Full steam ahead for new arts centre after Government pledges £14m
THE Government is to give Birmingham City University £14m to transform the former Typhoo tea factory in the city into a collaborative innovation centre to support growing arts-focused SMEs.
Confirmation of the deal was announced by Business Secretary Sajid Javid on a visit to the city.
The scheme, called the STEAMhouse project, is intended to support the development of the Midlands Engine by helping small businesses grow.
It has been estimated the scheme could create 10,000 new jobs and stimulate the regeneration of Digbeth.
STEAMhouse will be a collaborative project between the city’s universities, the creative industries, and the SMEs themselves.
The first phase of the scheme will be delivered in partnership with Eastside Projects and see the creation of a new production space and workshop for artists.
Birmingham City University Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julian Beer, said the investment would have a huge impact on the city, economically and physically.
“Through this investment Birmingham City University is continuing its role in regenerating the Digbeth area of the city, an area of enormous untapped economic and social potential,” he said.
“STEAMhouse aims to promote growth and job creation by forming clusters of businesses, academics, artists and local communities, similar to that seen in London’s Shoreditch and Kings Cross. Unlike the hugely successful Tech City in Shoreditch, however, STEAMhouse will focus on how the creative arts – rather than science and technology alone – can lead the way in solving the problems facing small businesses.”
The university and Gooch Estates propose to partner on the scheme by converting the derelict tea factory into a space for co-working, artist production, incubation and networking facilities.
The development is in part a response to a range of reports which indicate that small businesses across the West Midlands are lagging behind on collaborative innovation. By linking academic research and the creative arts scene in Digbeth, the university hopes to develop a new supply chain across the region.
The news of Government support comes just a month after the Arts Council injected £500,000 into the STEAMhouse initiative through its Creative Local Growth Fund, which will be matched by the European Regional Development Fund.
The boost is part of a wider package of measures for the region stemming from the Chancellor’s latest Budget.
Highlights include the new £250m Midlands Engine Investment Fund, which has been secured by the region’s Local Enterprise Partnerships and the British Business Bank to support SMEs, and plans for a new Enterprise Zone in Brierley Hill.
