Mace to project manage Birmingham Commonwealth Games stadium

Birmingham City Council has confirmed that Mace has won the role of project manager for the revamp of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham in readiness for the Commonwealth Games in the city in 2022.

The council’s decision to appoint Mace comes as the firms is still struggling to finish the delayed £800m Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north east London, which was due to host its first Premier League game back in September. The stadium is now expected to host its first game before the end of the year.

Birmingham City Council confirmed the decision that Mace would lead the £70m Alexander Stadium project, which will see the local authority-owned venue, which is already an international-standard athletics venue, modernised, revamped and its capacity temporarily increased to 40,000 for the Commonwealth Games.

As part of the work, three of the stadium’s four stands will be demolished and rebuilt and the 5,000-capacity back straight stand built in 2012 will be retained.

The Alexander Stadium is the home of Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and has hosted many prestigious athletics events such as the IAAF Diamond League Series and the British Athletics Championships. Following the revamp for the Commonwealth Games, the stadium will have a permanent capacity of 20,000, an increase on its current capacity of 12,700, making it the country’s largest permanent stand-alone athletics venue outside of London.

Financial experts say that Birmingham holding the Commonwealth Games will see an estimated £750m pumped into the regional economy, while improving vital infrastructure in not just Birmingham but the wider region. Hundreds of new homes in Perry Barr, increased transport investment for new metro tram lines and rapid bus systems were all part of the case to promote the bid for the Games. The construction of an athletes’ village will provide a much-needed 1,000 new homes for the region, while the creation of thousands of jobs and training opportunities, and improved facilities for communities should leave a much-needed legacy, according to those instrumental in the bidding process.

At the time of writing, Mace had yet to comment on its appointment to project manage the revamp of the Alexander Stadium.