HS2 jobs plan at new station is unveiled

The planned regeneration of the 350-acre site in Birmingham city centre would include around 2,000 new homes and more than 360,000 sq m of office space.

The Birmingham proposals echo plans in Leeds to make a new HS2 station, known as New Lane, the centrepiece of a new look south bank while Sheffield City Council is campaigning to have the proposed Meadowhall station to be moved into the city centre arguing it will have a bigger impact on regeneration.

Birmingham City Council estimates that the development, believed to be the largest regeneration project associated with the HS2 line linking London with the north of England, could boost the local economy by £1.3 billion per year.

The new Birmingham Curzon station would occupy a site on the eastern fringe of the city centre.

Pledging that the masterplan would be put into action as soon as the £42 billion HS2 scheme was given final approval, Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham Council, said: “We’re not waiting around for HS2 to get built before we get started.

“We’re announcing our plans today, and we’re ready to start building as soon as the new railway gets the green light.

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury and chairman of the HS2 Growth Taskforce, Lord Deighton, claimed the project highlighted the “transformational value” of HS2.

The former head of the committee which organised the 2012 London Olympics said: “The legacy of our new north-south railway will not only be a railway fit for the future, with better connections to cities in the north, but also regeneration and economic growth for Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, London and everywhere in between.”

Opinion: High-speed rail chiefs must make tracks for Yorkshire - page 15.