Mayor Richard Parker unveils WM Investment Prospectus
The West Midlands currently has £19bn of investment opportunities, according to the region’s mayor Richard Parker
Launching the West Midlands Major Investments Prospectus, he presented a menu of options to drive growth, jobs and homes across the region.
Parker invited investors from the region, across Britain and around the world to share in the future success of the West Midlands by getting involved in projects including the £4bn Sports Quarter, the Sandwell-Dudley Metro Corridor and the region’s three key “investment zone” sites in Coventry and Warwick, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
‘So much more potential waiting to be released’
He said: “Our region is brimming with talent: We have brilliant people, globally renowned businesses and world-class universities. Yet there is so much more potential waiting to be released.
“This prospectus shows the sheer scale of what’s happening across our region, offering investors the opportunity to be at the forefront of driving a new era of growth, good jobs and affordable homes – the things that really matter to people.
“We have a proud history of innovation and industry but now is the time to go further and faster than ever before. Now is the time to invest in the West Midlands.”
HS2, Knowledge Quarter, Smithfield development …
Other investments in the region include the £4 billion Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, the HS2 station at Curzon Street, the £1.9 billion Smithfield development and a major creative industries hub in Digbeth .
The prospectus will play a key role when the WM Mayor joins Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle, in co-hosting the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham today (Tuesday Oct 21).
The summit will give the West Midlands and other regions the chance to showcase to global investors their potential for growth, innovation, and talent.
Summit in Birmingham
The West Midlands has seen a wave of inward investment over recent years and is now home to the country’s largest advanced manufacturing base and fastest-growing tech sector outside London. It also boasts world-leading clusters in clean energy, health tech and professional services.
Bridget Rosewell CBE, the Mayor’s independent economic advisor, said: “The West Midlands is a modern economic powerhouse with world leading sectors and an ambition and capacity to match.
“The Mayor’s Growth Plan provides us with a clear route to sustained growth. By bringing together transport, commercial development and housing in an aligned approach we can create dynamic new places, strengthen communities and give investors clarity on what’s coming, where and when.
“This is about crowding in private sector investment, sequencing schemes intelligently and moving from plan to spades in the ground with speed and confidence.”
