The £15.5million Atlas Works site in Tyseley replaces depots at Montague Street and Redfern Road as part of the council’s ongoing effort to modernise and improve services for the people of Birmingham.
Delivered on behalf of the council by Morgan Sindall Construction, key features include electric vehicle charging points to ensure the site is future-proofed for when such technology is used on a widespread basis.
As well as office accommodation and space for staff training and development, the new facility is also home to a vehicle maintenance building. The two-storey offices and single-storey garage are steel framed, metal clad, buildings which cover an area of 3,600sq m.
The depot will be home for approximately 350 staff and its operational area covers the whole of the east and centre of the city.
Sitting between the A45 Coventry Road and the A41 Warwick Road corridors – and just a few hundred metres from both Tyseley train station and Birmingham’s energy recovery facility – the Atlas site has excellent transport links, allowing staff the ability to commute more easily by public transport rather than use personal vehicles to get to work.
The location also means crews can serve a significant number of local homes with the minimum effect on the city’s wider transport network.
Cllr Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment at Birmingham City Council, toured the new Atlas Works depot on May 3.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “I am blown away by this new facility. Our hardworking crews operating from this depot will make more than 200,000 bin collections every week – so it is essential that we provide them with the tools and conditions to do this as effectively as possible.
“This new depot and garage are the latest investment into one of our key frontline services and a clear demonstration of our commitment to improve waste management on a continuous basis.”
The closure of the Montague Street depot has also played a role in enabling the development of Steven Knight’s new Digbeth Loc. Studios.
A deal between the council and Homes England involving the depot site helped unlock the location of the film and television facility developed by the Peaky Blinders creator.
The old site at Redfern Road has been sold to a local business that has also had to relocate out of Montague Street as part of the wider regeneration of that area.
Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We are proud to deliver this facility for the council which will provide modern conditions for the crew on site to carry out their important work within the city.
“We have worked collaboratively with the Constructing West Midlands framework through a shared value to create cleaner and greener streets in Birmingham and this depot will have a real positive impact on the area.”
