MIPIM news: £40m Innovation Village planned for city
CITY officials attending the MIPIM property conference in Cannes have announced their plans to create a £40m ICT village in the heart of Birmingham.
The new project, which is to be constructed at Birmingham Science Park Aston, will see the construction of four new buildings, occupying over 10,000 square metres of space, with a 4280m square ‘iCentrum’ as the main piece.
The first draft of the ‘Innovation Village’ shows the buildings linked together by a “spectacular colonnade walkway” on land fronting on to Holt Lane.
The site is expected to be the future home of leading “knowledge-based businesses” and is being viewed as evidence of the city’s determination to compete on the global stage.
Birmingham City Council is using the MIPIM event to raise awareness among potential investors for the project.
Council leader Mike Whitby said he believed the area would become “a world class centre for innovation”.
“Located at the very heart of our global city our renowned science park has the capacity to act as a major contributor towards our ambitions to grow as a world-class centre for innovation,” he said.
Dr David Hardman, managing director of Birmingham Science Park Aston, said that the proposed project would be the cornerstone of the park’s plans to expand on the global stage.
“Birmingham Science Park Aston is more than a geographic location,” he said.
“We are developing a flexible, highly connected and collaborative culture; an environment where people with ideas meet people with experience and people with investment funds.
“Connectivity is driven by face-to-face meetings within our facilities, at our events and increasingly, as we develop our activities to drive the low carbon agenda, through smart work environments, in virtual space.
“The development of our new Innovation Village will be the cornerstone of our plans to build Birmingham Science Park Aston’s global reputation through the next decade.”
The Innovation Village is a part of Birmingham’s ‘Big City Plan’ which aims to regenerate several parts of the city.
More MIPIM news:
- Argent’s Gary Taylor outlines Paradise plan
- MIPIM blog: Birmingham slugs it out with Manchester
- New decade of development will creat thousands of jobs in Birmingham
- City’s £40 million Innovation Centre
- Whitby’s warning to West Midlands investors
