West Midlands investment opportunities to be showcased at global conference

MIPIM 2022 takes place at Cannes on the French Riviera from Tuesday, March 15.

The second day will see Councillor Ian Brookfield, leader of Wolverhampton Council; Councillor Brigid Jones, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and Councillor Jim O’Boyle, a cabinet member at Coventry City Council take to the stage to unveil ambitions for the 3 Cities Retrofit Initiative across the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.

It is being billed as an opportunity to advance the West Midlands’ net zero ambitions, by targeting more than 165,000 social homes for improvements across energy efficiency, green energy generation and green heating.

During the session, leaders from the three cities will outline their plans for how pooling assets, collaborating across the cities and drawing on expertise and partnerships – including with the West Midlands Combined Authority – will unlock opportunities.

The 3 Cities Retrofit Initiative outlines coordinated action to address barriers, build capacity and capability, and develop financing and delivery models, across the region.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is leading the regional delegation at MIPIM.

He and the delegation will address global investors at the UK Government Pavilion about investment opportunities from right across the UK’s largest regional economy, with a particular focus on accelerating the West Midlands’ net zero agenda.

Directors and chief executives from some of the region’s biggest names in property will also join the delegation, including representatives from St Joseph Homes, part of the Berkeley Group; MEPC, managers of Birmingham’s new Paradise development; Arcadis, Bruntwood, Glenn Howells Architects, Lovell and Mott MacDonald.

Mr Street will present a multi-billion pound prospectus of investment-ready opportunities from around the region. He will then participate in a panel discussion on the benefits of investing in the West Midlands alongside Urban Splash, the developer leading on Birmingham’s Port Loop development, and global asset management company Aviva.

He said: “The private sector helped drive the West Midlands to become the fastest growing region outside of London before the outbreak of Covid, with record numbers in work, record homes being built, and record investment in public transport.

"But the pandemic has knocked us for six, and it is mission critical we now leverage in even more private sector investment to turbo-charge our recovery and get us back on our feet quickly.

“We have a track record of delivery, and a new multi-billion pound prospectus ready to unveil to the world at MIPM. So with the once-in-a-generation opportunities of HS2 and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the West Midlands is an opportunity that investors do not want to miss out on.”

Local authorities attending MIPIM also include Dudley and Sandwell councils.