C&W Perspectives

A t present, Birmingham City Council is procuring a development / investment partner for the Birmingham Smithfield site. A key attribute of this approach is that they are a seeking a single JV partnership to deliver the whole scheme. The vision is for a truly mixed use scheme with a new park, a substantial new public square a new and revitalised market and a major cultural attraction. Additional to family oriented leisure is a major new residential component which aims to bring family living to the City Core with some 2000+ new units planned. Ambitious? Perhaps so but the Council has a track record of engaging in the delivery of major schemes that have re shaped the city centre. Brindley Place, The NIA / ICC, Grand Central and more recently Paradise Circus have all seen a major input from the City. The fulcrum of current change is the Big City Plan and the various masterplans that sit alongside it. The Birmingham Smithfield masterplan was produced in house by the City design team and the level of detail that is both in the final plan and sits behind it in terms of due diligence is quite remarkable – in fact more detailed than most we have encountered. The Councils plans have met with an exceptional response from the market attracting developers and investors of international credibility all attracted to the scale of the opportunity and the ability to have a long term stake in the City. The Council are seeking a partner with the relevant experience, capability and resources to secure the necessary funding to deliver the scheme. The procurement stage of this process commenced with the publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The Council is conducting the procurement under the OJEU compliant competitive dialogue procedure. Birmingham Smithfield comprises 17 hectares (42 acres) located in the heart of Birmingham city centre, adjoining the Bullring shopping centre, New Street station and the new HS2 rail terminus, the development of the site is expected to deliver over 300,000 sq. m of new floor space, The site also forms part of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBS LEP) Local Enterprise Zone as such the The Council are seeking a Partner with the relevant experience, capability and resources to secure the necessary funding to deliver the scheme site sits within the investment plan EZ Investment Plan 2014-23 (EZIP). On a personal note, I came to Birmingham 10 years ago because even back then it had a track record of taking on big projects. Over that period I have worked on some great schemes however, Smithfield is truly a game changer and the scale is just staggering – it will truly shift the dial for a family oriented and leisure cultural offer and deliver new housing products into the city core. The place making agenda is very strong within the masterplan and a credit to the city design team. It really does have the potential to be an exemplar for others to follow. CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD 11 SECTOR FOCUS