East Birmingham Inclusive Growth Strategy February 2021 1 Foreword page 3 Introduction page 4 The need for this strategy Purpose About East Birmingham page 8 Challenges The opportunity page 18 Investing in the community Major transport improvements New homes and jobs Clean energy and climate change The Commonwealth Games Vision page 26 Objectives Approach Big moves - Improved local services - Business, employment and skills - Local places and green spaces - Midland Metro East Birmingham to Solihull extension - Heavy rail network Principles - Prioritising East Birmingham - Investing in the environment - Joined-up working CONTENTS - Empowering communities - Transparency - Working locally - Putting technology to work - Joined-up transport Next steps page 38 east birmingham growth strategy / contents contents / east birmingham growth strategy 2 3 East Birmingham is a growing place; a place with great potential. It is home to more than 230,000 people and forms a crucial part of the city and region’s economy. Major growth is coming which will deliver more than 60,000 new jobs and 10,000 homes within and near to East Birmingham over the next ten years. With the coming of HS2 and the proposed Midland Metro East Birmingham to Solihull extension, East Birmingham has a once in a lifetime opportunity for positive change. In this Inclusive Growth Strategy, we now set out a clear vision for the future of East Birmingham as an excellent place of strong communities in which to live and work, to grow up and to grow old. To achieve this vision, the Council will work closely with partners to address health and employment inequalities, improve social mobility and make lasting improvements to residents’ lives. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these issues are even more urgent. Climate change is a key priority for the whole city and East Birmingham will be at the forefront of our efforts as a new centre for sustainable and low carbon technologies which will make a major contribution to achieving our target of a zero-carbon Birmingham by 2030. The success of this strategy will be measured not just by how quickly growth is delivered, or how much East Birmingham is improved as a place, but by how effectively growth is harnessed for the benefit of the local people, and how we enable people of all backgrounds and ages to come together to realise their shared aspirations and live healthy, sustainable, and successful lives. During the preparation of the strategy we have worked with the community and stakeholders to understand the challenges and opportunities and develop a shared vision. Using the Strategy as our foundation we will be working together to deliver this vision and shape the future of East Birmingham. FOREWORD Councillor Ian Ward Leader Birmingham City Council east birmingham growth strategy / foreword foreword / east birmingham growth strategy 4 Introduction 5 Birmingham is experiencing strong and sustained growth and it is predicted that the city’s population will grow by 150,000 people by 2031. During this period, Birmingham City Council has an ambitious strategy to provide 65,400 new homes, 100,000 jobs and the infrastructure that is needed to meet the needs of the growing population. A significant part of this growth will be concentrated in the east of the city, stimulated by HS2 and enabled by improved transport links including the Metro extension to Solihull and the Sprint rapid transit route along the A45 Coventry Road corridor. The Council is committed to reducing The need for this strategy The COVID-19 pandemic is having a inequalities and building a fair, inclusive In 2017 a baseline study was undertaken to dramatic effect across the whole of East city. We will do this by making sure that explore the best way forward for the East Birmingham - and in many cases has the benefits of growth are shared more Birmingham and North Solihull Inclusive magnified many of the existing issues in fairly, providing new opportunities for Growth Corridor, to tackle the long-standing the area. The pandemic and its long-lasting local people to change their lives for the problems facing the area and make the effects must be fully addressed as part of better and delivering lasting improvements most of the social, environmental and the regeneration of East Birmingham. M6 to living standards, education and skills, economic opportunities provided by the M6 (Toll) access to jobs and opportunities, health, coming of HS2, the Midland Metro East the environment, local places and transport. Birmingham to Solihull extension and M42 This is what is meant by Inclusive Growth. the jobs growth that is expected at key BIRMINGHAM employment sites. Inclusive Growth is defined by the West The study concluded that a new approach Midlands Combined Authority as follows: is required with two key elements. There will be a focus on places, including improving A more deliberate and socially purposeful transport connections, stimulating local M5 model of economic growth - measured not growth and involving local people and EAST only by how fast or aggressive it is; but also BIRMINGHAM businesses in shaping this growth and Birmingham by how well it is created and shared across City Centre M6 benefiting from it. There will also be a real NORTH the whole population and place, and by SOLIHULL focus on people including partnership the social and environmental outcomes it working to improve the way that the public realises for our people - an economy that v sector works, both for local people and with PLAN 1 East Birmingham and North Solihull Birmingham shares the values of its citizens. Airport local people. Inclusive Growth Corridor context In East Birmingham this work will be led by Key East Birmingham and neighbouring the East Birmingham Board which brings Birmingham and Solihull boundary North Solihull has been chosen as an M42 together the Council with key partners SOLIHULL Inclusive Growth Corridor where a new including the NHS and Birmingham East Birmingham/North Solihull corridor partnership working approach is being Children’s Trust. The Board will work pioneered, bringing together public sector Motorway closely with the West Midlands Combined organisations, businesses and the local Major road Authority, Transport for West Midlands community to deliver growth, to develop and Solihull Council’s Solihull Together Rail line M42 new approaches and better ways of working partnership which is responsible for to ensure that this growth is inclusive. delivering inclusive growth in the North n NOT TO M40 Solihull area. NORTH SCALE east birmingham growth strategy / introduction introduction / east birmingham growth strategy 6 7 Each year the organisations which make up Purpose The role of the community the Board spend several hundred million The East Birmingham Inclusive Growth pounds in East Birmingham and, although The publication of this draft document Strategy has been adopted by the Council a huge amount is achieved, there are some for consultation has been the first step and the East Birmingham Board to guide persistent problems which have not been of a continuous process of engagement the delivery of inclusive growth in East fully addressed by our current ways of through which residents of East Birmingham over the next 20 years. working. Over time this has led to people Birmingham will be empowered not only in East Birmingham being left behind some to shape and influence the strategy and To do this it sets out: other parts of the city in key areas including decide how it is to be delivered, but also to • A Vision for the regeneration of East health, job prospects and earnings, creating play a leading role in that delivery. significant inequalities which must now be Birmingham. addressed. This approach will follow the city council’s • The Objectives which we will seek to principles of Localism: deliver. All of the Board partners have therefore committed to work together and with the Our overall aim is to move from focusing • Five Big Moves - the major changes which local community to bring about the major on the city council and its structures to a are needed to deliver these objectives. changes which are needed to ensure that citizen focused approach, working with • A strong set of Principles to guide all of these challenges are tackled effectively and neighbourhoods to make things work the work which is needed to achieve the that the maximum value for local people is better from the point of view of local vision. achieved for every pound that is spent. This residents. strategy builds on the insights provided • Next Steps giving an overview of the work by the baseline study to set out how this To help the communities of East which will deliver the strategy. commitment will be achieved in East Birmingham achieve their aspirations we Birmingham using innovative new principles will support local groups and organisations The strategy is informed by and sits and ways of working. by: alongside other strategies and publications including the Birmingham Development • Supporting Ward Forums to create Ward Plan, Bordesley Green Area Action Plan and Plans setting out their priorities and the Birmingham and Solihull Sustainability aspirations. and Transformation Partnership (STP) • Providing information and advice. Strategy. • Help communities develop their capacity to actively build the social and economic potential of their area. To help the communities of East Birmingham achieve their aspirations we will support local groups and organisations east birmingham growth strategy / introduction introduction / east birmingham growth strategy 8 About East Birmingham 9 East Birmingham is made up of vibrant, dynamic and unique places with bustling shopping streets and attractive parks and green spaces. It is a young place where a third of residents boundary with Solihull in the east. The area are under 16 years old - one of the highest covers around a quarter of Birmingham, proportions of children in the country.