PBA Peter Brett Associates

We hear exclusively from PBA – now part of Stantec, on the major development set to happen across the Midlands. PBA are a leading consultancy of engineers, planners, scientists and economists.

 

It’s an exciting time to be a proud Midlander – the state of the area based on Deloitte Crane survey, JLL forecast and Savills projections for Birmingham all indicate unprecedented levels of construction and development. Investment for delivery of infrastructure is accompanying this and is further substantiated by the profile associated with Coventry as the City of Culture in 2021 and Commonwealth Games in 2022 – both of these are attracting substantial central government funding which is a catalyst for growth, investment and regeneration; not to mention HS2!

There is clearly an ongoing challenge to get one voice speaking collectively for the region, but through the collaborative intentions of those representing our region, it is clear that we are heading in the right direction – Team Midlands is the voice that is needed. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

Establishing what this one voice needs to say is also work in progress, however, it was clear to us from the recent Midlands Development Conference that this needs to capitalise on our tradition of our strong track record for high quality, skilled and progressive approach. With nearly 20 universities in the Midlands, and over 350,000 students, we have a student market to make a significant contribution to our economy and this is the prime opportunity to ensure we are the “Knowledge Capital”.

Attracting and retaining these students is also competitive, which is demonstrated in the substantial investment that our universities are making to provide accommodation and state-of-the-art facilities. Furthermore, in retaining our skilled workforce, we need to ensure we are creating places where graduates and apprentices can continue their innovative research from comfortable surroundings, and in some instances, retain the principle of shared living.

With various 5G testbeds operating across the region, we are also at the epicentre of technological change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. CWLEP and D2N2 have secured nearly £400 million to support this and the creative sector. Integrating this technology into our development projects and infrastructure will help our future workforce and population be effective and efficient, and should be used to help overcome the challenges of social exclusion and improve mobility to jobs, skills and services.

At the Midlands Development Conference the opportunity and benefits of delivering HS2 (both to Birmingham and the East Midlands and then to Manchester and Leeds) continue to be reinforced; increasing rail capacity for local access (such as East Birmingham), intercity connectivity (Birmingham – Coventry – Milton Keynes), and additional capacity for moving freight around the UK – it was suggested that maybe it should be called High Capacity 2 rather than being solely focused on speed.

In Birmingham, the investment around Eastside reinforces the points that have been spoken about for the past few years – HS2 creates development opportunity and this is now being realised. The development around Toton is also key to continuing economic growth of the Midlands. The recent Midlands Connect publications on the opportunity to improve rail connectivity between East and West Midlands reinforces the importance of being able to move goods and create economic activity across the Midlands.

The passion, drive and vision for those responsible for delivering sustainable, economic growth in the Midlands was evident throughout the Midlands Development Conference, as a place to live, learn and do business. [/emaillocker]