Birmingham Development Plans 2015

FOUR of Birmingham’s leading development figures will be presenting their development/investment plans for the next couple of years!

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Event Format

• 1530 – 1600; Registration
• 1600 – 1645; Networking with Wine, Beer and Soft Drinks
• 1645 – 1815; Speaker Presentations
• 1815 – 1900; Networking with Hot Food, Wine, Beer and Soft Drinks
• 1930 – 2200; After Event Dinner (INVITE ONLY)

Speakers

Cllr Ian Courts, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Managed Growth; Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Ian Courts was elected to Solihull Council in 2003 to represent Dorridge & Hockley Heath Ward. As a Councillor, Ian has served as Cabinet Member for Economic Development & Regeneration, now Managed Growth, for a number of years, apart from 2010-11, when he was Mayor of Solihull. Ian’s responsibilities include economic growth, planning policy and land. He is an alternate Director of the GBSLEP and chairs the ESIF Committee for the GBSLEP area. Ian became Deputy Leader of the Council in 2004

Educated in the Isle of Ely, before gaining an Exhibition Scholarship to study Law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Qualifying as a solicitor with Nabarro Nathanson, London, Ian then joined the John Laing Group in 1974, initially as a solicitor, but then went into business management and stayed with the firm for over 30 years until retirement in 2004. Ian began working in the Midlands in the early 1990’s, where he set up a major housing business for the Laing Group, moving to the area in 1997. He has particular interests in business and planning, the environment and the natural world and ecology.

James Howarth, Managing Director; Sterling Property Ventures

James Howarth has over 15 years’ experience in land and property, specialising in the planning and remediation of complex development sites. James co-founded Abstract Land Limited in 2004, which has been responsible for various developments such as Colmore Plaza, Birmingham and various land assembly deals in the south east.

Prior to this, he worked extensively in the West Midlands and is known for the development of 5 St Philips Place and for Spectrum in Birmingham. In addition to the acquisition and subsequent funding of the former IMI Headquarters, Birmingham and the former TRW Headquarters in Solihull.

Nathan Cornish, Director; Urban Splash

Nathan’s responsible for all Urban Splash development in the Midlands and South West. He’s overseen some of the most iconic buildings in the UK – Fort Dunlop on the M6 and Rotunda slap bang in the centre of Birmingham – and is now masterminding Grade I Listed Royal William Yard in Plymouth.

Robin Dobson, Director of Retail Development; Hammerson

Robin trained as a Civil Engineer before becoming a Chartered Surveyor with Davis Langdon, involved in the delivery of city offices before joining Hammerson in 1997.

Since joining, he has been involved in the development delivery of all Hammerson retail led mixed use city regeneration projects, including The Oracle, Reading; Bullring, Birmingham; Cabot Circus, Bristol; Highcross, Leicester and Union Square, Aberdeen.

Robin has been responsible for the delivery of Cabot Circus, a £500m mixed use regeneration project in Bristol, which opened in September 2008 and Union Square retail redevelopment in Aberdeen.

Robin now leads the development team and has been responsible for bringing forward the future retail developments for Hammerson since 2009.  Projects on site include leisure extension to Silverburn in Glasgow; the Victoria Gate, Leeds retail and leisure arcade; together with the Watermark, Southampton catering and leisure project.  In addition, responsibility for bringing forward pipeline projects for Hammerson of Croydon, Brent Cross and asset extensions.

Robin sits on the CR Board for Hammerson.