Birmingham City stadium land earmarked for local nature conservation site | OneFootball

Part of the Wheels Park land earmarked for Birmingham City’s proposed new stadium is set to receive a local nature conservation designation.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, Birmingham City Council has proposed a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation covering part of the site.

Surveys in 2021 found unimproved neutral grassland on former railway ballast with notable orchids, and a Local Site Assessment backed SLINC status due to its scarcity and links to adjacent rail and canal habitats within the city’s strategic nature network.

Birmingham City plan The Powerhouse on the 48-acre plot, within a wider Sports Quarter. Last year chairman Tom Wagner set an ambition for a globally recognised colosseum that can also host concerts, plus transport links, training facilities, a women’s stadium, an arena and housing.

The draft Birmingham Local Plan puts Wheels Park at the heart of the Bordesley Park Growth Zone to regenerate brownfield land. It calls for high-quality design and says the Sports Quarter should support the SLINC with mitigation, and that any stadium should act as a landmark.

The authority, now led by a minority coalition of Lib Dems and Greens, lists nature protection as a core priority. Sites are proposed across inner city and suburban areas, with Wheels Park among them.

Failure to designate or adjust boundaries would increase the risk of challenge to future planning decisions. A report to cabinet next week recommends 14 new sites and extensions to six existing ones, plus amendments, while a Mayoral Development Corporation aims to speed up the £11 billion East Birmingham regeneration.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com