In 2008, a plan by then owners British Land to demolish Natwest Tower and replace it with a taller modern equivalent was approved.

103 Colmore Row is the tallest office building in the United Kingdom outside London to be constructed since the completion of Alpha Tower, also in Birmingham, in 1973.

[2] There were numerous features of note, including the original aluminium-cast banking hall doors, created and made by Henry Haig (1930 – 6 December 2007), who was an English abstract artist, painter and sculptor, notable predominantly for his stained glass work.

[citation needed] The doors consisted of an abstract triangle design based on the NatWest logo[2] and were painted to resemble bronze.

[1] The banking hall itself had a coffered ceiling of plasterboard covered in gold leaf and Travertine marble floors and skirtings.

The office block was accessed via a stainless steel surround doorway on Newhall Street, where the land began to drop, exposing the ventilation grills for the basement.

that considerable efforts were made to reduce the cost of the tower's construction, which took place during a time when rising oil prices ended the development boom of the 1960s making an increasingly hostile economic climate.

It was also one of the most modern buildings and the tallest structure in the Colmore Row and Environs Conservation Area, and became a frequent perching point for the city centre's peregrine falcons.

A planning application was submitted in April 2008 for demolition of the existing tower and replacement with a 35-storey office building with ground floor retail.

[6][7][8][9] The proposal initially received the backing of the Birmingham Civic Society who said that they were 90% happy with the design, however the organisation reversed their decision.

Due to the effects of the financial crisis of 2007–2008, British Land could not progress the approved scheme, planning permission expired in 2011 and the building was sold in 2014.

The remaining parts of the building do not have the detailed finish or overall architectural quality which would be expected of a structure of this date which was recommended for designation.

This is particularly apparent on the bank building, where the external treatment of the third floor is ungainly and the edges of the canted corners appear unduly clumsy and unresolved.

The proposed £60 million steel, aluminium and glazed building, designed by Doone Silver Kerr, will provide a net floor area of 19,600 m2 (211,000 sq ft).