£18 million boost for cricket stadium revamp
PLANS to build a new hotel and redevelop stands at Birmingham’s famous Edgbaston cricket stadium have received a boost to the tune of £18 million.
West Midlands Combined Authority has awarded the project a loan as the team at the club continues its fundraising to support the project.
Edgbaston wants to redevelop the Raglan and Priory stands and build a new four-star hotel whose rooms can be also used for match-day hospitality.
This deal with the combined authority paves the way for Edgbaston to work with other partners to secure the remaining funding required.
The proposed hotel will have 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 new stand, which will have the same capacity as the old Raglan and Priory
stands, will include a new concourse with food and drink options, plus improved facilities for disabled spectators.
It’s expected the project will create more than 370 jobs during construction and another 100 post completion, adding to the 1,000 jobs the stadium already supports locally.
The combined authority said Edgbaston Stadium currently contributed approximately £35 million to the local economy and projections from the new hotel development increase that to £40 million.
Detailed consultation with stakeholders, including residents and members of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, will take place over the next six months ahead of a proposed planning application being submitted in the autumn.
Subject to planning approval, construction is scheduled to begin in autumn next year and be completed by spring 2027 in time for the men’s Ashes Test.
Edgbaston’s chief executive Stuart Cain said: “Getting the funding in place is crucial.
“We’re grateful to the combined authority 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.”
Other work already completed at the site includes new parking and a public plaza while neighbouring land is now home to Corkfield, a residential complex containing 375 apartments and 14,000 sq ft of retail space.