Several Birmingham clubs, including Club Colette, threatened by railway expansion

Several Digbeth nightclubs, including Club Colette, XOYO and Mama Roux's, are at risk of demolition under a £1.75 billion Midlands Rail Hub Alliance proposal to expand Birmingham Moor Street Station, Mixmag reported. The plan would add two new railway lines connecting the Camp Hill and Chiltern main lines, build two new platforms, bring an existing fifth platform back into use, and widen the Bordesley viaduct running through Digbeth, with construction currently set to begin in 2030.

Club Colette and Mama Roux's launched a joint campaign on Instagram on August 4 urging people to submit objections during the public consultation. "We found out on X that massive railway stilts are planned over our historic Victorian arches," the venues said in a joint statement, warning that venues along Lower Trinity Street, including The Night Owl and Luna Springs, are also earmarked for demolition.

The venues pointed to the street's history hosting Digbeth Dining Club and artists including Jorja Smith, PAWSA and Little Simz as reason to fight the plan, calling it a threat to "the very heart of Digbeth's independent spirit." "We can't let infrastructure wipe out our culture," they added. "This is bigger than just us. Let's make some noise."

A spokesperson for the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance said the project would "unlock access to opportunities, create jobs, boost economic growth, and enable new houses to be built," benefiting local people, businesses and communities.

The public consultation on the proposals, which campaigners and venue owners are being urged to respond to before the demolitions move forward, runs until August 28.