£21m Edgbaston redevelopment plans revealed

Edgbaston, the home of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, is to undergo a £21m revamp.

The plans to redevelop the historic venue are the latest of a raft of planned cricket ground facelifts, as county clubs vie to host international matches.

After Glamorgan was awarded the honour of hosting an Ashes test match in 2009 – partly due to a planned £9m makeover of its Sophia Gardens ground – other clubs have been trying to keep up with the Joneses to avoid losing out on the big games.

With a £35m upgrade planned for Southampton’s Rose Bowl and a £30m revamp in the works for Manchester’s Old Trafford, the competition is getting stiffer.

The proposed development at Edgbaston, announced as Warwickshire enters its 125th anniversary year, would include a new pavilion – increasing the ground’s capacity from 21,000 to 25,000 – as well as commercial and residential apartments.

The plans, while they have not been granted planning permission, have the support of Birmingham City Council.

Councillor Ken Hardeman said: “International cricket is a great asset to Birmingham and it is crucial that we do not lose such an important part of our history and sporting culture. This can only be seen as a positive move.”

Warwickshire chief executive Colin Povey commented: “We’ve been delighted with the response from the council. Obviously, this is just the start of the process, the fulfilment of our dream is some way off, but it is great to have a project of this magnitude in the pipeline.”