£500m 'Birmingham Gateway' project is expected to increase passenger numbers at New Street by 150%

The £500m redevelopment of Birmingham’s New Street Station has been granted outline planning permission by Birmingham city council.

Councillors gave plans for the £500 million ‘Birmingham Gateway’ project the go-ahead at the end of last week. The scheme aims to increase passenger capacity at the station by 150%.

Plans for the project, which is being led by Network Rail, include a concourse area five times bigger than the present space and a glass roof to allow more light into the station.

The decision to grant outline planning permission will next be put before the Department for Communities and Local Government. Depending on their approval, the Department for Transport will review the plans in January to make the first of a number of decisions as to whether to grant a £363 million funding package.

The redevelopment of the 1960s structure cannot go ahead without this funding. If approval is granted, building work is due to start in 2009 and be completed by June 2013.