![\"Some](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_7SJMr3B-021sizeoriginaljpeg.jpg\")
Some big changes are expected in Sutton Coldfield in 2026 which could include some changes right in the town centre (pictured)<\/p>\nThere could be set for big changes with \u00a320 million Plan for Neighbourhoods cash, a much-touted ‘Gateway’ scheme and new AldiSome big changes are expected in Sutton Coldfield in 2026 which could include some changes right in the town centre (pictured)<\/p>\n
Sutton Coldfield, one of Birmingham\u2019s most affluent areas, is hoping for change in 2026.<\/p>\n
In what is now becoming a tradition, I listed six changes expected to transform the town in 2024<\/a> – and little happened.<\/p>\n Undeterred, BirminghamLive posted eight possible changes to kickstart Sutton in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Eight big changes expected in Sutton Coldfield in 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n One actually happened \u2013 the moving of Sutton Coldfield Police Station<\/a> \u2013 not to everyone\u2019s liking.<\/p>\n Work is well underway on another – Sutton Coldfield<\/a> \u2019s Cottage Hospital, to turn it primarily into a one-stop shop for older people\u2019s ailments.<\/p>\n But as for wider redevelopments and improvements, the changes appear to be taking place at a snail\u2019s pace.<\/p>\n The diggers are finally in at Brassington Avenue, with a promise of a new Aldi<\/a> store there. But it’s far from started, let alone complete.<\/p>\n But what can we expect for 2026? Here are my 12 predictions for 2026, but please keep your money in your pocket, rather than heading to a bookmaker\u2019s to place bets on any of these anytime soon!<\/p>\n The Gracechurch Centre sits at the heart of the town and has been a focus for shopping for more than 50 years.<\/p>\n But with town centre retail taking a battering from the twin threats of online shopping (Sutton now has a huge Amazon depot on its outskirts) and out-of-town retail parks \u2013 Ventura in Tamworth<\/a> a notable draw locally, its offer has dwindled in recent years.<\/p>\n Gone is M&S<\/a> and even its mini food hall concession in WHSmith\u2019s (Now TG Jones) went this year.<\/p>\n As did longstanding tenants, Beaverbrooks, and Bodyshop. Newcomers came and went \u2013 Home D\u00e9cor, Prints and Treats, Tokin Tea, to name but three.<\/p>\n Big plans \u2013 floated in 2024 \u2013 to build 700 apartments and new retain units, have yet to be fleshed out.<\/p>\n But a big new shop is in the offing \u2013 Aussie chain, Harvey Norman, a department store, with electricals, furniture, homeware and appliances and more will open at the centre’s former BHS end.<\/p>\n It is understood to be on track to open ahead of schedule \u2013 possibly March or April, rather than the initially-expected June.<\/p>\n READ MORE: I visited Sutton’s ‘accidental’ bakery at its first permanent home<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n But though will mean no apartments on that site \u2013 so the 2024 blueprint has already been rewritten \u2013 even if we have not been formally told yet.<\/p>\n Plans were submitted in December to turn a chunk of the car park into a racket sports club, fitness centre with co-working space, restaurant, changing rooms and more.<\/p>\n Harvey Norman will be a definite physical change, a boost to the shopping venue, that could draw more shops in.<\/p>\n Could that be the spark the Gracechurch Centre needs for wider change in 2026? Expect more details to emerge in the New Year.<\/p>\n Plans have been submitted to transform the former Lichfield<\/a> Road police station block into a GP surgery<\/a>, with wider facilities for scans and imaging, healthcare clinics, advice centres and an in-house pharmacy.<\/p>\n The facility will be led by the Manor-Vesey Health Partnership (MVHP), which has the Manor Practice at Ashfurlong Surgery in Tamworth Road, and a second hub at James Preston Health Centre in Holland Road, along with the Vesey Practice.<\/p>\n Expect plans to be approved in 2026 and work to get underway \u2013 although an opening date has yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n Sutton\u2019s Cottage Hospital has never actually closed while work on an \u00a38.5 million project to turn it into a new-look healthcare site, mainly for older people has taken place.<\/p>\n Birmingham<\/a> Community Healthcare NHS<\/a> Foundation Trust has confirmed phase one of the construction work has been completed with the main entrance now reopened for patients.<\/p>\n Patients attending musculoskeletal physiotherapy are using the newly-refurbished rooms.<\/p>\n Clinical and admin activities carried out in portacabins in the Duke Street car park were set to move to the main building in December.<\/p>\n And completion is now expected on all the work in April 2026.<\/p>\n There will then be seven GP consulting rooms for the Vesey Practice, which will relocate from nearby James Preston Health Centre.<\/p>\n And there will be a state-of-the-art diagnostics suite offering X-ray, electrocardiogram and ultrasound scanning.<\/p>\n When complete, services for children and families offered at the Cottage Hospital will switch to James Preston.<\/p>\n There is a big political divide on this one with Labour-run Birmingham City Council<\/a> pushing to introduce parking charges in Sutton Park despite widespread opposition from residents, businesses in the park and Conservatives.<\/p>\n This appears to be moving a step closer with a formal consultation taking place.<\/p>\n The park is said to cost \u00a31 million to maintain and look after each year, with the council told to look at ways to pay for it by commissioners who hold a tight grip on the bankrupt authority\u2019s purse strings.<\/p>\n Plans are to charge drivers \u00a31 an hour, \u00a35 for all-day or \u00a352 for an annual season ticket.<\/p>\n But the twist in this tale is there\u2019s an election in May \u2013 with Conservatives promising not to charge drivers if they get in at the ballot box. So watch this space?<\/p>\n A new Aldi store has been proposed for a strip of land that has lain idle for decades in Sutton for four years now.<\/p>\n The land, sandwiched between Brassington Avenue and the Cross City railway line, has been boarded off for years \u2013 and appearing to be reclaimed by nature, until a \u2018final\u2019 planning application earlier this year<\/a> appeared to have done the trick.<\/p>\n The sticking point was a stream \u2013 Plants Brook \u2013 channelled through an underground culvert to divert it towards Sutton Park.<\/p>\n The original plans, building the store over the culvert, were deemed a flood risk but revised plans moved where the store would be built.<\/p>\n An application was submitted in November with drainage details and a biodiversity scheme.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see if 2026 brings a new, bigger better Aldi. That would then leave another gaping whole in the town centre\u2019s retail offer \u2013 so more to be done. Much more.<\/p>\n The Red Rose Centre emptied further in 2025. Most notably the main Sutton Coldfield Library shut on June 27<\/a>, to be replaced by a mobile library bus a few hours on a Friday.<\/p>\n Sutton Coldfield\u2019s town council is now funding the remainder of Sutton\u2019s library offer<\/a> \u2013 as the city council cuts, cut deepest in the Royal Town again.<\/p>\n Hays Travel has set sail across the Parade to the Gracechurch Centre. And it was joined by opticians, Specsavers, which has moved its focus into the former Laura Ashley premises across the road from its old site.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Shops slump in town centre as retail not main offer for first time ever<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n So what remains? The Corefit Muay Thau & Fitness Centre, Ahead Barbers, and the LottieLea Photography Studio. Plus Sutton\u2019s \u2018best\u2019 charity shop \u2013 according to some shoppers<\/a>, the British Heart Foundation shop.<\/p>\n Birmingham City Council appears to still be a in a stand-off with Sainsbury\u2019s over its former shop<\/a>, most recently occupied by Wilko\u2019s.<\/p>\n The city council wants Sainsbury\u2019s to pay to relinquish its lease. And Sainsbury\u2019s want the city council to shell out to let it go.<\/p>\n Could 2026 be the year when the Red Rose Centre is redeveloped, with flats set to go there along with retail units. Will it finally start to see green shoots of recovery, ready to flourish?<\/p>\n It will be ten years since the city council bought the site, but I won\u2019t hold my breath.<\/p>\n The Sutton Gateway Scheme is another longstanding project, often talked about but without any action.<\/p>\n First suggested in 2017 as part of the HS2 (High Speed 2) scheme, it was proposed as bringing Sutton a new bus station, next to the railway station creating a transport hub to whizz people to and from the town and ultimately on to the HS2 railway to London.<\/p>\n But at the start of 2025 that plan was revised. Gone was the bus station. One possible reason was it was understood retailers did not want travellers to be taken away from the town\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n In came a new plan, which also saw the proposal to close Brassington Avenue to all-but buses also ditched<\/a>. The \u00a325 million scheme 15-point proposal would subtly make the town more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.<\/p>\n And it cannot come soon enough given the awful tragedy of the death of Natasha Thorp, killed by a car in Brassington Avenue<\/a> in August<\/p>\n New plans include better pedestrian crossings, a 20mph limit, narrowing roads to make drivers go slower and pavements safer, a segregated cycleway, better links to the park and buses to be given more priority. The full 15-point plan is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n A business case is meant to be being prepared for the changes \u2013 and expect to see something on this in 2026 \u2013 everything just takes so much time.<\/p>\n Get the latest Sutton Coldfield news delivered direct to your inbox<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n 8. Plan for Neighbourhoods \u00a320 million cash pot to be spent?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sutton was one of 75 towns to be awarded a multi-million cheque by the previous Conservative Government.<\/p>\n A neighbourhood board is in place, chaired by \u2018Mr McDonald\u2019s\u2019, Doug Wright, who this year relinquished his Midlands Maccies empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n A survey asking residents where they would like the \u00a320 million pot spent<\/a> was held in October.<\/p>\n The results are yet to be published \u2013 but hopefully firm plans and spades in the ground on some the proposals will be seen next year.<\/p>\n 9. <\/strong>Will the former Rosie\u2019s site in Lower Parade, flattened in 2020, finally become another town flats and retail site? Plans were \u2018revised\u2019, or in reality resubmitted, to extend the building deadline \u2013 and approved in November<\/a>. So the deadline is now to November 2028, rather than December 2025 to get works underway.<\/p>\n 10<\/strong> . South Parade car park (opposite Plantsbrook School) could be spliced in two with more land set to be sold off by the city council for development.<\/p>\n 11.<\/strong> Could the Birmingham Road row of shops be rebuilt into 12 retail units with 75 apartments<\/a> on top? Mercia Real Estate has until March 2026 to get works underway.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_IMG_6620jpeg.jpg\")
The much-trailered arrival of Australian department store, Harvey Norman, to Sutton Coldfield’s Gracechurch Centre is set to take place in the New Year – and possibly earlier than first expected 1. Gracechurch Centre revamp (if not a wholesale redevelopment)<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3_Birmingham-Road.jpg\")
An artist’s impression of the view along Birmingham Road towards the Gracechurch Centre showing the Nando’s building remaining, but beyond were proposed new high-rise blocks with some 700 homes – but little has been heard on this in 2025(Image: Leonard Design Architects )<\/p>\n![\"Sutton](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Sutton-Coldfield-police-station.jpg\")
The now former Sutton Coldfield Police Station – which could soon become a GP facility, with additional healthcare facilities and an in-house pharmacy(Image: Google)2. New healthcare facility at the former police station<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Sutton](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_5782C899-0EFE-32A7-88CFCF8529DF83B1.jpg\")
Sutton Cottage Hospital (pre its revamp) is set to open fully revamped and repurposed in 20263. Revamped Sutton Cottage Hospital to open<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_IMG_5452JPG.jpg\")
Labour-run Birmingham City Council is pushing ahead with its plan to charge motorists to park in Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield but Conservatives have said they will scrap the scheme if elected into power next May 4. Sutton Park parking charges<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Work](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1_Aldi.jpg\")
Work is now underway on the Brassington Avenue site in Sutton Coldfield town centre – so could a new Aldi finally arrive in 2026 ?(Image: Aldi)5. New Aldi at last?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_IMG_7245jpeg.jpg\")
The Red Rose Centre in Sutton Coldfield – could 2026 finally be its year for a refurbishment or rebuild 6. Red Rose Centre ready for a revamp?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Plans](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2_Bus-interchange-2JPG.jpg\")
The original plan for a new bus station in Sutton Coldfield next to its railway counterpart was revealed in 2019 as part of the HS2 ‘Gateway Scheme’ – but that’s now been scrapped in favour of more modest proposals 7. Sutton Coldfield Gateway project to get underway?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_IMG_1316jpeg.jpg\")
The Rosie’s nightclub in Sutton Coldfield was demolished at the start of 2020 – and the site has remained undeveloped since Other changes<\/strong><\/p>\n