page_title: Eastside, Birmingham
section_title: Construction begins
hierarchical_section_title: Eastside, Birmingham / Regeneration / Construction begins
caption_attribution_description: English: Matthew Boulton College of Further and Higher Education at its new site in Central Birmingham, England. Photographed by me 18 September 2006. Oosoom
context_page_description: Eastside is a district of Birmingham City Centre, England that is undergoing a major redevelopment project. The overall cost when completed is expected to be £6–8 billion over ten years which will result in the creation of 12,000 jobs. 8,000 jobs are expected to be created during the construction period. It is part of the larger Big City Plan project.
context_section_description: The first part of the plan to be implemented was the demolition of a large elevated road junction called Masshouse Circus and the Inner Ring Road to clear land for development. This was part of a larger plan to remove sections of the Inner Ring Road. Masshouse Circus had restricted development out of the east of the city due to its proximity and size resulting in it receiving the name "concrete collar". A bid for money from the European Regional Development Fund was successful and this allowed the demolition of Masshouse Circus possible. This area is now being developed with the construction of highrise apartment and office blocks with one block complete and another under construction. Other buildings completed in the area include the New Technology Institute, completed in 2006, and also the refurbishment of Island House into a base for a redevelopment company. Matthew Boulton College also built a new major facility in 2005 and overlooks the Masshouse site. Both Matthew Boulton College and the New Technology Institute were the first buildings to be built on what will be the Learning and Leisure Zone. Developments on the established Aston University campus included a new Academy of Life Sciences, a 22m extension to Aston Business School and a 215 million student residences project on campus. These developments maintained green spaces, trees and water features on campus.
caption: Matthew Boulton College of Further & Higher Education after completion in 2005.
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