After an eight-year hiatus, Sir Albert Bore is back as leader of the UK’s largest local authority. In his first interview since the May elections, Bore shares his priorities for Birmingham with Lisa Pilkington Portraits by Ed Shaw
Sir Albert Bore looks completely at home in his spacious Council House office. With piles of papers neatly stacked on a long boardroom table, the newly elected Labour leader of Birmingham city council is bursting with enthusiasm to crack on with the job.
It is fair to say voters’ decision to oust the previous Tory/Lib Dem administration in May’s elections was no surprise. Birmingham is traditionally a Labour heartland and Bore has been putting the final touches to his post-victory strategy.
This is a return to power for the married father of three who previously led the council from 1999-2004. A large protest vote against the Iraq war in June 2004 left Bore’s Labour administration with no overall majority. Fast forward to 2012 and a landslide victory at the polls has returned him to office.
“It feels great to be back,” says the 66-year-old. “There’s almost a sense of having unfinished business to deal with.”
The former lecturer is widely regarded as overseeing the renaissance of Birmingham and being intrinsically linked with landmark projects such as the Bullring, the Mailbox, the National Indoor Arena (NIA) and the redevelopment of Brindleyplace. Perhaps most famously, Bore was instrumental in removing the city’s “concrete collar”, which paved the way for 2,000 acres of the city centre to be re-masterplanned.
This time around, Bore’s buzzword is “inclusivity”. He says he and the Labour administration want to work in a more open and transparent way. “We want to see an inclusive city in which many more people can play a part. I want a strategy for Birmingham that is compelling, innovative and far-sighted.”
And property is a core component of that strategy. So much so that Bore has already met a number of developers to discuss key projects, such as Paradise Circus, Eastside, Arena Central and Icknield Port Loop.
He is looking for feedback from the property sector and says: “I want developers and property guys to help draw up key agendas for Birmingham. I’m not going to be just reactive. I think it’s absolutely necessary to create a one-stop-shop for developers, for example a liaison person for the big projects. We need this to appeal to developers and I’m not sure we’re there yet. We want to make it easier and more welcoming for developers and investors to come to Birmingham. If we don’t get it right, I hope someone will come and tell me.”
Open invitations don’t come much clearer than that. But potential development partners take note: Bore is a tough negotiator. He has a clear vision for the city and is known as a shrewd dealmaker at a political level.
Getting on the right side of him could have its advantages, particularly as property is at the heart of his new initiative to create a number of economic growth zones around Birmingham. The first phase is a proposed 50-acre advanced manufacturing hub on what is currently the Aston Regional Investment site located close to the M6 at Spaghetti Junction. Firms from the automotive sector will be targeted. Although the council owns most of the land, CPOs will be needed to bring the rest of the site together. Savills is advising the council.
Other clusters include: an environmental enterprise in Tyseley; a medical technology/life sciences campus around the Queen Elizabeth Hospital/Birmingham University site at Selly Oak; a Media City-inspired ITEC park with large floorplates to attract media firms at Longbridge; and a major development site at Washwood Heath – regarded as Birmingham’s best logistics location (see HS2 feature, p77).
Commercial city centre priorities are the big-ticket developments outlined in Birmingham’s Big City Plan, a legacy document from the previous administration. “We need hero projects,” says Bore. “Paradise Circus is hugely important.”
The 1.5m sq ft mixed-use scheme is arguably the council’s main development priority. The project sees Birmingham council in partnership with Argent Developments/Altitude to deliver a new civic and office quarter of up to 12 new buildings next to the Council House and Victoria Square.
Argent and development partner Altitude will submit an outline planning application this summer and Bore says: “Argent wants to move quickly. We are close to putting in place a development proposal for Paradise Circus that will also lever in Miller Developments’ and Bridgehouse Capital’s neighbouring Arena Central development.”
Looking to the future, Bore says: “In five to 10 years’ time, we want to have brought forward elements of Paradise Circus and Arena Central.
“We’ve got Eastside to develop, the Wholesale Markets to sort out and there is still a phase of Snow Hill to build. There is more than enough to keep us busy.”
CV: Sir Albert Bore
• 1946 Born in Ayrshire, Scotland
• 1969 Studied nuclear and reactor physics at Birmingham University
• 1974-1999 Lecturer at the University of Aston, Birmingham
• 1980-present Councillor for Birmingham Ladywood
• 1986 Formed the Eurocities network between Birmingham, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Milan, Lyon and Rotterdam
• 1994-present Member of the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR)
• 1999-2004 Leader of Birmingham city council
• 1999-2004 Board member of West Midlands RDA
• 2002 Awarded a knighthood for services to local government
• 2006-present Chairman of University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• May 2012 Labour regains control of Birmingham. Bore becomes leader of Birmingham city council again
• Lifestyle Married with three children
Bore on…
LEPs/enterprise zones/TIFs
“We are fully supportive of Birmingham and Solihull LEP trying to bring forward enterprise zones in the city centre. This will create an £800m capital pot to use for investment in Birmingham and wider districts. I sit on the LEP board, so will have the opportunity to shape things. David Cameron wants growth and I need capital to drive investment. We need to accelerate this process. I am taking a delegation to meet Cameron in London in July.”
Elected mayors
“I have mixed feelings about Birmingham voting ‘no’ in May’s referendum. I have been in favour of elected mayors for 12 years and I am disappointed the city didn’t vote ‘yes’. But the ‘no’ vote has opened up a wider, longer opportunity for me as council leader.”
City Deal Initiative/Metro
“Birmingham’s City Deal Initiative may well form part of my discussions with David Cameron, as will a possible extension to the city centre’s Metro tram line from New Street, past Arena Central and on to the airport and the NEC.”
Wholesale markets
“I don’t think the prospect of rebuilding the wholesale markets on its current site is viable, but there are some feasibility studies being completed to determine this. My feeling is that in the end we will have to relocate the wholesale markets and we will need to do so within the next five years. It’s not an easy project but we need an early conclusion as to the site’s future.”
Icknield Port Loop
“This is one of the best opportunities for imaginative residential development this council has for future housing. LandProp, IKEA’s property development arm, has been coy about its plans. But I have said there may be some adjustments needed.”
Selly Oak/Battery Park
“I think Land Securities is looking for too much retail at Battery Park [430,500 sq ft]. The Selly Oak area needs more and I know Sainsbury’s is desperate to get a new store there. I support that, but how much retail should be there beyond that is debatable. Land Securities’ plans have serious implications for Longbridge, the city centre and nearby villages.”
Manchester/Europe
“Manchester is sometimes a competitor of ours, but it is not the enemy. We are talking to Manchester about how we can share agendas. There is no reason why the cities can’t work together.”
