£25m sought for Alexander Stadium revamp
The combined authority will meet next week to approve £25 million worth of funding for the redevelopment of the Alexander stadium.
Due to be discussed during Friday’s board meeting of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the cash will make up just over a third of the overall funding for the project totalling £72,534,000.
Redevelopment of the stadium is one of the cornerstones of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with the venue set to host the opening ceremony, closing ceremony and athletics events.
The funding will go toward delivering a new covered West Stand, with the permanent capacity of the stadium set to expand from from 12,700 to 17,000.
During the Games temporary structures will also be constructed to create up to a 40,000 seat stadium for the opening, closing ceremonies and athletics competition, while a 400m, six-lane outdoor practice running track will be laid at the High-Performance Centre.
Full funding will be provided through the Commonwealth Games budget (24 per cent), West Midlands Combined Authority (34 per cent), GBSLEP (28 per cent), and Service funded prudential borrowing (14 per cent).
Last month a planning application was submitted for the redevelopment, a process which is currently out for public consultation, the deadline for which is November 7.
And it is expected that the plans will go before Birmingham City Council’s cabinet in early 2020, with work due to begin shortly afterwards.
