Birmingham City FC to buy land for new stadium

Birmingham City Football Club has lined up a deal to purchase land owned by Birmingham City Council, with a view to building a new stadium in the east of the city.

The former Wheels site, on Bordesley Park, is in the final stages of being sold off to an unnamed bidder, according to council documents.

The sale is due to be signed off on Thursday during a meeting of the council’s property committee, external.

The BBC understands the purchaser for the site is Birmingham City FC, though the club has declined to comment.

Up to 3,000 jobs could be created by developing the 48-acre site, which is just over a mile away from Birmingham city centre and less than a mile from the club's existing home at St Andrew's stadium.

In January the club's owners said it would take steps towards creating a sports quarter in the heart of the city.

Talks over the sale have been ongoing for weeks and have involved the club's chairman Tom Wagner, chief executive Garry Cook and Birmingham City Council's lead commissioner Max Caller, with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street acting as a mediator.

A government grant of about £17m was recently secured to help clean up the site through the levelling up fund and Birmingham City Council is set to inject a further £1.9m as a condition of receiving the money.

Work to clear the site has already started as a result of the funding.

In response to questions from the BBC, the council said it could not confirm who the purchaser was at this stage.

But a statement read: "The proposed disposal will generate a capital receipt and the council will work with the purchaser to connect the job and training opportunities created to the local community.

"Future planning applications for the site will be the subject of public consultation."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, external, X, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk, external