Arden Cross launches £3bn masterplan

One of the country’s best connected strategic locations and home to the HS2 Interchange Station, Arden Cross, has today launched a £3bn masterplan to create a business, leisure and residential destination and economic hub.

The 346 acre site to the east of the NEC campus and M42 motorway has the potential to boost the regional economy of the Midlands by over a £1bn, create, support up to 27,000 new jobs, deliver up to 3,000 homes and up to six million square feet of commercial development.

With the HS2 Interchange Station as the catalyst to create unprecedented economic growth, Arden Cross Limited has developed the masterplan in partnership with public sector stakeholders to unlock the site’s full potential.

Arden Cross sits alongside Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Birmingham Business Park and Jaguar Land Rover and is an integral part of the Urban Growth Company’s wider plans for the UK Central Hub.

Linking the HS2 Interchange Station to the nearby NEC, Airport, Resorts World, Birmingham Business Park and Birmingham International Station, Arden Cross will provide direct access to London and the regional centres across the UK.

Arden Cross director, Ben Gray, said: “The intention for Arden Cross has always been to deliver a world class development with the HS2 Interchange Station at its heart and by launching our masterplan, we are a step closer to delivering that ambition. The Arden Cross Limited shareholders are focused on creating a game-changing legacy that will lift the entire Midlands economy.
“Our 346 acre site provides the opportunity to deliver significant economic growth and a sustainable mixed use environment bringing together new homes, work and learning places, all served by extensive transport links and car free public spaces.

“Unlocking this transformational opportunity will require a collaborative approach between the public and private sector, and as we put our masterplan on show for the first time I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with central government, Solihull Council, the Urban Growth Company, the West Midlands Combined Authority, regional stakeholders and local communities to bring our plans to fruition.”

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The Arden Cross masterplan is exactly the kind of vision and ambition that will help to drive both the regional and national economy forward.

“By actively working together and capitalising on the jump start that HS2 has created, Arden Cross has the opportunity to be truly transformational and deliver a whole new business and residential community of national importance, centred around the principles of sustainability and connectivity, while also creating new neighbourhoods and locations for leisure and learning as well as living and working.”

Nick Brown, chairman of the Urban Growth Company (UGC), which is leading infrastructure investment and development across the wider UK Central Hub, said: “A huge amount of work has been undertaken by all the partners to get to this stage so we welcome the ambition of this masterplan which is perfectly aligned to our wider ambitions for the UK Central Hub. For example, we now see HS2 on board with plans for The Hub, including support for multi-storey car parks at Arden Cross rather than surface car parks which would hugely frustrate development opportunities there.

“That coming together of partners and agreement of shared principles means we are moving ever closer to our joint goal of greenbelt release and delivering high-quality, sustainable, mixed-use development. That is how we’ll create the jobs, homes, commercial spaces and world-class connectivity the region needs now more than ever.”
Further detail supporting the masterplan will be launched in September, together with an online survey and comment form inviting views from the public as part of the formal public consultation.

Arden Cross at The Hub is a part of the UK Central Hub, being driven by Solihull Council and supported by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), West Midlands Combined Authority and central government.