New 62,000 seat Powerhouse stadium plan for Blues

Local TV

Birmingham City has unveiled plans for the 62,000-seat Powerhouse stadium in Bordesley Green, the centrepiece of a multi-billion pound Sports Quarter on the former Birmingham Wheels site. The report looks at what the project could mean for jobs, housing and transport in east Birmingham, and the questions it raises for residents and fans.

Transcript

00:00A 62,000 seat powerhouse stadium in Bordersley Green, 12 chimneys on the skyline and a retractable

00:08roof over a moveable pitch. Birmingham City's owners say it will anchor a new sports quarter,

00:14turning a vacant motorsport site into a venue for football, concerts and major events.

00:21The club has brought the former Birmingham wheels land and set out a multi-billion pound

00:26plan. Ministers link the quarter to a wider transport deal with the scheme promoted as

00:31a flagship for that spending. On paper it promises jobs in construction and long term work in

00:38hospitality, retail and stadium operations. New transport links are being sold as a way

00:43to bring visitors and money into East Birmingham. But a scheme on this scale comes with pressure.

00:50The land needs remediation, the design is complex and the aim is to open for the 2030-31 season.

00:57That means years of building work and traffic around the site before a ball is kicked. Residents

01:03will want clarity on how many of the promised homes are affordable, how open the new facilities

01:08will be and what happens to St Andrews when attention shifts to Bordersley Green. Supporters

01:15see a chance to leave a tired ground behind and move into a venue that competes with the

01:20biggest in the country. For people living nearby the test will be whether it feels like part

01:25of the neighbourhood or a fenced off district glimpsed from the buzz.

01:30The next step is detail, firm plans for transport, clear timelines and answers on jobs, housing

01:36and access. That will show whether this landmark truly changes East Birmingham.

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