A new hotel, employment skills center and improved transport links could all be built as part of the next phase of regeneration at the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium in Birmingham, England (UK).
‘BusinessLive’ stated that the Warwickshire County Cricket Club and the Birmingham City Council are now jointly bidding for £20 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to support the project which marks part three of the redevelopment work.
The 25,000-capacity Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or the Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England, UK. It is home to the Warwickshire County Cricket Club and its T20 team – the Birmingham Bears.
The Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Warwickshire. Its T20 team is called the Birmingham Bears.
The Birmingham City Council is the local Government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local Council area in the United Kingdom with 101 elected Councilors representing over one million people, in 69 wards.
The Levelling Up Fund provides a unique opportunity to improve the collective understanding of what types of interventions work well in addressing leveling up challenges, through programs, individual projects and across varying spatial scales.
‘BusinessLive’ further stated that known as the ‘Edgbaston Stadium and Community Masterplan’, it contains wide-ranging proposals for the famous stadium and conference center aimed at creating a mixed-use destination centered on cricket and the local community.
The proposals include:
- A new stadium-based, multiuse community hub with the potential for an National Health Service (NHS) walk-in center;
- A second community hub at the former police station site in Quinton;
- Public space outside the stadium to host community markets, open-air screenings and other cultural and religious events;
- Partnership with foodservice contractor Compass Group to invest in a skills and apprenticeship center for digital, catering and hospitality training;
- Sustainable travel including cycling and walking routes linking local communities with the stadium and the neighboring Cannon Hill Park as well as improved walking and cycling links with the City; and
- Onsite hotel also being considered, linked to the redevelopment of the existing Raglan and Priory stands which will have greater capacity.
The new masterplan and bid for Levelling Up Funding has been launched by the club, the City Council, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, and the local MPs.
The earlier phases of work at the Edgbaston Stadium included a major new stand, pavilion and media center which opened over a decade ago and more recently a new entrance plaza.
A development of 375 apartments with commercial space at the corner of Pershore Road and Edgbaston Road is also currently under construction.
In addition to being a regular choice to host major Test matches, Edgbaston welcomed the inaugural women’s T20 competition at this Summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Stated Stuart Cain, Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Chief Executive, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Stadium and Community Masterplan and its associated funding bid. They will transform Edgbaston into a truly mixed-use community destination. Edgbaston is one of the world’s best-loved cricket grounds, having been the backdrop for great sporting drama for nearly 140 years. These proposals help realize the legacy of the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games, creating a welcoming place for our whole community to enjoy.”
Birmingham City Council leader Councilor Ian Ward added, “This masterplan presents a unique opportunity to bring the local community and a Birmingham icon together to improve health and employment outcomes for thousands of people and the City Council is determined to put the people of Edgbaston right at the heart of the leveling up agenda. This bid is one of five we have put forward. Each of them has an indisputable case for delivery. These proposals, once properly funded, will combine to have a transformative economic and social impact right across our City.”
‘Warwickshire County Cricket Club’ quoted Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, as stating, “This Levelling Up Fund bid is a hugely exciting opportunity for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands and is a great practical example of how we can secure a tangible legacy following on from this Summer’s spectacular Commonwealth Games. By bringing a major mixed-use redevelopment to this internationally recognized venue, we can deliver substantial benefits to our communities. It also dovetails nicely with the new stations on the nearby Camp Hill Line which are coming to fruition.”
Added Street, “I’m particularly encouraged by the corporate partnerships with Compass and others, which promise to deliver important employment and training opportunities in high-demand skills – providing exciting prospects for the local residents.”
‘Warwickshire County Cricket Club’ quoted Preet Gill, Edgbaston MP, as stating, “It’s great to see that this Masterplan will help tackle social and wellbeing issues for thousands of people in my constituency. These changes to the stadium and its surrounding area will make Edgbaston a vehicle for community cohesion, drawing the proudly diverse local communities together by offering something for everyone on both matchdays and non-matchdays. I’m also encouraged by the fact that the benefits will reach more than just the surrounding areas of Edgbaston. If successful, this bid will breathe life back into the Quinton Police Station, which has been closed since 2018. It is so important that community assets like this are retained and offer services that communities need, including a youth offer. That’s why I am so proud that this bid will mean the reopening of the Quinton Police Station as a community hub.”
Remarked Robin Mills, Managing Director, Compass Group UK&I, “As an employer of around 45,000 people, we know that we have the ability to make a real difference not only to the lives of our own employees, but also the communities in which we serve. As such, we are proud to be a partner on this Masterplan Project and look forward to working at the proposed Learning, Development and Apprenticeship Centre to bring opportunities to the local people to help progress and build a career in our industry. Hospitality is well placed to bring down barriers that exist in relation to social mobility – you can join the industry and be trained on the job.”
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