L-R: Stuart Cain, chief executive of Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire CCC; Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands; and Craig Flindall, chief operating officer of Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire CCC
Featured image credit: WMCA
Edgbaston Stadium, the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, has received a major funding boost for its ongoing redevelopment, with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) approving a loan facility of up to £18m (€21.1m/$22.8m).
The funding will cover a substantial part of the club’s plans to re-develop the Raglan and Priory stands alongside a new four-star hotel. It paves the way for Edgbaston to work with other partners to secure remaining funding with a view for construction to begin – subject to planning approval – in September 2025.
Warwickshire said detailed consultation with stakeholders, including residents and club members, will take place over the next six months ahead of a proposed planning application being submitted in the autumn. If granted, the project is expected to be finished by spring 2027 with the hotel opening in time for that year’s men’s Ashes Test match between England and Australia.
The proposed hotel will include a rooftop terrace, pitch-view rooms with balconies, and other rooms that can be converted into hospitality boxes with small external terraces to watch the match action. The redeveloped stand – which will have the same capacity as the old Raglan and Priory stands – will include a new concourse with enhanced food and drink options, plus improved facilities for disabled spectators.
Stuart Cain, Edgbaston chief executive, said: “Getting the funding in place is crucial. We’re grateful to WMCA for making this contribution and backing our ambition to continue bringing major economic and social benefits to the region through international sport.
“Once the remaining funding is secured, we will consult with the local community and members on our plans. Cricket will always stay at the heart of our thinking, but it’s important we develop a stadium that brings new jobs to this part of the city and creates wider community opportunities through the hotel and an expanded conferencing and events business that sits alongside world class sport.”
The project is the latest development in the Edgbaston Masterplan to transform the stadium into a multi-use sports, residential, commercial, and community complex. In October 2022, Warwickshire and Birmingham City Council launched a bid to the government’s Levelling Up Fund for a new masterplan to transform Edgbaston into a mixed-use destination.
The bid was one of five the Council put forward for the second round of Levelling Up funding, but it was announced in January 2023 that it had failed to secure funds for each of the projects.
Warwickshire expects the project it is now progressing to create more than 376 jobs during the construction period and another 100 post completion, adding to the 1,000 jobs the stadium already supports locally. Edgbaston is currently said to contribute approximately £35m to the local economy and projections from the new hotel development increase that to £40m.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Chair of the WMCA, said: “The upgrade plans for Edgbaston Stadium will take a globally recognised cricket stage and provide it with the world class facilities it needs to continue thriving in the future.
“That’s important because Edgbaston attracts tens of thousands of fans to our region from around the world, boosting our economy and especially our hospitality sector. The improvements to the stadium will elevate their experience while directly creating hundreds more jobs for local people.
“So, I’m pleased the WMCA has agreed to support the scheme. It builds on the wonderful legacy of the Commonwealth Games and will help maintain the West Midlands as a key destination for global sporting events in the decades ahead.”
Edgbaston’s Masterplan has recently seen the opening of the Corkfield apartment complex opposite the stadium and the launch of a new hospitality centre of excellence.
Corkfield consists of 375 apartments, underground parking, 14,000 sq ft of retail space, a rooftop terrace overlooking the stadium, and landscaped courtyard. The club’s works as part of the Masterplan included a new entrance piazza and car parking zones, totalling over 15,000 square metres.
The new catering and hospitality centre of excellence at Edgbaston promises career opportunities at the stadium for local residents. Xcelerate with Edgbaston – operated by stadium catering partner Levy UK + Ireland – is situated behind the Wyatt Stand and offers apprenticeships, career development, and skills training for people wanting to work in the sector.
Last summer saw Edgbaston unveil a Skyline roof-top terrace hospitality to transform the match day experience for guests. Skyline – situated at the height of the South Stand – offers panoramic views of the pitch and Birmingham landscape, whilst delivering what Warwickshire claims is an unrivalled hospitality package.
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