HS2 Royal Assent paves the way for Arden Cross to proceed

The granting of Royal Assent to the HS2 Hybrid Bill has cleared the way for one of the West Midlands’ most strategically important new developments.

Arden Cross, a 350-acre triangular plot bounded by the M42, A45 and A452, and adjacent to Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International railway station and the NEC, has been earmarked as the home of the HS2 Interchange Station, the first stop on the high speed rail line outside of Greater London.

The HS2 station (seen in yellow in the centre of the picture) itself will only constitute a small percentage of the overall site but the consortium behind the scheme is keen to ensure it acts as a catalyst to ensure the long-term sustainability of the site.

The plan is to see the site become a mixed-use urban quarter with the station at its heart, with the additional capacity to deliver 2,000 new homes and 2.6 million sq ft of commercial space with complementary retail and leisure uses.

Ben Gray, Project Director for the Arden Cross Consortium, said: “Royal Assent is a key landmark that provides further certainty for the Arden Cross project and will act as a spur for investment, not only for the Arden Cross  site but also across the wider region, and the importance of this moment should not be understated.

“The Arden Cross site will be directly impacted by the delivery of this momentous project and has the potential and capability of delivering a major, mixed-use hub that fully capitalises on its unparalleled transport connections and its superb location at the geographical centre of the country.

“Arden Cross will bring a world class development to the core of the UK and deliver a vibrant, exciting and bustling community that effectively combines high quality residential, commercial, retail and leisure development.”

He said Royal Ascent would also enable some of the early expectations for the high speed rail project to be realised.

“For some time, the buoyant and positive environment within the West Midlands has been rallied by the expected arrival of HS2. This expectation can now be realised and pave the way for inward investment and the creation of thousands of jobs,” he said.

“For the West Midlands, this will bring many physical and economic benefits to the region, both during the construction phases and once the line from London to Birmingham is complete. The region will also gain enormous advantages from the increased capacity and faster journey times to and from the great cities of England once the phase 2 of the scheme is built out, further attracting new businesses, investment, visitors and residents to the area.”