Stunning John Lewis store on way

This image shows the stunning new £100 million John Lewis department store that will greet people as they arrive at Birmingham's New Street Station.

A total of 650 jobs will be created at the store, which will form the centrepiece of the transformed station in 2014. It will be the anchor store for the renovation of the ailing 1960s-built Pallasades shopping centre.

The new artist impressions were unveiled by Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby at a global property conference in France.

The 250,000 sq ft store will contain four floors of retail, each approximately an acre in size, with patterned glass walls. It has been designed by Foreign Office architects, the creative team behind the redevelopment of New Street station.

The store will be built on the south side of the redeveloped station, creating 900 new jobs for the wider economy, including the 650 jobs at the store. The project will also include the upgrade of the Pallasades.

Samantha Rowntree, retail development manager with John Lewis, said: "We have been looking for an opportunity to open in Birmingham for some time and are thrilled to be playing a part in the regeneration of the south side of the city centre. "Our stunning, four-storey landmark full-line department store, located adjacent to New Street station, will also provide a boost to local employment with the creation of around 650 new jobs.

A public consultation is now being held on the plans and people have until March 23 to have their say. People can feed back their views online at www. newstreetnewstart.co.uk.

A public exhibition in the North Mall area of the Pallasades shopping centre above will also be open between 10am and 7pm next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.