Plans for the £800m redevelopment of the notorious Bull Ring shopping centre face delays if Birmingham City Council decides to reserve a chunk of the site for a future rail-related compulsory purchase order.
The CPO would be needed if two new rail tracks are to be laid from the east of Birmingham into New Street Station within the next 20 years.
But if the council accepts the proposal this afternoon, it would mean the Birmingham Alliance – featuring developers Hammerson, Henderson Investments and Land Securities – would have to redraft its proposals for the redevelopment. It has already taken 15 years to get to this stage on the Bull Ring.
Chiltern Railways and Railtrack are also concerned that even without a significant modal shift from car to rail, the lines into Birmingham will be at capacity within 20 years. New track will have to be laid in order not to compromise safety.
The proposal has backing from local business forum City 2000. Charles Smith, former Knight Frank partner and director of the group, has argued the council needs to make provision now for the possibility of having to CPO a chunk of the site.
He said: “The council needs to take a long term view. They need to be able to provide for extra track in the future if they need it. But if they wait until the Bull Ring is redeveloped it will be too late. They would never be able to CPO part of the fully developed scheme.”
But Birmingham Council director of transport David Pywell disagrees. He will recommend this afternoon that the council presses ahead with the current Bull Ring proposals. He said: “The cost of the job would be in region of £150m to £200m and that kind of money is not available. There would also be considerable cost to the developers in terms of further delays all on the off-chance that sometime in the future they will come up with a way of delivering that kind of money.”
EGi News 28/04/99
