University railway station

The challenge

Positioned between the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, this station experiences one of the highest passenger footfalls in the West Midlands outside the city centres. The original 1979 station was never designed for today’s demand — and the surrounding land is highly constrained:

• The Worcester & Birmingham Canal on one side

• University land on the other

• The site sits on and adjacent to Metchley Roman Fort, a Scheduled Ancient Monument

• Historic covenants in favour of Calthorpe Estates restricting rail use

Delivering a new station, canal footbridge and improved pedestrian access required alignment across heritage, planning, legal, commercial and railway regulatory regimes — all while keeping the railway and surrounding estates operational.

What we did

We provided strategic land and consents leadership, coordinating multiple stakeholders and securing the intricate permissions needed to unlock delivery.

Strategy & Regulatory

• Developed a comprehensive Land & Consents Strategy to sequence approvals, leases and agreements
• Supported WMCA with a Material Change Proposal and complex Station Access matters (including multiple Clearance and LC17 submissions)

Land & Legal Agreements

• Land referencing for all plots required
• Negotiated:
  • Lease of University land to Network Rail for the new station building
  • Acquisition of Birmingham City Council land for incorporation into the University lease
  • Easements for station maintenance from neighbouring owners and tenants
  • Lease for part of the station building to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust for a medical facility
  • Party Wall Awards

Heritage & Planning

• Worked with Historic England to secure Scheduled Monument Consent
• Coordinated archaeologists and conservation specialists to protect sensitive heritage areas
• Supported planning submissions and alignment with heritage conditions

Commercial & Utilities

• Negotiated with Calthorpe Estates on restrictive covenants
• Secured wayleave and lease with Western Power for the new station DNO
• Led commercial negotiations across multiple stakeholders, aligning risk, responsibilities and delivery timelines

Why it worked

• A Land & Consents Strategy ensured legal, regulatory, heritage and planning approvals landed at the right time — and in the right order

• Early engagement with Historic England and archaeologists de-risked approvals without compromising design intent

• Strategic negotiations (including deed variations and covenants) unlocked constraints — at minimum additional cost

• Deep understanding of station access, rail regulation and third-party development smoothed complex approvals across multiple landowners and operators