The West Midlands has confirmed that it will exhibit at the UK’s Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Forum (UKREiiF) in May.
For the first time at UKREiiF, investment opportunities from Birmingham, Coventry and Warwickshire, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton will highlight the collective, transformational power of the West Midlands.
Set to take place between 21-23 May 2024, UKREiiF brings together key influencers and decision-makers within the investment and real estate markets.
Led by the West Midlands Growth Company, the region’s destination management agency, the West Midlands delegation includes senior public sector figures who will showcase a portfolio of transformative development opportunities and regenerative schemes worth more than £20 billion.
These will include the recently announced West Midlands investment zone, comprising Coventry & Warwickshire Gigapark, Birmingham Knowledge Quarter and Wolverhampton’s Green Innovation Corridor, with the potential to drive up to £5.5bn of growth and 30,000 new jobs across the region.
Across the three days, topics such as “Levelling Up”, devolution and brownfield development will be high on the agenda in the West Midlands pavilion, alongside lively discussions around the impact of creative clusters, innovation-led real estate and the night-time economy on regeneration.
A full event programme has been launched today, with a limited number of partner packages remaining.
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said:
“One of the great strengths of the West Midlands is the collective scale at which we can operate. Taking the combined power of our local authorities means we’ll be speaking with investors about over £20 billion worth of investment opportunities – all with the potential to continue driving transformational change across our cities, towns and high streets.”
Councillor John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:
"The West Midlands is a region of huge opportunity and potential, and by working together, we have so much to showcase at UKREiiF. The wealth of development opportunities across our region is almost unparalleled and will deliver homes, jobs and opportunities for our residents."
Councillor Jim O’Boyle Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said:
"We are fiercely proud of Coventry’s transport industry heritage and history of innovation. Today, Coventry is the UK's centre of electrification and we have the right packages in place to attract investors to our city.
“We are delighted to be attending UKREiiF in May to showcase the wide range of development opportunities, such as the West Midlands Gigafactory within the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark investment zone, available in Coventry.”
Councillor Patrick Harley, Leader of Dudley Council, said:
“This is a great opportunity for Dudley to be part of the West Midlands presence at the UKREiiF event in Leeds in May to promote the investment and funding opportunities in Dudley. We have already started down the road of significant investment and we need to take every opportunity to build on that.”
Councillor Peter Hughes, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and West Midlands Combined Authority, said:
“Sandwell is at the heart of the West Midlands and we have a young, diverse and rapidly growing population.
“We are hugely ambitious for our borough and have a pipeline of 67 regeneration projects that will help transform Sandwell and create the opportunities that will help everyone realise their potential.
“We already have an outstanding track record in securing funding for our borough and have shown we can be trusted to deliver, as with the Sandwell Aquatics Centre – the best community leisure facility in the country – which played host to visitors from all over the world during the Commonwealth Games.
“Our focus is on improving life chances and outcomes for our residents. Delivering our regeneration pipeline is crucial to this and we look forward to the opportunity to showcase Sandwell’s potential as we seek to attract even more investment for the long term.”
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, said:
“At UKREiiF, we will be showcasing our vision across the UK Central Solihull area, with a focus on our exciting plans for Solihull town centre.Located at the heart of the UK’s transport network, our thriving town centre presents a range of commercial and residential development opportunities, aligned with the significant investments in public realm and transport infrastructure.
“We are particularly excited to discuss our emerging mixed-use Mell Square Masterplan which will provide a huge boost to Solihull’s established commercial offer, whilst diversifying our nighttime economy, and creating a new multi-generational neighbourhood as part of a vibrant town centre.”
Councillor Adrian Andrew, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration at Walsall Council, said:
“I’m looking forward to attending UKREiiF this year and really putting Walsall on the map as a place to invest. Walsall has attracted £1.5billion of investment in recent years to transform the borough and drive economic growth, and UKREiiF is a great platform to highlight everything that Walsall has to offer.”
Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, said:
“As a city we have bold and ambitious regeneration plans - as laid out in the Wolverhampton Investment Prospectus - and a track record of delivery.
“We are working closely with our regional partners, and I would urge investors and developers to take a close look at the strong proposition the West Midlands has to offer.
“As part of the emerging West Midlands Investment Zone the Green Innovation Corridor will drive the Green Industrial Revolution, building upon Wolverhampton’s sustainable construction, green credentials and circular economy for transformation that will create quality jobs and opportunities for all.”
The West Midlands’ presence at UKREiiF 2024 is sponsored by Wavensmere Homes, Mott MacDonald, Nimbus, Stoford, Cordia UK, WSP and Arup.
For more information about the West Midlands pavilion and to register for updates, visit investwestmidlands.com/wm-at-ukreiif.