Work to redevelop Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium is set to commence in the spring of 2020, it has been revealed, after proposals to revamp the venue for its role as the centrepiece of the English city’s staging of the 2022 Commonwealth Games were submitted to Birmingham City Council.
The proposals have been entered to the Council’s planning department for consideration. It is anticipated a final decision will be taken on the proposals in early 2020. Subject to planning approval, the Council said construction of the new western stand, which will replace the Main, Knowles and Nelson stands, will commence in spring 2020, with completion in late 2021 ahead of test events for the multi-sport event.
At the heart of the wider effort to regenerate the Perry Barr area of Birmingham, the £70m (€80.2m/$88.5m) plan intends to ensure Alexander Stadium becomes a venue for diverse sporting, leisure, community and cultural events in the decades to come.
The stadium is set to be the focal point of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics events. The redeveloped stadium will increase its permanent seating capacity from 12,700 to 18,000 allowing more than 30,000 spectators during the Games through additional temporary seating.
Post-Games it will be at the centre of a regenerated Perry Barr, which is receiving more than £500m of investment in the coming years, including new housing, improved transport and related upgrades to infrastructure and public space.
The revamped stadium is set to host a range of tenants including Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and Birmingham City University. The stadium will provide a new home for the university’s sports and exercise students, as well as becoming a focal point for a range of leisure, health, wellbeing and community activities for local residents and the wider general public.
Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We would like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation and provided valuable feedback which has helped shape the final design.
“The application will now be considered by the planning department over the next few months and we welcome further feedback and comments from anyone with an interest in the stadium and its future. This is about creating a destination venue, shaping a legacy beyond the Commonwealth Games.”
The design now being consulted upon will also facilitate the temporary ‘Games overlay’ elements and additional infrastructure needed to deliver the 2022 Games. Further detail regarding the Games overlay will be consulted on at a later date.
Permission to begin demolition of the three west stands was approved by Birmingham City Council’s planning department in August and early works have now begun. In August, it was reported that McLaughlin & Harvey, Buckingham Group Contracting and McLaren were among the firms to have submitted bids to redevelop Alexander Stadium, with a decision on the contract expected next year.
Image: Birmingham City Council
