Masterplanner appointed to £3.2bn Arden Cross regeneration
Urban designer and architect, Studio Egret West has been appointed to lead on the creation of a new masterplan for the £3.2bn Arden Cross regeneration.
Muse, the development partner for the 346-acre scheme and Studio Egret West will now work to maximise the opportunity of the HS2 Interchange Station at Arden Cross in Solihull to build a vibrant new community.
Around 27,000 jobs are expected to be created as well as 3,000 homes, 6m sq ft of commercial space and vast areas of public realm. The masterplan is being enabled by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) with £57m committed to date to the wider infrastructure.
In November 2022, Muse was selected as the development partner by the landowning partnership Arden Cross Limited, and the team says it has looked to “accelerate momentum” behind the project by appointing Studio Egret West as the new masterplanner.
Both Muse and Studio Egret West will now work with the wider partners partners and stakeholders in the UK Central Hub, of which Arden Cross is just one component, and includes HS2, Department for Transport, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, and the Urban Growth Company.
Studio Egret West has a vast portfolio of designing masterplans in partnership. The firm has led on the design for the regeneration of Digbeth in Birmingham, Mayfield in Manchester, and New Bermondsey in London among others across the world.
David West, founding director of Studio Egret West commented: “Arden Cross is a top 10 UK regeneration opportunity and incredibly complex given the major infrastructure at its heart.
“The opportunity to craft a multi-layered environment that blends the city with the countryside is what makes the project so exciting. We hope to interweave a place activating programme with nature-based systems.
“With our experience delivering similar types of schemes, both in the West Midlands and elsewhere, we are looking forward to developing a masterplan vision which the region can be proud of.”
Maggie Grogan, development director at Muse, said: “Studio Egret West is one of the most exciting and experienced practices around, so we’re thrilled to have them on board to support the delivery of Arden Cross.
“It’s a sign of our shared ambition that we’re moving swiftly and wasting no time in creating the ingredients to bring forward a new sustainable destination for the region.
“In due course, we’ll showcase a new masterplan and refreshed vision, and will work closely with the community and other stakeholders to develop it. Our approach will be bold, creative, collaborative and we’ll work tirelessly to deliver for the people of the West Midlands.”
The appointment comes after the Arden Cross partnership signed memorandums of understanding with the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Birmingham, to investigate the potential of a medical and technology campus as part of the proposals which will be included in the revised masterplan.
