Gateway Plus

Birmingham New Street station was built to cater for 650 trains and 60,000 passengers per day, which was roughly the same usage it experienced when it was first constructed.

[7] It was given an application number of 'C/05066/06/OUT' and the application was summarised on the city council's website as: "Outline planning application, including the approval of access, for the major refurbishment and associated development of New Street Station and adjoining land, in connection with alterations and reconfiguration of the station facilities and comprising changes to the Pallasades Shopping Centre, the demolition of Stephenson Tower (Use Class C3), construction of two tall buildings, associated highway works, public spaces and infrastructure works (including uses A1 (retail), A3 (restaurants and cafes), A4 (drinking establishments), A5 (hot food take-away), A2 (financial and professional services) B1 (business uses including offices) C3 (residential), of the Use Classes Order (England) April 2005"Construction was expected to begin in 2009, with Phase 1 being completed in April 2011 and Phase 2 by Spring 2013.

A campaign was launched for the public to pledge their support for the development by writing their name and addresses on leaflets and posting them in ballot boxes located around the station.

[12] Martin Chambers, Programme Director for New Street at Network Rail, said in June 2007 that he expects the government to approve the first payment towards the project in mid-July.

[13] This was further supported by the leader of Birmingham City Council, Mike Whitby, who is also the Chairman of the New Street Gateway Steering Committee.

[14] Separate from this, the project received more support, this time from the shadow transport minister, Julian Brazier of the Conservative party.

[15] Following the announcement by Ruth Kelly for the £128 million funding package for New Street, it was stated that the station would be completed by 2015, later than the previous dates of 2012 and Spring 2013.

[8] In July 2007, the council were told in a letter from the Department for Transport to find a cheaper alternative for the redevelopment project to New Street station.

[16] On 21 December 2007, Network Rail with RIBA Competitions issued a design contest notice on the Tenders Electronic Daily, supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union.

The notice stated that the designs must be received by noon on 28 January 2008 with selected architects being invited to produce an architectural model on 11 February 2008.

[20] The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment gave the project its approval in January 2010, although warned that it could be "watered down" to cut costs.

[24] The design submitted for outline planning approval involved the demolition and replacement of the station's existing concrete façade with a curved glass frontage.

As proposed in the reserved matters application of November 2009, the internal concourse will be reconfigured and enlarged so that it is 45 m (148 ft) long from east to west.

[27] The exterior will be covered in a curved, stainless steel façade, said to be inspired by Birmingham's undulating skyline,[26] that will rise to the top of the multi-storey car park.

A new walkway will be created from the Queens Drive entrance along the largest eastern void, around the back of the Odeon cinema to the Bull Ring.

Most of the parapet walls to the voids will be redecorated with new cladding or art features, with the exception of those adjacent to the Signal Box which can only be cleaned.

The proposals have been attacked by councillors and planners who considered the designs to be of poor architectural quality and disputed whether the two towers were iconic enough.

Donaldsons LLP, who were writing on behalf of the Birmingham Alliance, also responded with a holding objection to the proposals as concern has been raised in respect of the moving of the escalators which lead from the concourse level to the Pallasades Shopping Centre.

Savilles, on behalf of BT, lodged a holding objection on the basis that their facility on Hill Street is a sensitive location.

From the political spectrum, the project has received support from Tony Blair,[39] the Conservative Party[40] and from Gisela Stuart, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, who said:[41] "The proposed redevelopment would not only be a catalyst for regional growth and development but offer an excellent return on necessary investment.

"In response to the planning application, English Heritage welcomed the proposals as it promises greater integration of the station into patterns of pedestrian flow around the city centre, and therefore benefit the appreciation of Birmingham's historic environment.

Gateway Plus has been subject to uncertainty in funding, a problem Mike Whitby claimed to have been responsible for removing in early October 2006.

[44] In March 2007, Birmingham City Council was given an additional £40 million by the Government after they described the West Midlands Local Transport Plan being scored as "excellent".

It was announced by Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, when she unveiled a government White Paper[46] Delivering a Sustainable Railway, which also includes the upgrading of 150 further stations.

[16] In October 2007, it was reported by the Birmingham Mail that the Comprehensive Spending Review by Alistair Darling would confirm the remaining funding for Gateway Plus.

[51] Rod Ackrill, President of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and group chairman of developer Chase Midland, demanded the government to provide the necessary funding for the project and said he expected a decision by Christmas Day, 2007.

A further £100 million will be provided by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and will be channelled through Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency.

Network Rail is also investing £350 million in renewing the signalling systems through New Street station and the West Midlands over the next ten years.

[26] The Chancellor George Osborne confirmed in his June 2010 budget that central government funding for the redevelopment would still be provided despite the economic downturn.

[58] Atkins is the lead consultant on the project and Mace Group will be providing construction and logistics management, which will involve monitoring of track possessions, night working and the placement of hoardings for minimum disruption,[26] as well as being the principal contractor.