Concerns raised over Birmingham bus depot plan

West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Investment Board approved the business justification case for the construction of the 110 bus capacity East Birmingham Depot at site at Lea Ford Road in Kitts Green.

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A report said the cost would be no more than £19,930,000, three quarters of which is being funded by Birmingham City Council which will contribute a minimum of £14,930,000 towards the bill.

The building of a new East Birmingham facility is part of the authority’s wider plan to buy up depots across the region, which forms a key part of Mayor Richard Parker’s plan to overhaul the bus network and move it to a franchise model.

The existing depot which serves this part of the city has already been sold for redevelopment by National Express.

But Investment Board members said a number of major WMCA transport projects have gone over budget and been hit with delays in the past and they shared worries the same could happen here.

Officers said contingencies were in place and they have overall confidence the project will be delivered on time and within budget.

Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said: “The size of the project bothers me in as much, traditionally, all transport projects have gone over budget.

“It’s very much like Mastermind really – I’ve started so I’ll finish. As a result, we end up with projects that start up at £50-60 million and all of a sudden and we’re getting towards the end and it’s ‘oh, we’ve made a bit of an error here so we need another £10 million’.”

Committee chair Peter Hughes added: “There are always overspends and this needs to be delivered rapidly.

“It’s whether you are going to be coming back, cap in hand, for more money later.”

Elliot Wilde, Head of Investment – Fleet, said: “We’ve got 15 per cent contingency within the budget but we also have several known areas where we could realistically beat scope to bring the budget down if we’re seeing upward pressures coming forward.

“Overall, we have good confidence that we can manage that budget both through the contingency and options to revise the scope.”

The existing Birmingham depot contract will end in December 2027 and the new facility is expected to be completed and operational in early 2028 – meaning a temporary stop gap will be needed for buses in the area.

But Councillor Bird said he had doubts about whether the project will meet it’s predicted timescales due to issues on purchasing land and the planning process.

Mr Wilde said: “We’re moving very quickly to get through to the planning stage and that will be coming forward imminently.

“The design itself and the building of a depot is not complicated.

“We’ve engaged with the wider market and other operators who have gone through the process of building a new depot and they’re all happy this is an aggressive but realistic time scale.”