Tuesday 7 Feb 2012
DISAPPEARING TOWER HERALDS NEW START FOR SOUTHSIDE
- Region & Route:
A well known Birmingham landmark has been consigned to history as work to redevelop Birmingham New Street station and the Pallasades shopping centre gathers pace.
After 6 months of careful demolition, Stephenson Tower finally disappeared from the city skyline this week as the team delivering the redevelopment demolished the ground floor of what was a 22 storey residential tower block.
The demolition is the first stage towards the construction of the new John Lewis department store which gets underway later in the spring.
Chris Montgomery, Network Rail project director commented: “The redevelopment of New Street will deliver a fantastic new station for passengers with more space, better access and better facilities. The project also delivers economic benefits and the successful demolition of Stephenson Tower is another step forward in our plans for a new look Pallasades and John Lewis department store that will create jobs and help regeneration in Birmingham city centre. ”
The redeveloped Pallasades centre and new John Lewis will open to customers in autumn 2014 with the station redevelopment completing in 2015.
Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council added: “The demolition of Stephenson Tower marks a significant milestone in the ongoing project, helping to pave the way for a wider £100m worth of investment in the south side of Birmingham city centre. The redeveloped station and Pallasades, anchored by John Lewis, will also underpin the wider development of Birmingham's Enterprise Zone, which will be the catalyst for 50,000 jobs being created across the entire West Midlands and wider LEP region."
Centro chairman Cllr Angus Adams said: “The disappearance of the tower is the first major sign of the enormous amount of work that’s been going on at New Street; it’s just that most of it has, until now, been inside and hidden from view.
“That work will now become increasingly visible as we move forward on building a station that passengers and the West Midlands as whole can be proud of.”
New Street station will remain open to passengers throughout the project with passengers noticing the first major changes to their journey at the end of this year when the first half of the new station concourse opens over Christmas 2012.
Birmingham Gateway is backed by Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, Department for Transport, Centro and Advantage West Midlands.
Network Rail is delivering the project alongside its delivery partner Mace.
Notes to editors
A link to the YouTube time lapse footage of the demolition is at the head of the news release.
Stephenson Tower was 22 storeys, or 200 feet high and was constructed alongside the 1960’s rebuild of New Street station. It was officially opened in 1966.
Sitting above Platform 12 of the station, in the heart of the city centre, demolishing the building via controlled explosion was never an option. The tower was encapsulated in a protective wrap and taken down piece by piece to minimise noise, dust and disruption to local businesses, residents and traffic.
Around 7,000 tonnes of concrete were removed from the building, 95% of which will be recycled.
The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station will double passenger capacity, improve access and provide better connectivity across the city. The project will deliver:
- a concourse that is three and a half times bigger than the existing station enclosed by a giant light filled atrium
- more accessible, brighter and clearer platforms, serviced by over 30 new escalators and 15 new public lifts
- a stunning new station façade providing cutting edge architecture in the heart of the city
- a new look Pallasades and John Lewis which will deliver a new retail destination in the heart of Birmingham, create new jobs and provide the stimulus for the regeneration of the south side and areas around the station
Construction of the John Lewis department store and south side development will get underway later this spring. Work to redevelop the Pallasades is already underway.
Opening in autumn 2014 alongside John Lewis, the redeveloped Pallasades will offer quality places to eat and drink alongside new retail brands to complement the new John Lewis department store that will anchor the redevelopment.
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