West Midlands investment opportunities to be showcased at global conference

Billions of pounds worth of investment opportunities, including one of the UK’s largest ever retrofit projects, are to be unveiled at a global property conference MIPIM.

West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street and representatives from West Midlands’ councils are set to join Government ministers and leading private sector businesses at the global property event.

The delegation will address global investors on Wednesday 16 March, during which they will unveil investment opportunities from right across the UK’s largest regional economy, with a particular focus on accelerating the West Midlands’ ambitious net zero agenda.

Directors and chief executives from some of the region’s biggest names in property will also join the delegation, including representatives from St Joseph Homes – part of the Berkeley Group, MEPC – managers of Birmingham’s new Paradise development, Arcadis, Bruntwood, Glenn Howells Architects, Lovell and Mott MacDonald.

Street will address global investors where he will present a multi-billion pound prospectus of investment-ready opportunities from around the region. He will then participate in a panel discussion on the benefits of investing in the West Midlands alongside Urban Splash, the developer leading on Birmingham’s Port Loop development, and global asset management company Aviva.

Cllr Ian Brookfield, leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, Cllr Brigid Jones, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council; Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council will then take to the stage to reveal ambitions for one of the UK’s biggest ever retrofit initiatives.

They say the 3 Cities Retrofit Initiative across the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, represents a “transformational opportunity” to advance the region’s net zero ambitions, by targeting more than 165,000 social homes for improvements across energy efficiency, green energy generation and green heating. The initiative has the potential to activate an additional market making opportunity of more than 535,000 private-owned homes, turbocharging the West Midlands’ green growth agenda.

Street said: “The private sector helped drive the West Midlands to become the fastest growing region outside of London before the outbreak of Covid, with record numbers in work, record homes being built, and record investment in public transport.

“But the pandemic has knocked us for six, and it is mission critical we now leverage in even more private sector investment to turbo-charge our recovery and get us back on our feet quickly.

“We have a track record of delivery, and a new multi-billion pound prospectus ready to unveil to the world at MIPM. So with the once in a generation opportunities of HS2 and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the West Midlands is an opportunity that investors do not want to miss out on.”

Local authorities from across the West Midlands attending MIPIM include the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham City Council, City of Wolverhampton Council, Coventry City Council, Dudley Council, Sandwell Council and Solihull Metropolitan Council.