Funding boost for cricket stadium redevelopment

A loan of up to £18m has been approved by the West Midlands Combined Authority

A major hotel will be built and a spectator stand will be redeveloped at Edgbaston Stadium under new plans.

Part funded by an £18m loan from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the project includes plans to develop a four-star hotel at the Birmingham cricket ground.

The proposed hotel would include a a rooftop terrace, as well as pitch-view rooms with balconies.

Subject to planning approval, the work is due to begin September 2025, with construction expected to take up to two years.

If granted, the project is expected to be finished by spring 2027.

The stadium, home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 1885, attracts up to 25,000 spectators per day during the Ashes.

Proposals would see the redevelopment of the Raglan and Priory stands at the stadium, which would include a new concourse with more food and drink options as well as improved accessibility.

It was expected the scheme would create more than 376 jobs during the construction period and another 100 once it was completed.

Edgbaston Stadium has been home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club since 1885

Andy Street, who is mayor for the West Midlands and WMCA chairman, said of the project: “It builds on the wonderful legacy of the Commonwealth Games and will help maintain the West Midlands as a key destination for global sporting events in the decades ahead."

The scheme is the latest development in a masterplan to transform the stadium into a multi-use sports, residential, commercial and community complex.

Consultation with stakeholders and residents is due to take place for the next six months ahead of a proposed planning application being submitted in the autumn.

Edgbaston chief executive Stuart Cain added: “Cricket will always stay at the heart of our thinking, but it’s important we develop a stadium that brings new jobs to this part of the city and creates wider community opportunities through the hotel and an expanded conferencing and events business that sits alongside world class sport.”