The organisers of Birmingham 2022 have announced athletes and officials will be housed in three ‘campus’ villages at The University of Birmingham, The University of Warwick and The NEC Hotel Campus.
This new campus model will see 1,600 athletes and officials housed at the NEC Hotel Campus, 1,900 at The University of Warwick, and the principal village with 2,800 at The University of Birmingham.
The decision to move away from the single site athletes’ village in the Perry Barr area of the city has been made by the Games Partnership with just under two years to go, after reviewing the impact of the global health pandemic.
It follows an assessment by the project delivery team, who has been working with the construction supply chain, as well as independent experts, on how they could de-risk Games delivery. With a shorter than normal timeframe for delivery of the Birmingham 2022 Games, the new build accommodation site was under continued review from the outset, with expert consultation throughout, and had very little scope to withstand the impact COVID-19 has had on construction.
The Perry Barr Regeneration Scheme, with new housing and transport infrastructure, will still be delivered. This council-led residential scheme has been accelerated due to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and has been made possible with additional investment from central government.
The new three-site campus model for Birmingham 2022 athlete accommodation will be delivered within the overall Games budget of £778 million, with the Games remaining on track to be delivered on time and on budget.
The decision to move to three campus villages across the West Midlands has the support of athlete representatives and Commonwealth Games Associations across the world who have been told of the new plans.