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Birmingham Coach Station (formerly Digbeth Coach Station) is a major coach interchange in
The original interchange was built in 1929 as a bus depot by , which was later converted into Digbeth Coach Station. Successor company used the coach station as a base for its Birmingham and Black Country operations. The original building was dark and dingy as it was not originally intended to serve passengers as a coach interchange.
Plans were initially developed for a new coach station on Great Charles Street, as Digbeth was considered by National Express to be an "undesirable" location. However, after the completion of the new
/ref> It was officially reopened on 18 December 2009 by the
October 2007 BBC news article with picturesAlbum of photographs taken in and around the old Digbeth Coach Station
{{Transport in the West Midlands Metropolitan County Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Bus stations in the West Midlands (county) Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands Transport infrastructure completed in 1929 1929 establishments in England
Digbeth
Digbeth is an area of Central Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment ...
, Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England offering services to destinations throughout the island of Great Britain and also to Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
and Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. National Express
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
, the largest scheduled coach service provider in Europe, has its national headquarters on the site.
History
The original interchange was built in 1929 as a bus depot by , which was later converted into Digbeth Coach Station. Successor company used the coach station as a base for its Birmingham and Black Country operations. The original building was dark and dingy as it was not originally intended to serve passengers as a coach interchange.
Plans were initially developed for a new coach station on Great Charles Street, as Digbeth was considered by National Express to be an "undesirable" location. However, after the completion of the new Bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with the Iberian Peninsula, but they can also be found through Iberian America and in a few Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonies in Africa. Bullrings are o ...
and the planned Eastside redevelopment, it was decided to demolish the old structure and build a new coach station on the same site. Outline planning application for a design by Make Architects
Make Architects is an international architecture practice headquartered in London that also has offices in offices in Hong Kong and Sydney. Founded in 2004 by former Foster + Partners architect Ken Shuttleworth. The practice has a variety of proj ...
was submitted on behalf of National Express to Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom (e ...
in March 2006. However this option was abandoned in favour of a competing design by SBS Architects. The final planning application
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...
for the design by SBS Architects was submitted on 29 October 2007.
The old coach station closed in November 2007 for redevelopment and during reconstruction National Express used a temporary site in Oxford Street on the opposite side of Digbeth High Street, called Birmingham Central Coach Station. The refurbishment was estimated to have cost £15 million.NatEx press release 29 October 2007/ref> It was officially reopened on 18 December 2009 by the
England national football team
The England national football team has represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Engl ...
manager Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player.
As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...
. The new station has been awarded a BREEAM
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...
'Excellent' rating.
References
External links
October 2007 BBC news article with pictures
{{Transport in the West Midlands Metropolitan County Buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands Bus stations in the West Midlands (county) Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands Transport infrastructure completed in 1929 1929 establishments in England