WORK is set to begin before the end of the year on building Birmingham’s first city centre park since Victorian times.

The £13 million green oasis will transform an eight-acre site between the proposed high speed rail terminus in Curzon Street, Digbeth, and Millennium Point.

It is expected to be a major attraction for firms looking to occupy offices in Eastside and for buyers of luxury apartments being built in the area.

First proposed by the city council in 2001, delivery of the ambitious project was delayed by the public spending squeeze and arguments over design issues.

Council bosses now have the money to complete the scheme, which includes water features, and expects the new amenity to be ready for use by 2013.

The park is among scores of high-profile projects set out today in a 20-year planning document shaping the future of Birmingham.

The Big City Plan aims to grow the city centre by a quarter, create 50,000 jobs and trigger £42 billion of economic benefits by 2030.

The plan identifies five “transformation areas” where regeneration schemes will be concentrated.