For those of you who have not seen the official announcement already, it can be found at this link.
There had been rumours circling on Monday among various journalists and fans I know of that there was an announcement coming with regards to the deal, although it was a bit surprising it was made that late at night.
With the Open House due to take place this evening at 6:30pm it now seems likely that part of that presentation will be about the Wheels site and what the development plans Knighthead have for it.
One of the most intriguing parts of the story seems to be a detail that has been overlooked by others in the press – that this purchase of land takes the total amount of land owned by Knighthead (not including St Andrew’s) to more than 60 acres.
This would indicate that as well as Wheels, Knighthead have made other investments in land in connection with owning Blues.
While there has been no confirmation as to what this land might be, my suspicion is that it was Knighthead who bought the Medco House site last year.
The Medco House plot of land however is only 7.5 acres, which would mean if that was the case, there have been further purchases made by Knighthead that none of us are remotely aware of.
Blues have confirmed in their statement that this new site will not only hold the new stadium but also training facilities for all BCFC teams, as well as extensive commercial and community facilities.
This will mean a new site for the BCFC Academy, as well as pitches for community use and commercial space for local businesses.
As I’ve mentioned before, the idea of a “Sports Quarter” is reminiscent of what Manchester City have done in the Eastlands area with the Etihad Campus.
This is not only huge news for the club, but in reality, it’s great news for the city of Birmingham as well.
I’ve long been a proponent of the investment in the city of Birmingham to raise it to the standards of a global city.
While a “sports quarter” is only a small part of what is required to help push Birmingham to that level, it is a serious statement of intent and will only help to encourage other investment in the city.
I’ll admit my excitement for the plans that will undoubtedly be on show this evening and I will endeavour to do what I can to share my thoughts on those plans for tomorrow morning.