» £1bn of project in limbo:
MORE than £1 billion worth of projects in Birmingham are at risk of being delayed by the coronavirus outbreak, it has been revealed.
With the Government-mandated lockdown set to last for at least two more weeks or longer, the future of several major development projects is currently uncertain.
The demolition of the Perry Barr flyover, the Paradise Circus development and several projects related to the 2022 Commonwealth Games are just a few of those threatened by the ongoing pandemic.
The Birmingham projects directly threatened by the outbreak of coronavirus include:
CLEAN AIR ZONE (£8 MILLION A YEAR)
City council officials have already confirmed that the introduction of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will be delayed beyond its expected start date of this summer, with cabinet member Cllr Waseem Zaffar writing to the Government last month to ask for a postponement until at least 2021.
Once introduced, the CAZ will charge high-polluting, non-compliant vehicles £8 a day to enter the city centre, while lorries and buses will have to fork out £50.
The scheme was expected to bring in £8 million a year in revenue for the city council, and it is currently unclear when the scheme will be introduced.
SPRINT BUS SERVICE (£110 million)
The subject of much controversy since being unveiled by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the region’s new Sprint bus service is scheduled to service three routes once completed, these being; the A34 service from Walsall to Birmingham via Sandwell; Sutton Coldfield to Birmingham via Langley; the A45 Solihull and Birmingham Airport to Birmingham.
Of the routes, the A34 is perhaps the most important for the WMCA, with the line expected to directly serve the Alexander Stadium and Athletes Village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, though the route was only intended to be part-finished by the start of the Games.
Preliminary construction work was due to begin on the routes in the spring, the WMCA have said, though this has now been delayed until coronavirus restrictions are lifted. In a statement, a spokesperson said: “So far there has been some preparation work to confirm the location of utilities, such as gas, electric and water supplies, along the route ahead of full construction.
“Preliminary construction work, which was due to start this spring, will only start once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted and it is safe for this work to commence.
“Meanwhile detailed design and planning work is continuing.
“TfWM remains committed to working with its stakeholders in delivering Sprint and will adopt an appropriately flexible approach in doing so.”
ALEXANDER STADIUM (£72 million)
Planning permission for expansion of the Alexander Stadium was granted at the end of January, with the venue expected to host the flagship opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The renovations will see the site increase its permanent capacity from 12,700 to 18,000, while temporary seating will see the Games capacity increased to 40,000 spectators.
The council was expected to announce a contractor in the coming weeks, with work due to get under way in early spring. This has now been pushed back, though it remains to be seen whether a delay will have any impact on the delivery of the stadium.
FLYOVER DEMOLITION AND BIRCHFIELD ISLAND CAPPING (£27 million)
One of the most controversial projects undertaken by the city council in years, the ‘regeneration’ of Perry Barr will include the demolition of the A34 flyover to bring all traffic to ground level, while funds will also be provided for the capping of the Birchfield Island to improve transport routes in the area.
There has been much opposition to the council’s plans so far, with more than 15,000 people signing petitions against the flyover demolition and one local group, the A34 Safety Action Group, launching a judicial inquiry into the scheme.
The council was thought to be on a tight deadline for this project from the outset, with detractors such as West Midlands Mayor Andy Street warning that it may not be completed in time for the Games.
With further delays due to be caused by the ongoing pandemic, there will now be concerns that the project can not be completed in time for the 2022 Games.
EASTSIDE METRO EXTENSION (£227 million)
Passed earlier this year by the WMCA, the Birmingham Eastside metro extension will run from the existing Metro line at Bull Street to High Street Deritend in Digbeth, via the proposed HS2 Curzon Street Station.
The 1.7km extension, which is set to cost around £227 million, is not due to open to the public until 2025, meaning there is still plenty of time to deliver.
However, funding of the Eastside extension was set to be provided by
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) borrowing against the expected future revenue of the company – the money it brings in through existing bus and metro routes. But with public transport use falling dramatically since the outbreak of the coronavirus, it could well be the case that this has an impact on the funding of the project.
WESTSIDE METRO EXTENSION (£149 million)
Due to be completed before the Christmas of 2021, work on the Westside metro extension has also been halted due to the pandemic.
Once finished, the Westside extension will take services from Grand Central to 54 Hagley Road on the other side of the Five Ways island. Work was suspended shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown, with question marks now hanging over whether the line will be completed in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
ATHLETES’ VILLAGE (£587 million)
Last month it was announced that costs have spiralled on the Athletes’ Village, with a £91 million overspend expected on the council-run project. Planning permission has already been granted on the scheme, which Birmingham is required to provide as part of its contract as host city of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Again, the village itself was already on a tight timescale, with completion expected towards the end of 2021. It is not yet known what kind of impact any coronavirus-related delay will have on its completion.
However, question marks have been raised in recent weeks about whether or not the Games will be able to go ahead at all in 2022, with the suspension of the Olympics until the summer of 2021 threatening to have a knock-on effect on other athletics events.
It is thought that the World Athletics Championships, which were scheduled to take place in 2021, will now be pushed back to the summer of 2022, with the European Championships already planned for the year.
It is understood that talks are ongoing between the relevant authorities about how to find a solution to the issue, while the council said it was too early to speculate about the potential impact of the coronavirus on the delivery of the Games.
A council spokesman said: “At this early stage it would be speculative to assess the exact and final impact of coronavirus on the schemes, but we will continue to work with our Games partners to plan and deliver a fantastic celebration of sport, culture and business – and the long-term benefits that the Games will bring for Birmingham, the West Midlands and the nation as a whole.”
HS2/CURZON STREET STATION (£571 million)
The £571 million flagship HS2 project has already increased in cost by £136 million since last year, with HS2 putting the contracts for the station out to tender earlier in 2020.
The completion of HS2 has been up for debate over the past few months following the Oakervee Review, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the project would be going ahead in February.
Completion for the first phase of HS2 is not scheduled until 2028 at the earliest, though it could be as late as 2031, according to latest predictions.
Depending on the length of delay caused by coronavirus, this could now be pushed back even further.
UNIVERSITY STATION (£42 million)
The Full Business Case for the regeneration of University Station was due to go before the board of the WMCA at the end of March, but the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson meant that all meetings were cancelled by the authority.
Following the £42 million renovations, the station will be able to accommodate seven million passengers per year, compared to the existing building which was designed to hold only 400,000 passengers despite being used by 3.2 million passengers. It was hoped that the project would be completed by the start of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, though this is now uncertain.
Changes to the station include: A new station building providing access to both platforms.
A direct link with the University Campus over the canal.
A doubling of platform widths to accommodate peak time passenger flows.