the city. The Chamberlain Memorial Fountain, the stunning pediment of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the towering columns of Birmingham Town Hall offer the kind of world class architectural beauty that I just feel so proud to show people when they visit. The best of old Birmingham.

Pictures show Paradise in Birmingham city centre as it gears up for flurry of new openings

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I wanted to take the whole area in now that we've got three confirmed new restaurants moving in before the year is out. Down where Vinoteca closed last May, signs have gone up to obscure all the work Big Mamma Group is doing to prepare for the opening of La Bellezza.

They're planning outdoor seating, art, Murano glass, Italian marble, tapestry curtains, giant bookshelves and thousands of bottles of vintage booze. Some 170 artisans will be proving the produce for the dishes - here's everything we know about that so far.

Over the way, the Cow and Sow steakhouse is preparing for launch, tucked away on Congreve Passage. When they open, they'll serve prime aged steaks, big sharing cuts and small plates. They've even got their own Malbec on the big old wine list.

In a more prominent position, situated right on the corner that you go around from Chamberlain Square as you head towards the Library of Birmingham is Yorks. The coffee shop is finally opening after two years of teasing, offering a night time menu, drinks and something that sounds perhaps a little less raucous than you'd get over the way at Albert's Schloss.

On weekends, that Alpine restaurant and beer hall is alive with revellers enjoying the home made schnapps, the apres ski ambience and the live music on stage in a bar that looks as fresh and new as it did when it opened in 2021. Beside it, one of the best chains in the city, Dishoom, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Opposite, the trendy F1 Arcade offers a really immersive racing experience that even I had a blast playing, and I wouldn't know Max Verstappen if he strolled into my office and said 'alright, bab?' Beside that, Rosa's Thai is racking up pretty rave reviews for its pad Thai.

By day, Paradise is busy with commuters going back and forth, passing bars that totally transform the area by night. Once the new additions open, there'll be more for Brummies to do in this corner of town by day, more reasons to visit.

Birmingham will be so ace when it's finished. Seeing this development coming to life feels like a big step in the right direction for those of us who are fed up with the construction.

It might not be heavenly yet but Paradise is not lost!

Tell us what you think about all the developments in the city centre in the comments below.