The Chamberlain News

Record Greater Birmingham investment portfolio on offer at MIPIM

👤by Paul Dale 🕔18.Feb 2016

Greater Birmingham will head to this year’s MIPIM global real estate show in the south of France to showcase a record West Midlands investment offer.

Comprising 20 events and 32 speakers, the three-day programme from March 15 to 18 is designed to highlight the investment, development and occupier opportunities available across the region.

The event will feature the launch of Birmingham’s Smithfield masterplan, a £1 billion scheme to transform 14 hectares of prime city centre land currently occupied by the wholesale and retail markets.

Located within the city centre Enterprise Zone, Birmingham Smithfield will present investors with the opportunity to be part of a transformational mixed-use development at the heart of Birmingham.

City council leader John Clancy said:

Our biggest events programme to date at this year’s MIPIM will ensure Greater Birmingham once again catches the attention of the global investment community.

With development sites across the region to showcase, ranging from landmark high-speed rail stations at Birmingham Curzon and UK Central to the Black Country’s successful Enterprise Zone, Greater Birmingham will promote capital investment opportunities for the property market’s most important decision makers.

Central to this year’s programme is the strong collaboration between the private and public sectors, and across local authority and local enterprise partnerships throughout Greater Birmingham.

By continuing to work together, we can deliver the jobs and growth that are vital to the economic development of the region, and overall growth prospects of the UK.

Greater Birmingham’s MIPIM 2016 programme also includes the launch of the Black Country’s High Value Manufacturing City (HVM City) digital asset.

The development programme is designed to support the advancement of the leading design, manufacturing and engineering opportunities available in the Black Country.

HVM City will add over £1 billon to the economy, bring forward over 150 hectares of land for advanced manufacturing and create over 25,000 jobs.

The launch event will be led by Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership board member, Tom Westley, and will form one of many key investment opportunities showcasing the Black Country area.

Following unprecedented levels of investment within the region’s retail sector, the Greater Birmingham stand will host an event looking at the region’s evolving retail sector.

It will feature a panel debate with national industry experts including Andy Street, Managing Director of John Lewis and Chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP; Steve Yewman, Development Director at Westfield; and Robin Dobson, Director of Retail Development at Hammersons.

Mr Street said:

With over £1 billion of investment in the region in the last year, Greater Birmingham is experiencing record levels of growth. Globally significant companies like HSBC and Jaguar Land Rover are locating or expanding in the area, demonstrating their confidence in the future of the local economy.

MIPIM is the ideal platform to showcase everything the region has to offer and promote the potential for further growth; reinforcing Greater Birmingham’s place on the world stage for investment.

MIPIM 2016 is set to welcome 21,400 international delegates from 89 countries – including 3,560 investors, architects, planners and developers, and more than 360 journalists. M.

The private sector partners taking part in Greater Birmingham’s MIPIM delegation are: