£10m expansion at Custard Factory hints at greater ambition for Digbeth
“We’ve got the scope to do it and have got a very good track record. But at the moment the one thing that is completely unpredictable is the funding.”
The other thing that sets Mr Gray apart from most developers is what he described as a “dynastic” approach to property development.
“I’m looking at it for the long term and to some extent it’s a dynastic thing – I have many children and grandchildren too. And I think that being involved effectively with the creation of a city – even a bit of a city – is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope we can keep it going forever.”
Despite the hints of empire building, he rejects parallels between the landed estates of previous centuries, or the paternalistic approach of the Cadbury family in Bournville.
“It’s very different,” he said. “We are not in the business of assembling land.
“We are trying to work with the relationship between people and buildings and the spaces within buildings and creative activity.”
Mr Gray is confident Zellig will fill with tenants, despite ongoing uncertainty in the economy, and he points to the success of the creative businesses already resident in the first phases of the Custard Factory.
“This isn’t a new speculative thing – it’s another layer of something that’s been established for 20 years.
“On the whole, the lifeblood of the Custard Factory is to do with a young almost unpredictable energy and talent and all the energy that comes out of that. I think this is simply more of the same.
“I believe the demand to become part of this creative working community is such that there could be a dozen Custard Factories in Birmingham.”
In the past he has warned about the “Detroitification” of Birmingham – and he still believes there is no room for the city to become complacent about supporting would-be entrepreneurs, despite the spending constraints local and national government will inevitably face.
“I think that to reduce the resources being put into making it easy and possible to encourage people to get on their bikes is economic suicide,” he said.
“It’s a constant battle. The more you can harness the energy and the creative talent of young people, the better it is for any city. If we lose one terrific company it’s a pity.
“It seems to me that Birmingham is particularly good in terms of throwing up good ideas and energetic thrusting people. Birmingham as a city does need to work harder on keeping those people in Birmingham.
‘They do a certain amount but frankly whatever they do is never enough. It should be regarded as a semi obsession.”
