Council live as Birmingham City take first step to create 'sports mecca' and new stadium

Blues get green light on land sale

Here's our final story tonight on the Blues imminent purchase of land at Bordesley Park with hopes that it will usher in a positive new era for East Birmingham.

Thanks for joining us, will bring you more, much more, in the days, weeks, months, YEARS ahead as this project goes from a speculative wish to a reality...fingers crossed.

Here's the final headline for tonight: Green light for Blues 'sports mecca' dream for city bringing hope to Birmingham

Council leader - 'great move for the city'

Council leader Cllr John Cotton: "I think this is a brilliant step for the city. We are still seeing record levels of investment in Birmingham and this deal demonstrates that. This site is vital for the future of East Birmingham. The area (around the Wheels site) is troubled by high unemployment and a lack of opportunities - this gives a great chance to create something special."

It's done! Proposal passes without objection - the first hurdle is crossed in vision for super stadium and sports complex

Cllr Majid Mahmood, born and bred in east Birmingham, expresses his delight that the land is being released for a project that will act as a catalyst for the economic regeneration of one of the most deprived parts of the city, creating 3,000 jobs as well as skills and training for local people. This deal will also trigger huge interest locally, nationally and internationally."

Cllr John Cotton added: "I have been greatly interested in ensuring that the development meets the needs of the area."

And Mr Nell adds: "I cannot comment on recent media reports (about the buyer) but this site is integral to our ambitions for improving the health and wealth outcomes of thousands and thousands of people in our city. We will be pushing the social, environmental and economic opportunities this offers with the purchaser as we move forward."

The recommendations are all confirmed.

Deal with Birmingham City FC 'will be done in next fortnight'

Proposed sale of the former Wheels site is in 'the final stages' with documents agreeing the sale likely to be completed in 'next week or two' says Philip Nell, director of property and investment.

'Right for council not to sell off property and land cheaply' says councillor after criticism of 'no sales' auction

First up is a list of 29 assets that the council is selling around the city.

Cllr Robert Alden (Cons, Erdington) defends the council officers' approach to a recent auction at which six council properties were not sold. He says it is absolutely right that officers do not let properties and land go cheaply and hold out for the best prices.

We reported from the Bond Wolfe auction earlier this week that no sites for sale made their reserve price

The properties for sale are listed here

We are back in the room..hoorah

Meeting resumes in public. Will bring you updates and public comments from members as they go through the agenda.

Some background reading for you - on every step of the story so far

This feels like a moment that should be punctuated by gentle muzak in the background, a bit of Tony Bennett maybe or a jazzy instrumental. Of course, the perfect fit would be some 21st Century Blues...

In the meantime check out these zingers from colleagues in our sports and news teams about the excitement around the Blues buy.

• The next step in the Birmingham City project - read here
• What we know so far - read here
• Leading fans speak out - read here
• Where is Birmingham Wheels? - read here
• How we broke the news - read here
• Our verdict on the seismic news - read here
• Where the stadium could rank against rivals - read here
• St Andrew's through the years - read here
• Time to say goodbye - read here

Kicked out....already!

The meeting has instantly opened and then moved into private session. This is because several issues on the agenda, including the sale of the site at Bordesley Park, include information that is deemed 'exempt'. This means the city solicitor has decreed it is commercially or otherwise sensitive and can't be discussed in public. I'm now sat outside in the historic Council House corridor on a historic wooden bench, tapping this on my slightly battered laptop. As soon as the meeting returns to the public session, I'll be back. Don't worry, we won't miss a thing.

We are live from the Council House

The meeting is now under way.

City council leader Cllr John Cotton is in the chair at today’s meeting. This committee is relatively new - it was launched last year to oversee and authorise the sales of property and land owned by the city council in a mass sell-off to plug a huge gap in its finances.

In case you have missed it, the city council is currently in dire straits - it has run up a deficit (the gap between what it spends and what it receives in income) of more than £300 million that it must close over this year and next. This includes making huge cuts to services and raising council tax by 9.99% a year (the equivalent of 21% in two years)

But it must also prepare to pay out for hundreds of redundancies and a backlog of equal pay claims it has run up due to discriminatory pay practices between mostly male and mostly female parts of the council.

However, i digress, you aren’t here for that - you’re here for the news on the Blues.

'Blues fans and anyone who loves Birmingham as a place should be excited'

This is a momentous day in a saga that we understand has been under discussion for months. It will mark the council agreeing to make the sale of a prime - but desperately neglected - former industrial site in east Birmingham to the owners of Birmingham City Football Club.

Catch up here on why this is good news for the city, and the club.

READ MORE: Knighthead and Tom Wagner take next step in Birmingham City project with huge deal

READ MORE: Knighthead are serious owners - Birmingham City are heading full throttle into the future

Birmingham City and Wheels Q&A - all you need to know

While we wait for affairs to get under way, you can catch up about how the story unfolded and what happens now through some of the articles we have published this week since the story went live on Tuesday, courtesy of BirminghamLive.

Here I joined our football writers to give readers the low down on how the story broke.

Birmingham City stadium and Wheels Q&A - everything you need to know

Welcome to Birmingham Council House for today's live coverage of a big moment in city

Welcome to Birmingham Council House, where I’m hanging out in readiness for a 2pm meeting in committee room 3 of the Cabinet Committee Property meeting of Birmingham City Council. Star billing goes to item 8, the sale of Bordesley Park.

In case you missed it, it was this relatively innocuous report buried in a sub committee meting agenda that set me off on a trail of research and calls that led to the turnstiles of Birmingham City Football Club.

You can read the first story here.

Birmingham City FC buy buy Bordesley Green Wheels land 'to create super stadium'