West Midlands Ambulance Service has announced that work has begun on a multi-million pound ambulance service hub in Sandwell.

Property developer Stoford is delivering the 76,000 sq ft purpose-built hub, the largest hub of its kind in the country, which will eventually house about 350 operational ambulance staff working 24 hours a day.

It is hoped that the hub, which will also include a facility for the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), fleet maintenance and vehicle preparation areas, the Trust’s Education and Training Academy and central stores, will be completed by next spring. This means that it will be open in time for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, which kicks off in July 2022, and will be used as a staging point for the trust’s preparations for one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

WMAS serves a population of 5.6 million people and covers an area of more than 5,000 square miles, comprising Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands.

The hub will achieve the BREEAM Excellence rating and will accommodate 365 parking spaces, including ten disabled spaces and 70 ambulance spaces.

Craig Cooke, WMAS Director of Strategic Operations, added: “This is an important hub for the Service not just for the Commonwealth Games but for our ongoing ability to deliver high quality care to the people of Birmingham and the Black Country.

“It will also see a major upgrade in our central stores facility, which has played such a vital role during the pandemic, but also a big step forward in facilities for our Education & Training team and the Hazardous Area Response Team. Talking to staff, they are excited to see the new building developed and we will be working with them to ensure it fully meets their needs.”