Birmingham’s Big City Plan is being lined up to become one of the country’s first 11 Enterprise Zones.
The city council has put the regeneration blueprint forward as one of a number of options for EZ status. Under its plans, the BCP Enterprise Zone would include the entire city centre and focus on five areas: the Southern Gateway, New Street Station South, Westside, Snow Hill and Eastside, and the site of the propsed High Speed 2 rail link and terminus.
The sites, which have already been identified as growth areas in the plan, cover 304 acres. Together they will deliver as much as 16.1m sq ft of new floorspace with an estimated annual economic value of £2.1bn.
Peter Leaver, partner at King Sturge, said: “The city core is the most effective location for an EZ because it will have the greatest ripple effect. Having the Big City Plan as an EZ will light the blue touchpaper of regeneration and development in the city.”
Other sites being considered by Birmingham council include the £6bn Eastside regeneration zone and the M42 corridor, which comprises Birmingham Airport and the NEC.
Mark Barrow, local authority lead for the Birmingham and Solihull local enterprise partnership and strategic director of development at the council, said that all options would be discussed at an LEP meeting next week, with a decision made shortly afterwards.
The government confirmed in its Budget last week that it would establish a total of 21 EZs across England. Eleven areas were invited to come forward with proposals for the first tranche of zones, with four projects so far identified: the Boots campus in Nottingham, Liverpool Waters, Manchester Airport and the Royal Docks in London.
