High-speed rail and Asian investment were discussed at EG’s Question Time event in the Library of Birmingham
THE PANEL
Sir Albert Bore, leader, Birmingham city council
Paul Rouse, planning director, Savills
John Morris, public affairs director, Birmingham Airport
Rob Groves, senior project director, Argent
Stuart Pemble, partner, Mills & Reeve
Donovan Bailey, West Midlands Stakeholder Manager, HS2
Jason Wouhra, director, East End ?Foods/chairman, Institute of Directors, West Midlands
The stunning new Library of Birmingham was a fitting venue for Estates Gazette’s Birmingham Question Time in November. HS2 has proved controversial in the Midlands – whether it will benefit London more than the region concerns many – and it was this issue and transport connectivity that dominated discussion.
But there was no shortage of other topics for Sir Albert Bore to deal with. Budgetary woes were on his mind.
“I can tell you one thing: I am not going to trigger a fire sale,” said the Birmingham city council leader. “But we will be disposing of assets because Birmingham will face a bill over the next two to three years of around £1bn. I have got a good half of that covered off, but to meet the other £500m will mean asset sales. However, we will do that in a planned way so that we can maximise the values of what we dispose of.”
He condemned the government’s rates revaluation delay, was optimistic that investment would follow HS2 into the second city, and welcomed Chinese investors.
That was a theme taken up by John Morris, public affairs director at Birmingham Airport, who had recently met with “senior people” from one of China’s north-eastern provinces. “It’s not the capital city and it’s got a slight chip on its shoulder about that,” he said. “But it’s very keen to reach out where there are synergies with regions in Europe. I think the onus is on all of us to go out and wave the flag.”
Paul Rouse, planning director at Savills, warned controversy around HS2 meant “opportunities are being lost”, while both Mills & Reeve partner Stuart Pemble and HS2’s West Midlands stakeholder manager Donovan Bailey urged the city – and EG editor Damian Wild, who was chairing the event – not to see Manchester as a rival, but to consider the bigger picture.
Jason Wouhra, director of East End Foods and chairman of the Institute of Directors in the West Midlands, spelt out what was at stake if the city and the region got its act together.
“Indian investment from Tata is not coincidental,” he said. “It’s the fact that Jaguar Land Rover had something to offer and all of the businesses that lie around that area obviously have something to offer as well. New development will have a kind of upselling effect on people wanting to come and invest in Birmingham.”
And investment would continue, said Argent senior project director Rob Groves. “There are some massive investments coming forward in the next two or three years,” he told the audience. “You can’t rest on your laurels, otherwise you will miss the opportunities that the rest of the world is driving forward. This is the right time to get out there and sell Birmingham.”
