Media centre

Wednesday 9 Mar 2011

HAVE YOUR SAY ON INVESTMENT AT BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

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Network Rail is inviting people to have their say on plans to upgrade the Pallasades shopping centre and create a new John Lewis department store to the south side of Birmingham New Street station.

The plans were announced in Birmingham last month by Andy Street, managing director John Lewis, Birmingham City Council Leader Mike Whitby and David Higgins, chief executive, Network Rail.

Today, a public consultation has been launched and the first artist’s impressions images released to give people a glimpse of what the south side of New Street station could look like when the new John Lewis shop opens.

The new images were unveiled by Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby at MIPIM, the global property conference in France.

Councillor Whitby said: “This development is a real jewel in the new station’s innovative design and will bring real scale and activity to the new southern entrance. Showcasing this at an event such as MIPIM emphasises what a great place Birmingham is to invest in.”

The £100 million development project will see the new John Lewis shop constructed on the south side of the redeveloped station, creating up to 1,000 new jobs for the wider economy, including 650 jobs at the department store. The project will also include the upgrade of the Pallasades Shopping Centre.

Launching the consultation, Network Rail programme sponsor Andrew Skidmore said: “Birmingham Gateway is vital to both the transport and economic future of Birmingham and will transform New Street into a world class station, stimulate regeneration and create new jobs. The new John Lewis department store makes the economic case for Gateway even stronger and we want people to let us know their views on the plans”

Before the planning application is submitted in the spring, Network Rail is inviting people to have their say on the plans. People can feed back their views online at www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk from today (9 March) until 23 March.

There will also be a public exhibition in the North Mall area of the Pallasades shopping centre above the station where people can view the plans, see a new scale model of the station and meet members of the project team.

The Pallasades exhibition will be open between 10am – 7pm on Tuesday 15^th, Wednesday 16^th and Thursday 17^th March.

The 250,000 sq ft department store will sit on the south side of the Pallasades shopping centre and will contain four floors of retail. The shop will be designed by Foreign Office Architects, the creative team behind the redevelopment of New Street station.

Samantha Rowntree, Retail Development Manager, John Lewis said: “We have been looking for an opportunity to open in Birmingham for some time and are thrilled to be playing a part in the regeneration of the south side of the city centre. Our stunning, four-storey landmark full-line department store, located adjacent to New Street station, will also provide a boost to local employment with the creation of around 650 new jobs. We are really looking forward to giving shoppers a broader retail offer when they visit Birmingham.”

The investment is a major boost for Birmingham and demonstrates the impact of the Birmingham Gateway project which will redevelop New Street station and Birmingham City Council’s Big City Plan in providing the framework for major investment decisions. The Gateway project including the John Lewis department store, will create new jobs, stimulate regeneration and confirm Birmingham City Centre as one of the leading retail destinations in the UK, generating millions of pounds worth of extra spend in Birmingham each year.