#TDS25 Spotlight: Edgbaston’s destination transformation
Ahead of TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2025, we caught up with Craig Flindall, Strategy Director at Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
Flindall joined Warwickshire as Finance Director in 2010 and is currently responsible for driving strategic leadership in the club, including the Edgbaston Masterplan.
The Edgbaston Masterplan is a long-term project designed to transform the stadium into a multi-use sports, residential, commercial and community complex.
Back in February, Birmingham City Council granted planning permission for the next stage of the redevelopment, which will include a new on-site hotel. The project also includes the transformation of the current Priory and Ragland Stands into a single stand.
TheStadiumBusiness: What is the current focus for Warwickshire CCC from a development perspective?
Craig Flindall: “The Edgbaston Masterplan is an ambitious, multi-phase development, transforming the iconic Edgbaston Stadium into a world-class destination that brings together sporting excellence, premium hospitality and inspiring cultural experiences. With an investment totalling £110m to date, we are proud to be accelerating Birmingham’s standing as the UK’s sporting capital, while creating lasting impact for our local communities.
“Since 2011, the Masterplan has already delivered one of the largest, most modern pavilions in international cricket; redeveloped derelict land into an award-winning mixed-use apartment complex and transformed the stadium’s event capabilities with an outdoor piazza and Skyline roof-top terrace, offering fantastic spaces to host community, cultural and social events.
“In partnership with Compass Group, the Masterplan has also launched Xcelerate with Edgbaston, a leading catering and hospitality space that provides fantastic training and apprenticeship opportunities for the local community.”
TSB: What is the current status of the Edgbaston Masterplan project?
CF: “Work is now underway on the next phase – a £46m redevelopment of the Priory and Raglan stands. Supported by £18m in funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority, we are building a new stand in their place, with 3,200 seats, an enhanced concourse and new accessibility facilities to significantly improve the match-day experience for the thousands of spectators who visit the stadium each year.”
TSB: What are the most interesting aspects of the project?
CF: “In a significant boost to Birmingham’s tourism economy, the development will include a four-star Radisson RED hotel, with 146 rooms including 85 pitch-view bedrooms with balconies, and rooms that can be converted into hospitality boxes with external pitch-facing terraces, for an exclusive view of the live action.
“The rooftop will also include a new restaurant and bar with a wraparound terrace looking out over the famous Edgbaston ground and the Birmingham skyline. The hotel is expected to welcome over 60,000 guests annually, creating 134 permanent jobs in the community, and will increase Edgbaston’s economic impact on the local economy to over £40m each year, rising to over £70m in a Cricket World Cup year.
“Set to complete in time for the Ashes in the summer of 2027, this exciting next stage of the Edgbaston Masterplan is a leading example of how the power of elite sport can be harnessed to create a vibrant and inclusive environment that delivers lasting impact for the local community, the city, and the wider West Midlands.”
>> Join Craig – and >450 experts in design, engineering and delivery from around the world – only at #TDS25 on December 10-11 in Manchester.
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