West Midlands is still open for business says AWM chief

Mar 5 2009 by Alun Thorne, Birmingham Post

It is 12 months since Mick Laverty attended MIPIM for the first time as chief executive of Advantage West Midlands.

No-one could have forecast the global economic turmoil ahead with the commercial property market and construction industry among the first sectors hit by the downturn.

But the regional development agency for the West Midlands remains as committed as ever to making sure that its multi-million pound portfolio of flagship physical developments are kept going through the dip.

“The mood and tone of MIPIM 2009 will be very different from 12 months ago, and the short to medium-term economic outlook across the sector is still very challenging,” said Mr Laverty. “But everyone at MIPIM knows that this isn’t a short-term business – we are in this for the long haul.

“Times are challenging but they will get better again and when they do, we will have pushed ahead with public sector investment at major physical developments to make sure the region is ready to move on.”

A reduced British presence at MIPIM this year is reflected in AWM’s representation in Cannes – Mr Laverty will be accompanied by director of development Stuart Kirkwood.

“The easy option would have been to pull out but we don’t have a reputation for quitting in the West Midlands,” said Mr Laverty. “We have a reputation for determination and resilience – a can-do attitude – and our message at MIPIM 2009 is that the West Midlands is still very much open for business.”

AWM has again co-ordinated Team West Midlands, a private-public partnership designed to give the West Midlands a powerful voice at MIPIM and reinforce the region’s reputation as the best-connected location for property investment in the United Kingdom.

Around 160 delegates from Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, North Staffordshire and Telford have joined Team West Midlands to tell the story that developers, investors and occupiers want to hear: private and public sectors working closely together to achieve economic development.

Private-sector partners supporting Team West Midlands include Stofords, Goodman, PxP, Hammonds, Mace, Thomas & Lister and GVA Grimley.

The Team West Midlands base at La Croisette is a suite of private meeting rooms and event space for partner networking, in a prime position opposite the entrance to the main Palais Festival exhibition hall in Cannes.

The Main Stand presence, situated in one of the most sought-after areas of the Palais des Festivals exhibition hall, will be used primarily to showcase Birmingham as the region’s largest city.

A second regional hub stand, “The Place to Connect”, is at a prime location on the main concourse in the basement of the Palais des Festivals.

While numbers are expected to be down, those attending MIPIM are likely to be at a more senior and influential level, reinforcing the need for Team West Midlands to be there, making the most of quality networking opportunities, persuading investors, intermediaries and developers of the region’s merits.

“At Advantage West Midlands, we know the importance of a strong working partnership between the public and private sector – a partnership that is crucial to drive forward developments across the region,” added Mr Laverty.

AWM developments are on the move despite the downturn. One of the Agency’s flagship projects received the Prime Minister’s seal of approval when Gordon Brown paid a visit to Ansty Park, near Coventry, last month.

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson will be the first high-profile occupier at Ansty Park, a 100-acre former airfield which is being transformed into a world-class research & development park. Construction work will be completed in May 2009 and will be home to up to 850 Ericsson staff.

In addition to attracting Ericsson to the site, AWM’s investment has been the catalyst for securing the £120 million National Manufacturing Technology Centre for the site by 2010.

In North Staffordshire, Gazeley’s Blue Planet development at Chatterley Valley will be one of the world’s leading logistics facilities, providing about 360,000 sq ft of industrial space together with 30,000 sq ft of new offices situated in a parkland environment.

Also in North Staffordshire, the Central Business District in Stoke-on-Trent will reach a major milestone at MIPIM when AWM and the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership announce the preferred developer for the £230 million office-led city centre development.

AWM and Wolverhampton City Council will also announce the preferred developer for the next phase of the project to create a modern urban community the 100-acre Bilston Urban Village in Wolverhampton.

The Agency and Birmingham City Council will also be giving a snapshot of what’s next for the Gateway Project at New Street Station. AWM’s £100 million contribution to this project is the biggest investment in a single project by any regional development agency in the UK.

Striking concept designs for the £600 million New Street Gateway by Foreign Office Architects were unveiled in September 2008.

Interior designs will be unveiled this summer and the first spade will go into the ground in late-2009/early-2010.

Mr Laverty said: “The major projects which are being showcased by our partners at MIPIM next week will definitely go ahead.

“The economic climate means that perhaps some of them will take a little bit longer than we might have anticipated, but the investment is still there, the will is still there and the opportunity is still there.

“The financial world may be in turmoil but the public sector remains a solid and reliable partner and Advantage West Midlands particularly so.”