Stalled plans to build a 20-acre car auction site in north Birmingham which will create 200 jobs have been resurrected.

European chain British Car Auctions (BCA) received planning permission in 2009 to redevelop a vacant plot of land in Perry Barr which had previously been used for the storage and distribution of goods in large shipment containers by ferry company P&O.

A reduction in the volume of car sales in the years following the site acquisition meant BCA never went ahead with the project and the planning permission expired in 2012.

However, the company is now poised to press head again with the development as the volume of available stock and anticipated sales has recovered to pre-recession levels so has resubmitted its application.

The site is split into three portions close to junction 6 of the M6, two of which are surfaced with concrete and house two former depot buildings which would be demolished. A third section is unsurfaced and was used to store containers.

Surrey-based BCA is planning to build 110,700 sq ft of floorspace which would contain a viewing area, offices, washing facilities, auction halls and other business usages as well as 387 parking spaces and 28 spaces for bikes.

A planning statement submitted by consultancy Turley said: "BCA has long identified a requirement to expand its operations in the Midlands.

"In terms of the catchment of potential buyers and sellers, as well as the ability to distribute stock across the UK from a central location, Birmingham was identified as a priority location.

"BCA has a strategy to acquire a large site that would complement and help grow its existing sites at Walsall and Castle Bromwich.

"Neither of these locations offered the potential to significantly grow the business through expansion or redevelopment."

BCA has owned the land off College Road since 2009 but it has been left largely unused since P&O vacated the site in 2006, despite planning permission for an auction hub being first granted back in 2007.

Trading is due to start late next year with about a third of the new jobs expected to be part-time.