The NEC Group has unveiled plans to create 5,000 new homes and 3,500 new local jobs through the redevelopment of the NEC Campus in Birmingham
The new NEC Masterplan for the NEC Campus will transform over 27 hectares of surface level car parking and surplus land, to create new residential, office, leisure and community spaces.
Overall, the plans are set to create:
- 5,000 new homes
- An estimated 3,500 new local jobs
- 35,000m2 of new commercial space
- 14,000m2 of new outdoor event space
- A new hotel
- New restaurants and cafes
- New primary school
- A greener and more sustainable environment on the NEC Campus.
The new 5,000 homes will form a new urban village located in the north of the site, and are set to establish an inclusive, diverse and prosperous community for over 11,000 people.
The village will include a mix of homes and include a range of new services and amenities such as a primary school, mobility hub, and a local centre with shops, cafes and community space.
In addition to the urban village will be a new grand plaza and urban boulevard.
The new grand plaza will redefine the area surrounding the NEC’s Atrium halls, enhancing the NEC visitor and organiser experience with a dynamic outdoor event space, cafes and restaurants plus a new hotel.
Central to the NEC Campus plans will be sustainable development principles promoting positive social, economic and environmental outcomes from future development.
Site-specific sustainability interventions will support climate change and clean air initiatives.
‘The beginning of a Golden Decade for Birmingham’
Leader of Birmingham City Council, councillor Ian Ward, which owns the land the NEC Campus is situated on, said: “This is an exciting moment for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, as this transformational Masterplan is published.
“Birmingham is attracting record levels of investment, and the NEC Masterplan is testament to that.
“Over the coming years this project will provide much-needed new homes and high-quality jobs for people from our region and I encourage people to make their thoughts known through the public consultation.
“I believe that we are at the beginning of a Golden Decade for Birmingham, with the Commonwealth Games taking place next year, and the arrival of HS2.
“The NEC Masterplan will connect the site with Arden Cross and the High Speed 2 Interchange, which together will transform this area, creating thousands of jobs and build thousands of homes.”
Lionel Assant, European head of private equity at Blackstone, said: “This is brilliant news for the West Midlands.
“We are proud of our partnership with the NEC Group, and today’s announcement shows the positive impact this business has for local job creation and urban regeneration.”
The NEC Masterplan will be subject to a six-week period of public consultation running from 10 November 2021 to 24 December 2021.
Following public consultation, the plan will be updated in response to comments and feedback. Following publication of the final Masterplan, the process to select a development partner for the first phase of the urban village will commence.
‘An ambitious vision’
Dav Bansal, partner at Glenn Howells Architects, added: “Our approach to the NEC Masterplan in the UK Central Solihull Hub Area is an ambitious vision for what will be a new urban village within an established blue and green infrastructure on the edge of the Forest of Arden.
“The existing infrastructure that serves the NEC Campus and the excellent transport links, including Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International train station and the new HS2 interchange, provides the ideal opportunity for the regeneration of this brownfield site to help meet the housing needs of the region.
“We believe the matured landscaping, lakeside setting, and nearby woodlands will help to create a healthy and active environment for residents and visitors alike.
“The Masterplan will provide amenities, a range of communal uses and a primary school to meet community needs and build on the principles of the 15-minute neighbourhood.
“What’s also exciting is the range of typologies on offer that will deliver homes to a wider demographic of society from young families to professionals and those in later life. The new homes will seek to deliver low carbon housing with low energy environmental design whilst exploring modern methods of construction.”
