Property race is on as city readies itself for Games confirmation

Birmingham will be in a race against time to complete the athletes’ village, should it be confirmed as the host city of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the coming weeks.

Waheed Nazir, director of economy at Birmingham City Council, told an audience at TheBusinessDesk.com’s property professionals lunch of the residential requirements of a successful bid.

The lunch event had sold out in a week, with Siamais in Brindleyplace packed with people from across the property sector.

Nazir, speaking before the Commonwealth Games Federation confirmed Birmingham was the only bidder for the 2022 Games, acknowledged the challenges the tight timescale will produce.

The 2022 event had been awarded to Durban in 2015 but the South African city was subsequently withdrawn as host. A final decision is expected by the end of this year.

“One of the big challenges in property terms for the Commonwealth Games is we have to build 1,000 property units,” he said.

“Glasgow took eight years from the point of knowing they were successful to completing the athletes’ village – but we are looking at 2022.”

However the city is much more confident than it was about its ability to deliver major property projects after a string of successes.

“People supported the ambition but many questioned the realism” said Nazir, about the 2010 launch of the City Centre Masterplan.

The completion of Grand Central, the Library of Birmingham and Two Snowhill, and the development of Arena Central and Paradise, are among the highlights of developments in the city centre.

Transport infrastructure is pulling this all together, with New Street and Grand Central having “really changed the first impressions of people coming to the city”, said Nazir, while he looked ahead to having an expanded Metro system “that starts to benefit the region”.

Nazir also spoke about the city’s “next chapter of growth”. Birmingham City Council will be announcing a shortlist of four development partners for the Birmingham Smithfield scheme, while the relocated markets are scheduled to be open by February.

The council is also setting up a development team to look into maximising the commercialisation around the HS2 station at Curzon Street.

The next property lunch will see Seven Capital’s Andy Robinson discuss the group’s current investment plans both within and outside the city, along with future developments and the group’s other real estate activity.

The event is at Canalside, at the Mailbox, on Tuesday, November 21. Click here to find out more and to book tickets.