In less than 10 years' time it could be the jewel in Birmingham's crown. But as of today, the former Wheels Park site in Bordesley Green is nothing more than a fly-tipping hotspot. At least from the outside.
Yesterday we exclusively revealed how the council had sold the 48-acre site to Birmingham City FC. A historic sale which could see the club build a new multi-sports stadium on the land - leaving St Andrew's behind.
I visited the former Wheels Park today, less than 24 hours after the news broke, to have a look at its current state. And what a state indeed.
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Immediately after turning into the site's entrance on Adderley Road South I was forced to stop my car to avoid hitting mountains of rubbish sprawled across the street. A wise decision considering my MOT is due soon.
I hopped out undeterred, despite my foot landing straight into a half-eaten yoghurt pot, to have a closer inspection. Wardrobes, children's toys, furniture, a bed, a handbag, coats, branches, rotting fruit, tyre treads, fridges and drug paraphernalia lined the street.
Birmingham City super stadium latest
Birmingham City have today taken another step towards Tom Wagner and Knighthead's long-term vision at the club by acquiring the 48-acre former Wheels Park at Bordesley Green.
BirminghamLive understands that the club intends to create a multi-sports super stadium on the site. A deal has been agreed as part of the struggling city council's mass sell-off of land to help fund redundancies and equal pay claims. Up to 3,000 jobs will be created, according to council documents.
Blues have been linked to the piece of land - formerly known as Wheels Adventure Park - ever since it was bought back by the council in 2019.
Here's all the latest stories you need to read on this huge story for Blues...
- The next step in the Birmingham City project - read here
- What we know so far - read here
- Leading fans speak out - read here
- Where is Birmingham Wheels? - read here
- How we broke the news - read here
- Our verdict on the seismic news - read here
- Where the stadium could rank against rivals - read here
- St Andrew's through the years - read here
- Time to say goodbye - read here
Broken glass crunched with every step. The smell of waste was thick and rotten.
I wondered if this was months, or even years, of build up and neglect but a worker at a nearby factory unit claimed it was only one weeks' worth of fly-tipping. "It gets cleared by council every week," he said.
"But it's been going on for years - ever since the council took control of the site. Nothing is ever done, like putting up CCTV, to permanently sort the problem."
He claimed he hadn't caught many fly-tippers in the act due to them mainly "appearing at night". Why was such frequent fly-tipping happening? Surely more could be done to protect the site?
I decided to put the worker's claims to Birmingham City Council and received a response from Cllr Majid Mahmood, the authority's cabinet member for environment. He did not address this case specifically but said fly-tipping is done by "environmental criminals".
He added: "They expect people in our city to foot the bill for the disposal of their rubbish and unwanted items. There is no excuse for this anti-social behaviour - which shows no regard for the surroundings in which we all have to live and work.
"There are many legitimate ways to get rid of waste, including our household recycling centres which have plenty of capacity, so there is simply no excuse. We investigate incidents and do not hesitate to take enforcement action or prosecute offenders, as demonstrated in the past by many high-profile cases."
Fly-tipping can lead to a fine of up to £50,000 along with imprisonment. Click here for more information.
