The University of Birmingham is to create a 'world-leading' centre of excellence for railway research.

The new building will accommodate up to 100 staff, 100 PhD students and 700 undergraduates.

It will be constructed on the former Alta Biosciences block and chemistry labs at the Edgbaston campus, which have already been demolished.

The development will house the School of Engineering and include a wing for the UK Railway Research Innovation Centre.

Interior computer generated image of the School of Engineering building to be created by the University of Birmingham.

Birmingham City Council's planning committee has now formally approved the scheme.

A UoB statement describing the proposal said: "The School of Engineering building will benefit from a £92 million research fund which was secured in 2017 between the rail supply industry and a consortium of eight universities, aimed at establishing a world-leading centre of excellence for railway research.

"A new flagship building is proposed to facilitate the growth of the engineering sector and deliver a world leading centre of excellence for research on digital systems, focusing on matters such as railway control and simulation, and data integration and cyber security."

The plans will also benefit from a 78-space car park on former tennis courts near the site which are the subject of a separate planning application.

Cllr Gareth Moore, on the committee, commended the university for its approach to addressing existing parking problems in the area.

In doing so he issued a swipe at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he has recently branded the parking situation as a 'Titanic disaster' comparing the number of spaces to the number of lifeboats on the doomed ship.

Cllr Moore said: "I think it is great the university is still investing and improving the offer that it has, to both its staff and students, clearly the UK Railway Research Innovation Centre is involved in this as well which is good to see that is all taking place in Birmingham.

"Particularly what I also like is the fact the university is very proactive in trying to address the parking situation which is obviously bad around the university.

"I see reference to the additional spaces being provided so that is welcome especially when you compare it to its neighbouring university hospitals trust which takes a very different approach, more 'ostrich head in sand' scenario."