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Wednesday 9 Mar 2005

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET - LEAD CONSULTANT APPOINTED

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One of Europe’s leading technical and management consultancies has been appointed to take forward a £3.9m design and development study into the Birmingham New Street station regeneration project. WSP Group plc, one of the UK’s major multi-disciplinary consultancies with clients in both the public and private sectors will now undertake and lead the study, having teamed up with architects John McAslan & Partners and Chapman Taylor on the project. In January a formal funding agreement was signed by Birmingham City Council and the Strategic Rail Authority to enable the study to proceed. The funding package for the study was assembled from a variety of sources including the EU, SRA and £100,000 from Centro, the West Midlands public transport promoter. The study, which is likely to be completed by the end of this year, will look in detail at the design work and commercially evaluate the £350m development scheme so that it can be progressed. The scheme is to be delivered by Network Rail and is being funded and steered by a multi-agency group that includes Advantage West Midlands, Birmingham City Council, Centro, Government Office of the West Midlands, Network Rail and the Strategic Rail Authority. WSP’s Birmingham office will lead the study, where 125 staff are based specialising in project management, structural, civil and building services engineering, development planning, urban regeneration and environmental consultancy. WSP UK director Tom Smith said: “It’s a great pleasure for WSP to be associated with this prestigious project. We are looking forward to working with the multi-agency steering group to deliver an international gateway that will act as a catalyst for connectivity and regeneration in Birmingham and the Midlands.“ A global business with over 5300 employees worldwide, WSP employs 2,200 in a network of offices throughout the UK, providing management and consultancy services to the built and natural environment ranging from management, engineering and planning to environmental advice. The firm already has a string of landmark projects to its name, including Holloway Circus and participating in Bullring. Elsewhere in the UK, key projects have included the Jubilee Line Extension stations, Stansted Airport, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Bath Riverside development. Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council and chairman of the New Street station steering group said: “The appointment of WSP and John McAslan and Partners as their lead architect to take the New Street station project forward is very exciting. These two practices have a wealth of experience and a track record of delivering high quality buildings both at home and abroad. I am looking forward to working with them to help design a truly world class station at Birmingham New Street – the transformation of which is the number one priority for the City Council.” Robbie Burns, route director for Network Rail said: “New Street is the crossroads for the nation’s rail infrastructure. The appointment of WSP means that we can now take a big step towards transforming the station into an architectural icon for Birmingham.” Advantage West Midlands chief executive John Edwards said: “The redevelopment of New Street station is essential for the image of the city and the wider West Midlands region and to enable the station to cope with increasing passenger numbers. Advantage West Midlands has pledged substantial financial backing for the project and we believe today’s announcement is an important step. We look forward to making real progress over the coming months.” Rob Donald, director general of Centro, said: “More people than ever are travelling into central Birmingham by train and we must not under-estimate the importance of this project to the West Midlands. It will provide a vast improvement to the daily journey of the growing number of rail commuters and a landmark gateway to the city at the heart of the national rail network. With today’s appointment of WSP and their partners, we should look forward to a robust and commercially viable scheme to take the project forward to the next stage as quickly as possible.” Through the development of New Street, station capacity will be substantially increased to meet long-term passenger demand with the enhanced facilities being available by 2011, in a scheme that minimises rail service disruption during the construction phase. New Street station’s external appearance will be transformed with an imposing glass roof to let natural light flood on to a new concourse. The internal layout will also be radically changed, providing much improved arrival points to enhance passenger accessibility and facilities. Improved pedestrian access to areas beyond the station should also help to promote further new commercial development.