Birmingham's Cube car park has no need for drivers

A revolutionary £2 million automatic car parking system has been installed at Birmingham's new Cube complex.

The three-storey car park at the landmark tower block, next to the Mailbox, uses a 'robotic' conveyor belt system that aims to spare motorists scratching their cars and stop drivers craning their neck to reverse into tight spaces.

Developers say the ground-breaking technology uses the UK's largest stacking system and 'palletless transport technology' to whisk cars into spaces, free of hassle for drivers.

Motorists will drive to one of four transfer garages, where their car is automatically scanned and transported vertically in an automated lift.

Conveyor systems then shuttle the car towards one of the 339 spaces in the car park, 65 feet below ground. When they return, drivers scan in their pass at the garage and the system returns their car, even facing the right way, ready for them to leave.

Neil Edginton, director of The Cube project, said: "When we were designing The Cube, we wanted to offer a car park that would be just as iconic and ground-breaking as the building itself, as well as being inherently secure for vehicles and users, so this system is the perfect fit for the scheme.

"We're delighted to have the UK's largest car park stacking system here in Birmingham and we are now opening its doors to people within the city."

German company Wohr designed the system to work with cars of all different sizes and is also more energy-efficient, reducing the need for constant lighting and ventilation normally required in an underground multi-storey garage, Mr Edginton added.

The £100 million Cube complex is home to the Highways Agency. The 23-storey landmark building is the culmination of work that started with the Mailbox's creation in 1998.

The building combines office space, apartments, shops, a hotel, restaurant and spa. The Highways Agency recently moved into the iconic new building.

Season passes, leases and short term licences are now available for the automated car park. Drivers are required to register for a licence by visiting www.thecube.co.uk

The original owners of the iconic Bullring shopping centre first announced a trailblazing new parking system in Birmingham, using a concrete rolling block in the 1960s.

The block could move Ford Anglias and Austin 1100s into a space after attendants pushed the cars into a bay. The ill-fated scheme lasted a mere three days, however, as the concrete rollers failed.