£3.2bn Midlands commercial and residential development to create up to 27,000 jobs

Arden Cross Limited, the consortium behind the £3.2bn, mixed-use commercial and residential destination at the heart of the Midlands, has agreed a landmark development deal with national developer Muse.

The agreement will see the 140 Ha (346-acre) Arden Cross regeneration move forward with “one of the UK’s leading names in mixed-use development”, who has a 37-year track record of delivering complex places in partnership that bring “positive, generational benefits” to communities.

Arden Cross Limited is a special purpose delivery vehicle created by landowners Birmingham City Council, Packington Estate and Coleshill Estate to drive forward the potential of the site where the new HS2 Interchange station is already under construction and will provide fast connections across the country.

The Arden Cross masterplan builds upon this “exceptional connectivity” at the heart of the country, with its co-location alongside the NEC campus, Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International station.

Muse is pushing ahead with plans to create 3,000 new homes, up to 6 million sq ft of employment space and up to 27,000 new jobs. The first phase of development could come forward as early as 2025 and could see a range of facilities and employment opportunities created.

The link up with Muse comes swiftly after Arden Cross Limited recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) and with the University of Warwick to explore opportunities for bringing forward a new Medical & Technology Campus to deliver innovation in the healthcare and technology sectors.

Wider partners in the development which forms part of the UK Central Hub also include HS2, Department for Transport, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the Urban Growth Company who are working together to deliver a range of shared priorities.

Ben Gray, project director with Arden Cross Ltd, commented: “Arden Cross is focused on delivering sustainable growth for the region and the whole of the UK and we know Muse will help us achieve this.

“We’re committed to working together to capitalise on the masterplan principles and deliver transformational change for the region while creating a world leading economic hub for the UK in a unique public-private partnership that leverages the superb connectivity of Arden Cross.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, added: “With more than £800m of investment already committed to the Arden Cross site, there is a huge amount of national and indeed international interest in the tremendous potential of the site to serve a multiplicity of uses.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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