Birmingham City University wants £30m refund after high speed rail hits campus plan

Mar 16 2010 by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post

Professor David Tidmarsh, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “Right up to the last minute we have been working hard to deliver our ambitious plans at Eastside and have been in very detailed discussions with Birmingham City Council.

“Our proposals have outline planning permission and an application for detailed planning approval is to be determined in the coming days.

“To date we have invested more than £30 million, as well as a lot of hard work by many people across the institution and our partners. We will of course be seeking full restitution of our costs incurred to this point.

“This is a frustrating but a temporary set-back. Birmingham City University is still determined to deliver a high quality education in the heart of the city.”

The city council said it hoped to press ahead with other Eastside developments such as the planned City Park Gate, a complex of high quality apartments, retail space and a hotel, along with a new public square, between Park Street and Moor Street Queensway, although this will also require some changes.

.A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said the authority would adapt its strategy for the city centre, called the “Big City Plan”, to take into account the effects of high speed rail.

“High Speed Rail will bring great benefits to businesses located close to the proposed Eastside terminus and wider city as a whole. As part of stage two of the Big City Plan we will be looking in detail at the impact of High Speed 2 on Eastside, and how we can work with landowners and developers in the area to help them benefit from the new station.”