Black Country JCS: Sub-region’s regen under spotlight
INVESTMENT and development opportunities across the Black Country will be showcased at a special event next week.
Key business figures and planning and regeneration chiefs from Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Dudley will convene on West Bromwich for the ‘Black Country – Open for Business’ breakfast seminar.
All this week TheBusinessDesk.com is featuring the work of the four boroughs, the Black Country Consortium and Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and its Joint Core Strategy (JCS).
The JCS is a 15-year vision for the regeneration of the sub-region which sees the four local authorities bring together their skills and expertise for the greater good of the Black Country.
Its aim is to build 60,000 new homes and deliver 1,000 hectares of commercial development.
So far this week we have reported on the LEP, the JCS and joint working between the four authorities with features on the new Enterprise Zone and business friendly planning to come.
The ‘Open for Business’ event next Thursday will feature a welcome address from Stewart Towe CBE, chairman of the Black Country LEP and managing director of engineering group Hadley Industries.
There will brief presentations from John Polychronakis, chief executive of Dudley Council, and John McDonough CBE, group chief executive of support services plc Carillion.
A Q&A panel debate will then be hosted by Marc Reeves, editor of TheBusinessDesk.com/WestMidlands, and feature Trudi Elliot, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Mr McDonough, executive regeneration director at Walsall Council Tim Johnson and Steve Morgan, Redrow Homes founder and chairman of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
Sandwell Council leader Cllr Darren Cooper will then summarise before planning and regeneration officers meet attendees to showcase the development opportunities across the Black Country.
