BIRMINGHAM | New Birmingham City FC Stadium | Capacity Unconfirmed | Proposed

[Noostairz]

copy and pasted from our brum forumers:






Blues unveil stadium plan
By Neil Connor, Oct 26 2005

Officials at Birmingham City Football Club today unveiled plans for the most ambitious leisure complex yet proposed for the Midlands.

Details of the £300 million Birmingham Sports Village were unveiled after months of talks between some of the city's most famous sporting names, the city council and US casino company Las Vegas Sands.

The project, which was first revealed in The Birmingham Post almost 18 months ago, will be anchored by a 55,000-seater multi-purpose stadium designed to put the city on the international sporting map.

The iconic structure, which will be the only four-sport arena in the country, will be set within a 59-acre "village" in Saltley, which would include facilities for basketball, tennis and indoor football.

The president of the multi-billion dollar Las Vegas Sands casino company vowed to "bring Las Vegas to Birmingham" with the building of an entertainment complex within the village.

However, the entire scheme will only become a reality if the Gaming Commission agrees to grant a super casino licence for the project, which depends on a £117 million cash injection from Las Vegas Sands.

Karren Brady, Birmingham City managing director, said the sports village would have lasting benefits for the whole region and would "right the wrong" of the decision to build a new national stadium at Wembley, not in the Midlands.

She also claimed that the regeneration benefits of the scheme put the project ahead of rival casino bids being promoted locally by the National Exhibition Centre and Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

"This is a destination that will draw people from across the UK to state-of-the-art facilities and an attractive new landscape," said Ms Brady.

"This is not just a 55,000-seater stadium where we could hold major competitions in rugby, cricket, football and athletics.

"We want to deliver regeneration and enrich people's lives in a way that no other casino proposals in the Midlands or in the UK can match."

Ms Brady also said that the new arena, which would be called The City of Birmingham Stadium, would help Birmingham City compete with Europe's best football clubs.

As the country's only arena to boast a retractable roof, pitch and lower seating, council officials also believe it could help Birmingham to stage events such as the Champions League Final, Rugby League internationals and Test match cricket.

Officials at Warwickshire County Cricket Club have already discussed the possibility of organising Test matches at the arena with Ms Brady and the city council.

Council officials have also discussed the possibility of using the stadium as a centrepiece for a future bid for hosting the Commonwealth Games.

Las Vegas Sands president William Weidner revealed that the casino group had held talks with the NEC over its plans to build a super casino.

However, he said a partnership with the complex had been ruled out as he felt it would not fulfil the Government's criteria that the new super casinos should help regeneration. The project would be funded with cash from Las Vegas Sands, revenue derived from the sale of Birmingham City's St Andrew's home, and a grant from the city council.

It is expected that between £3 million and £5 million profits will be made each year from hosting events at the stadium.

Most of that cash would go to the city council, with the remainder being paid to Birmingham City. Las Vegas Sands would hope to recoup its massive outlay through its running of the entertainment complex.

[Blunther]

No chance

[Accura4Matalan]

Looks very ambitious, not very origional though...

[ROYAL BLUE]

Originally Posted by Accura_Preston

Looks very ambitious, not very origional though...

Ay? In what way?
It looks completely original, name another stadium in the UK it is the same as.

[Accura4Matalan]

Originally Posted by ROYAL BLUE

Ay? In what way?
It looks completely original, name another stadium in the UK it is the same as.

I was referring more to the general layout of the development. Stadium? Retail? Swimming Pool? Casino? Sounds a lot like a certain Sportscity.

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by Accura_Preston

I was referring more to the general layout of the development. Stadium? Retail? Swimming Pool? Casino? Sounds a lot like a certain Sportscity.

It's called mixed- or multi-use development Accura - you would be hard-pushed to find a new stadium without it. So it is not a copy of Manchester, nor is it a copy of anywhere else - everyone is sticking to the guidelines.

[Rigadon]

wonderfully different. it deosnt have anythign as ditinctive as the arch of wembley but overall I prefer the way it looks.

[vertigosufferer]

Blackpool or Manchester is getting the Super Casino.

[jrb]

Originally Posted by vertigosufferer

Blackpool or Manchester is getting the Super Casino.

Manchester will not get it! Blackpool will? Then again, if London got it, it would'nt be a surprise or shock! Expect the obvious! Let the city bashing begin!

[inquisitor57]

I must say I really like the look of this stadium. If it gets built it will definately be one of the best in the country.

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by vertigosufferer

Blackpool or Manchester is getting the Super Casino.

There will be more than one super casino - there will be one per region at least (16 smaller ones on the cards too).

So Blackpool or Manchester may be getting YOUR supercasino, but Brum or Cov may get OURS, so on and so forth...

I suspect you are being a sourpuss - no comment on architectural merit or the regeneration effects of such a development - just a "you're not going to get it" comment. Nice.

[brummad]

ooh is a govt minister a member on this forum??? gasp

[Rigadon]

Manchester will not get the super casino.

[The Concerned Potato]

Originally Posted by Rigadon

Manchester will not get the super casino.

*cough*

[Mo Rush]

[EarlyBird]

The architecture on this is shockingly poor. It looks like some 60s mistake. Whatsmore, why do they feel the need to create a scaled down version of the SportCity casino plans?

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by EarlyBird

The architecture on this is shockingly poor. It looks like some 60s mistake...

So says the head of RIBA or CABE...

How do you know the architecture is poor? Seen the plans? Details? Elevations?

From what I see it is a stadium that will be immediately recognisable (which is better than many stadia built today that are difficult to tell one from the other), and I like the series of pylons that form the backbone of the building. I can understand that some people don't, just like Selfridges, Dome, Gherkin etc etc

Whatsmore, why do they feel the need to create a scaled down version of the SportCity casino plans?

So EVERY casino, or stadium, or sport arena, or maybe as far as house, road, lamppost, is a copy of something in Manchester? And who says it will be scaled-down - wait till they're built (if at all).

EB - if you want to talk about Sportcity, then go to the thread or start one - don't use this one.

[EarlyBird]

Originally Posted by Biosonic

So says the head of RIBA or CABE...

How do you know the architecture is poor? Seen the plans? Details? Elevations?

From what I see it is a stadium that will be immediately recognisable (which is better than many stadia built today that are difficult to tell one from the other), and I like the series of pylons that form the backbone of the building. I can understand that some people don't, just like Selfridges, Dome, Gherkin etc etc

Seriously, who gives a damn about plans and elevations? Are you one of these architecture buffs who can't see the wood for the trees? I don't care how well designed it is in engineering terms. It's an ugly building.

Originally Posted by Biosonic

So EVERY casino, or stadium, or sport arena, or maybe as far as house, road, lamppost, is a copy of something in Manchester? And who says it will be scaled-down - wait till they're built (if at all).

EB - if you want to talk about Sportcity, then go to the thread or start one - don't use this one.

The simple fact is that they seem to be building a lot of the SportCity facilities as a part of this scheme. It's obvious, however, that they will not be as big as the buildings in the renders are not even close to being the size needed to match the SportCity casino plans. Yes, if it includes the same concept in a slightly different package then it is a copy.

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by EarlyBird

Seriously, who gives a damn about plans and elevations? Are you one of these architecture buffs who can't see the wood for the trees? I don't care how well designed it is in engineering terms. It's an ugly building.


The simple fact is that they seem to be building a lot of the SportCity facilities as a part of this scheme. It's obvious, however, that they will not be as big as the buildings in the renders are not even close to being the size needed to match the SportCity casino plans. Yes, if it includes the same concept in a slightly different package then it is a copy.

I can see the wood for the trees I just cannot see how you can categorically say something. In your opinion it is ugly. In mine it is one of the best-looking stadia in the country (if it gets built).

It is not a copy. If you have to build or propose something along the same guidelines then you end up with a similar result. You are deluded if you think that BCFC and the casino operator thought "I know - let's copy Sportcity". That said - they may well have done in which case I am completely wrong - but until it is known that they said that you cannot say it is a copy. It doesn't look the same, it has some of the same uses though

[EarlyBird]

Originally Posted by Biosonic

I can see the wood for the trees I just cannot see how you can categorically say something. In your opinion it is ugly. In mine it is one of the best-looking stadia in the country (if it gets built).

Fine. In my opinion, and that of many other people, it is an aesthetically clumsy design, reminiscent of the 1960s.

Originally Posted by Biosonic

It is not a copy. If you have to build or propose something along the same guidelines then you end up with a similar result. You are deluded if you think that BCFC and the casino operator thought "I know - let's copy Sportcity". That said - they may well have done in which case I am completely wrong - but until it is known that they said that you cannot say it is a copy. It doesn't look the same, it has some of the same uses though

Do you not find it remarkably strange that every single component of this scheme can be found in the SportCity plans? The only difference is that the SportCity plans have a few extra things on top.