Upgrades took place prior to Birmingham 2022 and enabled the Perry Barr venue to stage the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as athletics.

"The ongoing transformation of Perry Barr is a major part of our Commonwealth Games legacy and will boost the lives and life chances of residents for many years to come," said Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council.

"So, it's really encouraging to receive yet more external recognition and endorsement for the work we are spearheading to make Perry Barr an even better place to live, work and visit.

"This is all about delivering sustainable projects that add meaningful value for the people of the city - and this is just the start of a 20-year masterplan for Perry Barr, with plenty more exciting developments coming in the years ahead.

"It is a true partnership effort and I thank everyone involved for their hard work and shared focus on this project.

"It is setting a benchmark for other regeneration projects in other parts of Birmingham and much further afield."

The redevelopment saw permanent seating capacity increase from 12,700 to 18,000, with the option of boosting the capacity to 40,000 for major events through additional temporary seating.

It was part of a £72 million ($84 million/€82million) construction programme, which has taken almost three years and replaced a smaller stadium which had occupied the same site.

The Perry Barr Residential Scheme was also recognised as the region's regeneration project of the year.

"Both [are] key parts of the ongoing transformation of north-west Birmingham, which is seeing more than £700million ($825 million/€805 million) invested into new housing, transport links and other key infrastructure," Birmingham City Council said in a statement.