Express & Star

Follow the Lego brick road! Major Legoland attraction to be built in Birmingham

A major new Lego attraction is set to be built in Birmingham, under plans going to council bosses this week.

Published

The Legoland Discovery Centre will be based in the Barclaycard Arena.

The owner of the Legoland brand, Merlin Entertainment, will be behind the build.

About 140 basement level parking spaces will be removed to accommodate the centre and it will be similar to the popular Greater Manchester attraction.

It will be over three floors to the south side of the landmark arena across the canal from Brindleyplace and contain a mix of indoor rides, interactive Lego-themed attractions and games, a 4D cinema, a café and a shop.

The planning report states it will be a two-hour attraction open from 10am to 6pm daily and is expected to receive up to 2,560 visitors on its busiest days.

Around 40 to 50 staff will be employed – about a quarter part-time – as well as some extra staff at peak times of the year such as school holidays.

It would represent a major boost both to Birmingham city centre and, in particular, Westside which is seen as a key regeneration area. It will also take up existing retail space which was developed as part of Barclaycard's sponsorship deal with the National Indoor Arena but has never been used.

The report by planning officer Victoria Chadaway said: "This proposal would reinforce and promote Birmingham's role as a centre for tourism, culture and

events.

"It would support the city's existing tourist facilities by providing a new family-focused attraction which would contribute to the city's continued success as a destination for visitors."

She added that it complied with council planning policies and should be approved.

One objection has been received for plans from the company responsible for the Symphony Court apartment block situated opposite, with concerns about noise.

A decision will be made by councillors at a planning committee meeting on Thursday.

There is only one other Legoland Discovery Centre in the UK – which opened at the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester in 2010 – alongside a Legoland Resort in Windsor and other venues across the world.

The Manchester based attraction sees more than two million bricks under one roof, with prices ranging from £15 for parent and toddler entry.

Lego runs around 115 attractions worldwide.

The Lego Group began manufacturing the interlocking toy bricks in 1949, releasing thousands of sets over the years.

Since then a global Lego subculture has developed. In February 2015, Lego replaced Ferrari as the 'world's most powerful brand'. Since the 1950s, the Lego Group has released with thousands of sets released with a variety of themes, including space,robots, pirates, trains, Vikings, castle, dinosaurs, undersea exploration, and wild west.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.