‘Necessary’ temporary Commonwealth Games athletes’ village tents approved
Plans for “necessary” temporary tents to be put up around a Birmingham university’s student halls for the Commonwealth Games have been unanimously approved.
The structures will be placed at the University of Birmingham’s The Vale student village when it becomes an athletes’ village during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 this summer.
It had originally been intended for up to 6,500 athletes to stay in newly-built accommodation in Perry Barr for the Games – but this plan was scrapped in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic.
Now, student halls at the universities of Birmingham and Warwick and the National Exhibition Centre are intended to be used by athletes.
The temporary buildings now approved for the Edgbaston site would include tent and box structures for the following purposes:
An “operations compound”
Catering and dining units
Leisure units
Health units
A broadcast area
A ceremony area
There will also be security fencing which is planned to be free-standing with a maximum height of 2.1 metres.
The structures – to be used by athletes and those accredited to attend – would be erected in June, used for the Games in July and August, and “decommissioned” with the site returned to normal by the end of September.
No objections were received following a consultation though the Canal and River Trust stated “it will be important that temporary lights are baffled/angled to prevent light spill to the canal corridor”.
A lighting plan was submitted with the planning application and the report to councillors states “there will be no light spill to the canal”.
A planning officer stated in the report: “The structures are necessary to support the hosting of an Athletes Village during the Commonwealth Games 2022.
“The structures are temporary in nature and safeguarding conditions ensure that the site will be returned to its current condition post-event and that no long-lasting adverse impacts would occur.
“[The] proposal would have significant short and long term economic and social benefits in accordance with local and national planning policy and it should therefore be approved.”
The plans were approved unanimously by councillors at Birmingham City Council’s planning committee meeting on Thursday.
