Solihull town centre plans under spotlight
Ambitious future plans for Solihull Town Centre are being showcased at MIPIM this week, with the aim of building on the success of the town’s reputation as a place to invest, centred around new landmark developments.
Solihull Council has developed a Town Centre Masterplan which will provide a blueprint for future investment and development in the town centre over the next 20 years.
It says that, in response to occupier demand and investor confidence, the plan identifies new key strategic development sites in the town centre.
One of the proposed developments is a landmark office scheme, Homer Road Gateway, which has potential to deliver over 10,000 sq m of Grade A office space in a key location by Solihull Train Station.
Future plans for the town centre include phased higher density residential development, an accelerated supply of office space along with further support for the evolution of the retail, dining and leisure offer.
Work is already underway to support development through investment in connectivity and the public realm – with plans for a new integrated transport hub at Solihull Train Station, supporting the growth in passenger numbers – forecasted to double by 2043.
The ambitions outlined in the masterplan are part of Solihull Council’s wider UK Central programme – delivering key infrastructure projects geared towards economic growth across the borough.
Cllr Ian Courts, cabinet member for managed growth, said: “Our Masterplan for Solihull outlines our aims and ambitions, turning our already highly successful commercial centre into a destination that offers a strong sense of place and is highly sought after as a place to live and work.
“Homer Road Gateway is the first of a series of sites being brought forward by the Council, offering a range of partnership opportunities that will be showcased at MIPIM. It demonstrates our continued commitment to the highest standards of urban design, sustainability measures and what we expect from our forthcoming developments.”
Solihull has recently attracted global businesses such as performance software developer sales-i and Canadian technology company CGI.
It is also the long standing base for the UK HQ of BNP Paribas.
Paul Black, CEO and co-founder of Sales-I, said: “As sales-i continues to grow, so too does our need for more office space. By providing our hard-working teams in Solihull with more space and state of the art facilities, we can more easily foster creativity and further growth.”
“Solihull provides our staff with all the benefits of a big city without the hustle and bustle,” he added. “And we’re proud to be part of a community of other successful technology companies that are located outside of London. We look forward to welcoming our customers, prospects and partners to our new facility.”
