HS2 main control centre approved
Councillor Gareth Moore called the development a massive piece of infrastructure for the city
- Published
A control centre for the HS2 high-speed rail line has been given planning approval.
It will be built in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham and will eventually become the main control hub for the entire HS2 network.
The site will also serve as the main maintenance and storage facility for HS2's train fleet.
The development is said to support up to 550 jobs.
It will be roughly 1.6km long and 0.5km wide, with enough space for a cleaners and drivers building and a large stabling area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
According to HS2, 18 trains are expected to come and go every hour.
HS2 said it had worked with Birmingham City Council on the design
Birmingham city councillors gave unanimous approval to the scheme.
At a planning meeting, Lee Marsham, a councillor for Nechells, said: “The depot design is a nod to our industrial past and will create 550 jobs at the old LDV and Alstom site in an area of Birmingham which needs more opportunities."
Some councillors, however, expressed concerns, including the Conservative member for Erdington, Gareth Moore, who said: “ It is a shame more work couldn’t be done to improve that visual look."
But he added: "It is a massive piece of infrastructure for the city and the benefits it offers definitely outweigh the negatives.”
The site will eventually become the main control centre for the entire HS2 network
Kay Hughes, HS2’s design director, said the centre would improve "a significant area on the outskirts of Birmingham" and streamline the railway's operations.
Up to 550 jobs will be supported, the council says