Birmingham's 'first new park for a century' opens

The park is next to Millennium Point

The first new park in Birmingham for 130 years has been opened.

The £11.7m Eastside City Park is a six-acre (2.73 hectare) site extending from Park Street Gardens, past Millennium Point to Cardigan Street.

The area is part of the the city council's multi-million pound Eastside redevelopment project.

Highgate Park was the last new park to open in Birmingham, in the late 19th Century, a council spokesman said.

Green spaces have opened in the city since then but none have been designated parks, they added.

'Something special'

Philip Singleton, from Millennium Point, said: "The landscape around us has changed dramatically over the past 18 months and the development of Eastside City Park brings a wealth of opportunities and new visitors to this side of the city.

"We are delighted to be supporting the very first public event to take place in the park - and hope it is the first of many that the people of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region can enjoy."

Council leader Sir Albert Bore, who opened the park at 13:00 GMT, said it was was "something special".

The Eastside development plan, revealed in 1999, predicts investment in the area will eventually reach about £0.5bn and generate more than 15,000 jobs, BBC Midlands Transport and Business Correspondent Peter Plisner has said.

Birmingham City University is investing £125m in the area, which includes a new building to house design and media facilities.