Person to head up HS2-linked regeneration company revealed
LIZ Peace CBE has been appointed to lead the regeneration around Birmingham’s HS2 station.
The former chief executive of the British Property Federation (BPF), has become the chair of the Birmingham Curzon Urban Regeneration Company.
The company is responsible for the transformation of more than 140 hectares surrounding the city’s HS2 terminus at Curzon Street.
The regeneration of the Curzon area is expected to generate 14,000 jobs and up to £1.3bn to the local economy.
Launched in July 2014, the company will lead the redevelopment of the area surrounding Birmingham’s planned HS2 station. It is one of the biggest urban regeneration schemes in Britain.
Having grown up in Birmingham, Peace is now based in London. She retired in 2014 after spending nearly 13 years at the BPF, the lobbying organisation for the UK’s commercial property industry. Prior to this, she was director of corporate affairs at defence specialist QinetiQ and also worked at the Ministry of Defence.
Peace holds non-executive roles at companies including EC Harris, Morgan Sindall and Turley, and is chair of the property industry’s charity, LandAid.
The appointment of Peace is being heralded as a further step forward for Birmingham’s plan to capitalise fully on the benefits HS2 will bring. The city has already been announced as the home to HS2’s construction headquarters – creating 1,500 jobs – and the HS2 College, which will train some 2,000 engineering apprentices.
Peace said: “On revisiting Birmingham, I have been able to see the huge amount of activity happening in the city to capture every opportunity that HS2 will provide.
“The scheme will be integral to Birmingham’s growing appeal to businesses, developers and investors across the globe. The company will initially focus on attracting new investment into the Curzon area to stimulate its regeneration.
“To play a lead role in helping to realise Birmingham’s full economic potential is an exciting opportunity that I could not miss.”
Peace heads a shadow board for the Birmingham Curzon Urban Regeneration Company, which met for the first time earlier this month. The board consists of members of local and national government, and the transport industry. They comprise Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council, Andy Street, chair of the GBSLEP, Duncan Sutherland, non-executive board member and regeneration lead at HS2 Ltd, David Prout, director general of HS2 at the Department for Transport, and Geoff Inskip, chief executive of Centro. The company is expected to be incorporated by the end of the year.
Waheed Nazir, director for planning and regeneration at Birmingham City Council, said: “The investment opportunities in Curzon vary from national infrastructure sites to large residential schemes. It needs a dedicated company to ensure that the regeneration of the area is pushed forward and capitalised on.
“The appointment of Liz Peace, a well-known figure in the property industry, demonstrates Birmingham’s commitment to fully realising the economic and investment boost that HS2 could bring to the local area.”
Peace’s appointment was announced to an international audience at real estate show MIPIM. The Greater Birmingham delegation is hosting two events about HS2.
