Longbridge multi-storey takes shape

629-space multi-storey will serve West Midlands’ Metro

The new car park under construction

The new car park under construction

A five-storey park & ride car park is to open in Longbridge, south-west Birmingham, in the spring. The 629-space multi-storey structure will have electric vehicle charging points, digital CCTV, LED lighting, two lifts, two stair towers, disabled spaces and motorcycle spaces.

Customers will be able to pay the £3 daily charge by cash, contactless, credit and debit card.

The surface car park previously on the site had a capacity of 102 spaces. Construction of the new car park, which began in May 2019, is being undertaken for Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) by Bourne Parking.

The car park is costing £7.6m, with Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) contributing £1.8m towards the cost.

The park & ride service is located next to Longbridge rail station, to enable commuters to continue their journeys by train. The Metro station has a ten-minute frequency service to Birmingham city centre. It also connects directly to Bromsgrove, Redditch, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

A TfWM spokesman said the new car park will have available capacity through the day. “For example, for those with a mid-morning lecture, an afternoon hospital appointment or with tickets for an evening show. TfWM has invested here because it lies on the southern edge of Birmingham, close to the M5 and M42 and is aimed at offering commuters a high quality alternative to driving into Birmingham along the very busy A38.”

The car park will open ahead of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone charge, which is due be introduced in the summer. “This means that more people may be looking for an alternative means of visiting the city centre.”

Pete Bond, director of integrated network services for TfWM, told Parking Review: “TfWM offers 9,000 park & ride spaces across the West Midlands as a means of encouraging people to switch to public transport for the commute into our busy town and city centres – playing a part in easing traffic congestion and improving air quality.

“But it has proved a victim of its own success, with many car parks full to bursting by 8am and demand vastly outstripping supply. That has a knock-on effect with cars parking on residential streets. So we are expanding in areas we believe will bring the most benefit to commuters. As well as the 600-plus spaces we are bringing to Longbridge, we have also recently opened a new park & ride with almost 200 spaces next to the Bradley Lane West Midlands Metro stop in Walsall.”