Birmingham Council Unveils Stage Two of ‘The Big City Plan’
-Birmingham City Council has today unveiled ambitious development plans for the City Centre, which is set to create 50,000 new jobs.
‘Stage Two’ of The Big City Plan is being heralded as the most ambitious and far-reaching development projects in the UK, defining how more than 800 hectares of land will be developed over the next 20 years.
Mike Whitby, Birmingham Council Leader described the plans as a “bold statement”, looking to highlight individual projects, schemes and infrastructure were particular types of investment and development will be encouraged, despite the country’s current financial challenges.
Cllr Whitby added:
“Our Big City Plan will provide a clear blueprint for investors, businesses and residents alike – with the detail, the grain and the soul, which I believe will inspire imaginations across the world – and capture billions of extra investment and value for our local economy.
“Against a challenging backdrop we know delivery is more important than ever, and our plan acknowledges the importance of the private sector working more closely than ever before with the public sector, whilst embracing the need for exciting new funding mechanisms like Accelerated Development Zones.”
The plans, which were first proposed in 2007, address how future economic growth can be achieved by expanding the City Core area by over 25%, per cent, seeking to increase a £2.1 billion growth in the local economy per year.
Other key objectives include creating new and improved public spaces, with New St Station, Westside, the Snow Hill District, Eastern Core Expansion and The Southern Gateway all being highlighted as five key areas for transformation.
New office, retail, leisure and cultural floor-spaces are included in the proposal, along with 28,000 metres of “enhanced walking and cycling routes” which aim to give the streets “back to the pedestrian”.
Jerry Blackett, Chief Executive of Birmingham Chamber Of Commerce praised the plans for not dwelling on a ‘shining city centre’ but instead highlighting “what’s in this for the ‘boroughs’”.
Blackett added:
“It confirms that Birmingham does have a sense of global ambition, a sense of self – something to sell to investors. This is important at a time of scarce investment funding from the pound, dollar and yen: Birmingham now has a convincing story to sell. It was great to see it record the importance of the private sector and a clear partnership agenda. It’s not just about more public spending – it can’t be in the current climate. This sets out a very useful foundation stone for the emerging Local Enterprise Partnership.”
More information on the detailed plan can be found at http://bigcityplan.birmingham.gov.uk/.
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