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Birmingham reveals HS2 plans

Birmingham has unveiled striking images of a planned HS2 station at Curzon Street, forming the centre of a grand new regeneration masterplan for the city. 

The city council said it is "by far the biggest redevelopment so far announced on the back of HS2". The new Birmingham Curzon station will be the first new station to be built in Birmingham for over 100 years and will be the biggest building in the city.

The station design, pictured above and below, comes from an in-house team at Birmingham City Council [not, as previously reported, from architects Wilkinson Eyre].

Lord Deighton, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury and Chair of the HS2 Growth Taskforce said: “Birmingham is developing ambitious plans to kick-start development and realise the benefits of HS2. Their vision for the Curzon HS2 Masterplan demonstrates the transformational value of HS2, not just for rail passengers but for the communities that the railway will serve.

“The legacy of our new north-south railway will not only be a railway fit for the future, with better connections to cities in the north, but also regeneration and economic growth for Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, London and everywhere in between.” 

This is Birmingham's press release on the subject of the new masterplan:

The new developments will be focused around the brand new city centre station – Birmingham Curzon - where HS2 terminates on its 49 minute journey from London. The station will place the city at the heart of the new national high speed network. Plans include the creation of over 14,000 jobs, 600,000 sq metres of new employment floorspace and 2,000 new homes. The regeneration will boost the city’s economy by £1.3bn each year. The plans are a critical part of the city’s efforts to support its burgeoning creative, learning and research sectors and the booming professional and financial services industry. City leaders in Birmingham today hailed the potential of HS2 as a catalyst for urban regeneration and called on political leaders to push ahead with the rail scheme and help unlock growth across the country.

The Curzon HS2 Masterplan is the latest in a series of major projects that are remaking Birmingham’s city centre. The £600m transformation of New Street Station will be completed next year and ambitious plans for Paradise Circus at the heart of the city will be realised in 2015.

A huge investment in the city’s Metro tram system is set to bring trams back to the centre of Birmingham for the first time in 60 years, revolutionising the way people get around the city.

Eastside City Park was the first new city centre park in Birmingham for more than 130 years when it opened right next to Curzon Street in December 2012, and the critically acclaimed Library of Birmingham opened last year as a centre of learning and a major tourist attraction.

Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham Council said: “Today we set out our vision for how Birmingham can use HS2 as a catalyst to transform a huge part of our city, bringing with it jobs and prosperity for people in the West Midlands. We’re not waiting around for HS2 to get built before we get started. We’re announcing our plans today, and we’re ready to start building as soon as the new railway gets the green light. Up and down the length of HS2 there is huge potential for major regeneration and development and we must press forward with this project without delay.”

Birmingham Curzon station will be Birmingham’s HS2 hub, linking phase one of the project, from London to Birmingham, and phase two from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester. HS2 will boost the Midlands economy by £4.1bn each year by providing extra capacity, better connections to London and the north and creating more than 51,000 jobs.

Waheed Nazir, director for planning and regeneration at Birmingham City Council said: “The Masterplan sets out the city council’s aspirations for the new HS2 terminus station and the huge regeneration potential that surrounds it. The potential of HS2 can only be realised if we build a world class station that seamlessly connects people to the rest of the city centre. The masterplan is part of Birmingham’s ambitious growth agenda that will see the city’s economy grow and prosper. HS2 will be an important catalyst for this ongoing development and regeneration activity.”

The original Curzon Street station was one of oldest in the UK, and the first ever London to Birmingham service arrived there in September 1838. The historic Grade I listed entrance of the old Curzon Street station will be revived as part of the Masterplan.

Today sees the beginning of an eight week consultation on the Curzon HS2 Masterplan. Construction is set to start on the HS2 line and stations in 2017 with the first passenger services arriving in Birmingham in 2026.