Keeping Brum's revitalisation on track
Mar 8 2007 Perspective
The £550 million redevelopment of New Street is far more than simply improving a railway station, argues Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby.
There is little doubt that the rebuilding of New Street Station is one of the most important infrastructure developments in Birmingham since the construction of our landmark buildings – the NEC and ICC – almost two decades ago.
These buildings have put Birmingham on the world stage for hosting major events. Thanks to their good design, great location and successful marketing, we now draw in over half of all the UK’s conference trade.
Birmingham’s expertise at hosting global events was on display this weekend when we held the European Indoor Athletics Championships, described by the president of European athletics as the best ever.
As our city increasingly becomes a global meeting place, Birmingham will be the destination for more and more visitors from around the world. In 2005, 29 million people visited Birmingham, and well over half of the UK population now regard us as a leading location for events.
Birmingham must present a welcoming face and I know visitors always receive a warm welcome from our friendly citizens. However, first impressions do count – and those impressions are formed when you step off the train. Therefore it is vital that we have a regenerated New Street Station which is a world-class gateway to our city.
Some 120,000 people a day pass through New Street, and a renewed station would cater for projected passenger growth for the next three decades. In addition, the station’s appearance will improve beyond recognition, with more light, more space and better access.
But the New Street Gateway we will create is about more than just the station and the trains. It is about linking the regeneration of this site to the future prosperity of Birmingham – using it as a catalyst for new growth and development.
This forms a key part of the vision for the city centre Masterplan that I commissioned Professor Michael Parkinson to devise for Birmingham. The Masterplan will be ambitious, strategic and long term, and will focus on encouraging innovation, diversity, integration and connectivity in the city.
Prof Parkinson’s study confirmed that, while Birmingham is situated at the heart of national and international transport networks, the gateways to the city need to be radically improved, with New Street Station foremost among them.
This is not just for the benefit of people entering and leaving our city, but also to connect the different parts of the city centre much better. An enhanced New Street Station sitting, as it does, at the heart of Birmingham, will do just that.
A new central walkway through the station will link the north and south sides of the city centre. A glass roof designed by the same people who constructed the Eden Project on Cornwall will allow natural light to flood into the building, which the present building sorely lacks.
A dramatic new public piazza opposite the Bullring will open up what is currently a dark and noisy taxi rank, adding yet another large public space in the middle of the city centre.
And most impressively, the removal of the eyesore that is Stephenson Tower will allow the creation of a new set of ‘Spanish Steps’ leading down towards Station Street. Queen’s Drive, currently a miserable, dirty place, will be transformed into a bright public walkway, with quality street furniture and greenery.
The addition of two new towers, one residential and one commercial will help improve commerce and activity in a part of the city that has been underdeveloped for too long. It will also boost our drive to enhance Birmingham’s skyline with innovative new buildings.
By effectively turning the station 180 degrees and creating a new through route, we will address connectivity, one of the key elements highlighted by Prof Parkinson.
We will have an enhanced station, with better links to stations across Birmingham, the West Midlands and the country. But on the surface level we will see new areas come alive as Hill Street, Station Street and the redeveloped John Bright street come back to life. This will further the redevelopment of the area which has been led by Beetham Tower and the Orion Building.
This will help fulfil another of the key pledges in the Birmingham Prospectus I launched in February – that of creating a creative and cultural quarter in Digbeth. Opening up the south side of the station will create an easier flow of people through into the Chinese Quarter, down past the theatre and entertainment district and in to the new creative quarter.
This connectivity will breathe new life into new zones of the city, kick-starting regeneration and ensuring that the benefits of a redeveloped New Street are felt far beyond the station.
Any plans for a Grand Central station at Eastside miss the point. They would shift the city’s main rail station further east, losing a crucial advantage of New Street – delivering hundreds of thousands of visitors into the heart of Birmingham city centre.
Many of the other key milestones in the Prospectus will undoubtedly be boosted by a fit-for-purpose New Street. A new Science City development, focusing on environmental and medical technologies, will only be successful if it has good transport links, of which rail will play a part.
And developing three major new urban centres in the city – promoting economic growth in Longbridge, Northfield and East Birmingham – must be done with thought to the potential traffic impact this will have. Linking them to an integrated rail system is vital to ensure their prosperity.
The City Masterplan is about creating a vision for the city and the New Street Gateway project is an integral part of that Masterplan. The New Street scheme is about creating the right vision for Birmingham – and for the country. If the Government is serious about its growth agenda, it needs to unlock the full potential of the country’s major regional cities, with Birmingham the most economically important among them.
If national-scale transport hubs like New Street remain dilapidated and congested, UK growth will be hindered. The ball is in the Government’s court – we are waiting for it to deliver.
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