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Changing Places

Birmingham Grand Central and the marketed place

  • 2 things to know
  • Component 1 Section B

Overview

Appearance of the New Street façade and flagship development.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

Where is Grand Central and when did it open?

Key term

What does Grand Central sit above?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Where is Grand Central and when did it open?

    Model answer

    Grand Central is a shopping centre in central Birmingham that opened in September 2015. The centre forms part of the rebuilt New Street station complex.

  2. 2

    What does Grand Central sit above?

    Model answer

    Grand Central sits directly above the platforms and concourse of Birmingham New Street station. Shoppers and rail passengers therefore share the same building.

  3. 3

    Roughly what did the New Street and Grand Central scheme cost?

    Model answer

    The rebuilding of New Street station with Grand Central above it cost around £750 million. Public funding and private investment were combined to pay for the work.

  4. 4

    Which department store anchored Grand Central when it opened, and what became of it?

    Model answer

    John Lewis anchored Grand Central from its opening in 2015 as the scheme's flagship tenant. The store closed permanently in 2020, leaving a large empty unit.

  5. 5

    How was Grand Central used to change perceptions of Birmingham?

    Model answer

    The campaign presented Birmingham as a modern, design-led retail destination rather than a post-industrial city. Striking architecture and national brands were used to signal that change.

  6. 6

    Which older image of Birmingham did the scheme set out to replace?

    Model answer

    Birmingham had long been pictured as a grey manufacturing city defined by concrete and ring roads. Retail-led rebranding aimed to replace that image with one of style and culture.

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