Arden Cross The Arden Cross Consortium s Vision

Transcription

1 Arden Cross The Arden Cross Consortium s Vision

2 Contents 1. Scale of Opportunity 2. Capitalising on the Location 3. Capturing the Economic Potential 4. Placemaking Principles 5. Delivering the Ambition An exceptional opportunity to create a vibrant place that provides a competitive edge to the city region. BIR MIN GHAM AIRPORT NEC HS2 IN TE RCHA NGE Image from Google Earth 2

3 1 Scale of Opportunity Four landowners have come together to form the Arden Cross Consortium and create a vision for the development of Arden Cross, the major development zone around the HS2 Interchange Station. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the area, but for those whose ownership goes back hundreds of years, this is also about long-term legacy. The Arden Cross Consortium want to create a successful and connected place, one that contributes far beyond the immediate site and well into the future. MANCHESTER BIRMINGHAM CURZON STREET LEEDS HS2 INTERCHANGE HS2 The opportunity to create an exceptional mixed use development is stimulated by the arrival in 2026 of HS2. The high speed line bisects the 150 hectare triangle site with the station located squarely in the middle. This creates 360 degrees of potential; however this is not a city centre location like Curzon in Birmingham. It is on the edge of the conurbation, in fact currently in the Green Belt. The station is intended to serve the purpose of interchange being at the Y-fork of the high speed network, linking other parts of the Midlands and major economic assets such as the Airport and NEC. To make it a successful place, it needs to be more than just a station; more than a transient place to make other connections. To warrant its release from the Green Belt, the place created needs to be more than just a major development around a station. It needs to be exceptional. It should deliver the right development in the right place at the right time: a place above all for people, to sustain a community, to generate regional economic benefits, some even of national significance, building on the exceptional locational and connectivity advantages. These should be complementary and additional to the wider effects of HS2 on the Midlands, not something that could be provided elsewhere. The site offers an unrivalled location capable of global status as a business destination. An opportunity lost if not pursued. It can also create a unique residential environment, supported by leisure, retail and social facilities as part of a mix which can deliver something major cities need: a vibrant urban district in an edge of urban setting. Something that major cities need: a vibrant urban district in an edge of urban setting Somewhere that provides a competitive edge to the city region LONDON EUROPE 3

4 HafenCity, Hamburg (image: 4

5 Life, spaces, buildings and in that order please. Jan Gehl HS2 will provide a world class station and funding of associated infrastructure to stimulate significant economic growth and wider regional prosperity. There is an unprecedented opportunity in this location for the Midlands to capitalise on this major investment; to begin to balance the national economy. The development of Arden Cross will capitalise on its national and international connectivity and the potential created around both arrivals and departures: People and businesses that require high speed connectivity to the rest of the UK and beyond, using the HS2 station or the Airport as a point of departure to export services or travel to other places. Visitors to the city region who arrive wanting to interchange with other modes of transport (air, rail or road) to other locations, including within the Midlands, or to interact with businesses and leisure activities present on the site or nearby, such as the NEC. The scale of the site creates opportunities for a range of environments broader than can be achieved in a city centre location. It can facilitate both swift transit onto ultimate destinations and greater dwell time to create a destination of the place itself. Proximity to the countryside also offers the potential for recreation and leisure pursuits on the doorstep. This can be a location for an international business which require quick access to overseas markets, a campus-style operation looking for space to grow and expand, or a research-intensive activity seeking collaboration with national and international partners in high density interactive space. To create added vibrancy, the development should provide retail, leisure and residential environments to support a new business community and foster a sustainable urban neighbourhood. These uses should be tailored to creating a successful and connected place, providing appropriate levels of accommodation to capitalise on the location and economic potential of the site. They should complement other provision in the vicinity. Other uses may be captured where they add to the overall vitality and dynamism of the place. Such uses may respond to the potential for synergy with other activities and functions of the site (e.g. R&D, education or skills and training facilities, and other service uses benefiting from proximity to major travel terminals). The strategic intent set out in the Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy (July 2015) and SMBC s Interchange Prospectus (July 2014) identifies the potential for in the region of 20,000 jobs and 2,000 homes on the Interchange site. The Arden Cross Consortium believes that these figures are achievable, and could be exceeded, particularly if the residential element is to be self-sustaining. The real prize will be to deliver an integrated place connecting the Airport, NEC and Interchange station which will complete the grand project started in this location forty years ago. The station should be fully integrated into the development from day one, generating demands from arrivals and departures which can be served by a range of uses in the immediate vicinity, rather than merely a transport facility surrounded by car parking and land awaiting development. This will be a place that redefines our very idea of a city: An international business hub Unrivalled connectivity Vibrant and welcoming A highly desirable place to live In touch with nature A competitive edge 5

6 2 Capitalising on the Location HS2 will transform the rail infrastructure of the UK. Along its route, it will create the potential for a step-change in economic growth in the areas around the proposed new stations. In the case of the station at the Interchange site, there is an opportunity to capitalise on the latent investment potential of the UK Central area. In combination with Curzon Street in Birmingham City Centre, and with the additionality arising from other complementary planned investments including at the adjoining NEC and Airport, the wider prosperity benefits for the Greater Birmingham area should be substantial. HS2 as a catalyst for growth The HS2 Task Force and Government have challenged stakeholders in each station location to maximise the potential for growth. The Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy states: Our vision is to harness the unrivalled connectivity and investment of HS2 to create a step change in the Midlands economic performance, driving growth and significantly improving outcomes for its people, businesses and places. The Midlands will have two stations (at Birmingham Curzon and Arden Cross) with differing roles and opportunities to: Develop world class integrated stations Attract inward investment Create internationally competitive business hubs Be home to sustainable residential communities Attract visitors to the Midlands In developing proposals for the Interchange site, the Arden Cross Consortium recognise the need for strategic fit with wider investment priorities and projects across the GBSLEP area and Midlands as a whole. Over 40% of passengers from London are expected to use the Interchange station rather than Birmingham Curzon. HS2 Information Paper: Birmingham Interchange Station (2015) 6

7 HS2 A unique concentration of economic assets and growth drivers of national and regional significance. The vision must reflect the particular characteristics of Arden Cross and wider area (referred to in the Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy and the Interchange Prospectus as the UK Central). The proximity of the Airport, the NEC, Jaguar Land Rover, as well as other nearby employment generating assets, represents an exceptional collocation of uses. All benefit from existing high levels of connectivity, which will be elevated to an outstanding level with HS2. This area will also benefit from a commitment to enhancement of existing infrastructure, including works to increase the capacity of the strategic highway network. Even ahead of the arrival of HS2 there is momentum behind the potential scale of growth that can be achieved in this location. The Airport is growing, and is forecast to handle 17m passengers a year by 2020, up 7m on 2014 The NEC, which is under new operational ownership and enjoying renewed success with the recent opening of Resorts World, has the potential for commercial expansion and regeneration Jaguar Land Rover, is spearheading the export success of the Midlands automotive sector helping generate a trade surplus with China which is likely to lead to future expansion The potential for each to capitalise on the arrival of HS2 needs to be built into the vision for the site in an holistic manner and which provides for a shared level of ambition. Aligned with the UK Central initiative, linkages will be made with Birmingham and Blythe Valley Business Parks and Solihull town centre to reflect the scale of wider economic opportunity for growth in this area. HS2 M6 HS2 Curzon St Birmingham City Centre North Solihull Regeneration BBP M6 A45 Birmingham Birmingham Airport NEC jct6 HS2 Interchange h S o l i l l u b o g r o u h Jaguar Land Rover Meriden A45 Hamptonin-Arden A41 M42 Solihull Town Centre Solihull Coventry Dickens A34 M42 Knowle Balsall Common H S2 7

8 Unrivalled connectivity The configuration of strategic transport infrastructure on the edge of the second most populous metropolitan area in the UK creates compelling potential. 70% of the UK s population lives within a 120 mile (200km) radius. GBSLEP identifies this location as the principal international gateway to the Midlands, stating: International connectivity is vital to attracting and retaining inward investment. HS2 will significantly improve links with our largest export market Europe. GBSLEP The old fingerpost at Birmingham Airport: worldwide destinations 8

9 The HS2 station at the Airport/NEC will act as a major integrated transport hub, linking to the motorway network, London Heathrow, London Euston station, London Crossrail, HS1 and Eurostar. GBSLEP HS2 will therefore strengthen the location s advantages to business: Phase 1 will enlarge the potential labour force and customer catchment to comprise a much larger area of London and the South East Phase 2 will expand access to the North West, East Midlands and South Yorkshire within easy journey times International connectivity is already strong with the proximity of the Airport but will be further strengthened by enhanced connections to London St Pancras and onward high speed travel to Northern Europe and potentially enhanced connections to London Heathrow Phase 2 will improve links to Manchester Airport, providing a wider range of international destinations for business travel These enhanced connections will offer a real source of competitive advantage to growing businesses that thrive on business-to-business interaction and require a wide range of skills and labour. Major economic benefits can be achieved through agglomeration and clustering with new and existing businesses taking advantage of a larger base of suppliers and a potentially wider labour market for economies of scale. A new residential community can be created which taps into the job opportunities available and made more accessible at UK Central. This will be a highly mobile population, attracted to this location for its vibrancy and connectivity. There is also the scope for improved regional and local connectivity: Releasing capacity on the existing rail network for the benefit of other towns and cities in the Midlands Midlands Connect, an inter-regional initiative looking to improve east-west movement corridors Midland Metro line from Birmingham city centre to the Airport/NEC and Interchange through the deprived eastern corridor, enhancing access to job opportunities Provision of SPRINT bus links to Solihull and Coventry The People Mover between the Interchange Station, the NEC, Airport and Birmingham International rail station on the WCML Improvements to the M42 junction 6 albeit the extent of change is yet to be determined. Engagement with Highways England will be critical alongside their commitment to improve local strategic highway capacity These are captured in the Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy and the West Midlands Connectivity Package. 9

10 3 Capturing the Economic Potential This is an opportunity which will be realised over the next ten, twenty, even thirty years, meeting needs beyond immediate and pressing requirements, involving anticipation of future market trends, lifestyles and work patterns. The Arden Cross Consortium s ambition is to identify those sectors which stand to benefit most from the unique location of the HS2 Interchange and its unrivalled regional, national, and international connectivity. The Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy articulates the impact of HS2 on the sub-regional economy: - Over 100,000 new or safeguarded jobs (of which 10% are estimated to be taken up by local residents that are unemployed) - Improvements to the skills profile ensuring that 36% of the local population is qualified to NVQ Level ,000 apprenticeships - An additional 14 billion GVA per annum. 10

11 Chiswick Park, London W4 11

12 Cost Advantages The commercial advantages of Arden Cross extend far beyond savings in journey time for business travel and staff commuting Distinctive business environments This will be a cost competitive location (based on comparative rental levels in the City of London versus the NEC/Solihull market) which will appeal to corporate occupiers looking to relocate to achieve savings, as well as offering the inward investment market a competitive alternative to London with exceptional links to the capital. There are distinct advantages for businesses in terms of the attraction and retention of workforce within Greater Birmingham and Solihull when residential costs are taken into consideration. Average house prices in the West Midlands are approximately one third of average house prices in London. This makes it easier for people to access housing within the area than competing locations and therefore for companies to retain staff who also live locally. The costs of doing business in London compared to the alternative at the Interchange site make a compelling case for investment. Grade A 67 psf 493,026 (London) Grade A 21 psf 140,417 (West Midlands) Comparison of NEC/Solihull rents and City of London rents Average house prices in London and the West Midlands (Q3 2015) 12

13 Sector Advantages The GBSLEP area has well documented strengths in advanced manufacturing and engineering, with particular specialisms in the automotive and aerospace sectors. It has a nationally significant concentration of financial and business services and growing life science, ICT and creative industries. These established and growing sectors and clusters of businesses provide a very strong basis for commercial demand for UK Central, however the extent to which the connectivity benefits of HS2 apply to these sectors is not equal. The capacity for businesses to derive commercial advantages from HS2 connectivity is closely related to factors such as: The level of business to business interaction The need for staff to travel to interface with colleagues and clients The need to travel to gain access to knowledge, professional networks, finance etc. The propensity of staff in different sectors to commute by rail The propensity of companies to use rail for component supply and onward distribution of finished products (based on potential for additional rail freight capacity on the West Coast Mainline) The sectors which are most likely to benefit from HS2 connections include Business and Professional Services and Life Sciences. Both exhibit a high propensity for workforce travel by rail and the need for high levels of business to business interaction. Additionally, there is the potential for aspects of advanced manufacturing associated with research and design activities to benefit from this location and enhanced connectivity to other companies and research institutions, including the region s universities. Clustering Advantages The site is located close to Jaguar Land Rover (with its major manufacturing plants in Solihull and Coventry) and at the heart of the most significant cluster of automotive engineering and component supply businesses in the UK. Almost 280,000 people are employed in automotive industries. The Interchange site provides an opportunity to capture demand from businesses in the automotive sector with a requirement for access to the wider supply chain as well as seeking to benefit from the locational and connectivity advantages of the site. 13

14 Alignment with LEP priority sectors Sector Advanced Manufacturing/Engineering Aerospace Greater Birmingham and Solihull Coventry and Warwickshire A34 Perry Barr / Birchfield Centre Corridor Curzon City Centre Enterprise Zone Digbeth Creative Quarter Science Park Aston Automotive Business Services Creative Industries Selly Oak Life Science Campus Financial Services ICT Longbridge ITEC Occupier Appeal and Economic Potential The location of Arden Cross will appeal to multiple business sectors and an array of different occupier groups that derive benefit from HS2 connectivity. These include: Businesses with a mobile workforce and high levels of business to business interaction Corporate occupiers seeking to relocate to achieve cost savings in a location that is highly accessible to Central London and other parts of the UK WYRE FOREST Large occupiers with requirements to create a distinct or branded environment Larger research and development facilities and or higher education institutions in the future Inward investors to the UK, particularly those looking to capitalise on links to London while enjoying cost and labour force advantages Arden Cross will work most effectively as part of a portfolio of investment locations across Greater Birmingham, complementing the city centre offer and planned projects / sector priorities across the wider LEP area. Key investment locations, Greater Birmingham 14

15 Advanced Manufacturing Hub UKC Friargate BIRMINGHAM SOLIHULL COVENTRY BROMSGROVE Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway REDDITCH Redditich Eastern Gateway 15

16 4 Placemaking Principles Around the world, highly connected places are centres for human interaction, and magnets for sustainable development. They are capable of meeting a multiplicity of needs in a location which will reduce the need to travel due to enhanced connectivity. At Arden Cross, there will be a generational step change in the location, and the economic potential of HS2 Interchange as part of this is clear: this will be an extraordinary regional connector and a national hub of European significance. It will generate supergrowth over and above what would arise from the existing economic assets and residential community. This will attract new people to live and work in the area. The Arden Cross Consortium promotes an approach which aims to inspire, attract and sustain a mixed use community at the site. This must be a place for people, a place with identity, and a destination in its own right. The Arden Cross Consortium is at the early stages of preparing a development framework for the site, based on a set of emerging spatial concepts. These draw upon and respect the work undertaken over recent years by UK Central, but include different and new proposals too. They reflect the aspirations of the Arden Cross Consortium to create an exemplar sustainable development, that meets a wide range of needs. There is potential for a new urban quarter. A leading business address, defined by busy thriving neighbourhoods - convivial places to meet, interact, create and live. 16

17 Chiswick Park, London W4 Principle 1 Fostering enterprise and growth through place not just space HS2 will make Arden Cross the focus of arrivals and departures, and there is clear opportunity to integrate employment development that captures the economic potential of this activity. But development must create more than just a space for transport interchange or business pursuit. It must be a place of interaction and life. The combination of powerful economic assets and unrivalled connectivity will support investment decisions that bring not just business, but people, to this site. Development must create a place that is rich, layered and rewarding, where people have access to employment, business, leisure, homes, a quality environment and social infrastructure. A sustainable and authentic place that encourages dwell time and generates multiple opportunities and benefits for the wider area. Through this approach the site will appeal to multiple business sectors and an array of different occupier groups. Employment space can be intensified towards the core in urban formats (see principle 2), balanced by more self contained business park or campus style layouts. These could offer flexibility not always offered by urban formats, whilst maximising and giving life to more peripheral areas and drawing advantage of visibility from the adjacent strategic highway network. 17

18 Principle 2 An intense, mixed core The Arden Cross Consortium envisages an area of concentrated development density and activity, stretching east-west from station to station. This will be the central focus of interchange: not just HS2 and rail as the wider strategic connections, but local links into diverse new neighbourhoods. The core will be characterised by; An urban grain diverse, intimate, walkable. Active buildings which meet the street well. A world class public realm integrating the natural environment and water. Principle 3 Places to live and put down roots A rising population in the sub-region and the attraction of this burgeoning economic hub will drive demand for residential space. This will be critical to overall success as a sustainable place. New homes will deliver activity outside of the working day, animating streets and spaces. This could be offered in formats not currently prevalent in this part of the region but proven successful in urban contexts internationally, which combine to create well defined, active streets: This can be a place for families. This is the heart of the country, presenting one of its most attractive rural settings with diverse natural and recreational assets. Development can integrate a network of family friendly streets. Live, active spaces animated by homes with their own front doors and a human scale. This will drive a need for high quality social infrastructure. Urban living overlapping with and extending out from the core. 24/7 presence and activity through the area of highest value public realm and richest mix of land use. Some apartment buildings, but not exclusively: moving out to a broader range of homes and block forms. 18

19 Hamburg European Green Capital 2011 launched by the Train of Ideas based on life in a green city (mobility, energy, climate protection, nature, economy and consumption) 19

20 Principle 4 An Integrated Station The station itself and the development that immediately surrounds it will be a key destination. It will have a vibrant and active feel generated by overstation development and a concourse environment which connects to a series of welcoming streets and public spaces. Surrounding development will be dense but not high rise; a human scaled place characterised by a green urbanism. Our research on the impacts of high speed rail in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, has shown that, far from being a white elephant, there are very many examples where investment in HSR has been the catalyst for significant urban and regional renewal. John Worthington, Independent Transport Commissioner and Chairman of the HSR working group Below: Lille Europe has helped to transform the economic prospects of the city and deliver a new city quarter. The masterplan concentrated on developing a positive public realm and easy connections between the new and existing station. Regional links were upgraded, achieving a seamless interchange to HSR. The station can also be reached by both tram and bus. Some key lessons include: High quality, legible links between transport modes Integration of over-station / rail line development Multiple linkages across rail lines (pedestrian and vehicular) 20

21 This is HS2 a project that will set designers, from the widest range of disciplines, the challenge of reaching new heights of creativity and innovation in everything they design. HS2 Design Vision, Preview Publication, June

22 Often in the UK, the urban realm falls to the bottom of the hierarchy of things to consider, but it is critical that the urban realm is not be thought of as an add-on. A station should be balanced behind and in front The Spatial Impacts of High Speed Rail: Learning from Europe Expert Panel, Space Syntax, 18th June 2014 By learning from European HSR experience, the Arden Cross Consortium see station design as an opportunity to: A. Overcome severance. Rail infrastructure can be a significant barrier to movement. This can be overcome through innovative building and landscape design. B. Address and link 3D levels. Vertical stacking of infrastructure within the station building, working with changes in ground levels, can create an efficient footprint and a more connected place. C. Intensify public realm quality. A high quality public realm around the station can welcome people into the place and enhance the setting of new development, driving up density and value. D. Connect at point of interchange. Links between modes of public transport should be direct, obvious and convenient. They must be considered at the outset to integrate with development and avoid expensive retrofitting. 22

23 ARRIVALS PLAN interaction tion dwell place functional people pragmatic DEPARTURES efficiency landscaped operational E. Balance, function and impact. The station must create a strong and attractive urban arrival point and deliver the functional requirements of a significant regional HSR station. There is also a tremendous opportunity to accommodate much of the station infrastructure needed below ground, using areas generated by mineral extraction. The Arden Cross Consortium must consider its design in the round; interfacing with an urban centre and strategic highway connections and parking requirements. A R R I V A S L A N D P L A C E SECTION HS2 Station & I N F R A S T R UCTURE D E P A R T U R E S 23

24 West Coast Main Line HS2 NEC - unique, innovative and growing international conferencing destination Birmingham Airport - ambitious, major UK passenger and freight hub HS2 Interchange - the triangle site offering core development opportunity Birmingham Business Park Sita (reclaimed landfill) National Exhibition Centre Birmingham Airport Birmingham International Station New bridge links HS2 Interchange West Coast Main Line HS2 Principle 5 Thinking outside the triangle Only by taking a holistic approach can Arden Cross be viewed as a credible and integrated part of the city region. The Arden Cross Consortium see development within the site being part of a coordinated east-west corridor: Connected and complementing the unique environments and economic vitality of the NEC and Airport Presenting an appropriate and responsive edge to the east a sensitive transition but a definitive Green Belt boundary. These three inter-connecting places each have their own scale and character, but the act of connection, through the People Mover but also pedestrian and vehicular links, will bring them closer together and enable the needs of one to be met by the others and vice versa. 24

25 A co-ordinated east-west corridor of strategic destinations. M42 Birmingham Business Park West Coast Main Line Sita (reclaimed landfill) National Exhibition Centre A452 Birmingham Airport Birmingham International Station HS2 Interchange Jct6 A45 M42 25

26 Principle 6 Clear, people-friendly environments quality landscape AIRPORT NEC CENTRAL AVENUE HS2 streets intensity varied open grain rural views WEST COAST MAIN LINE grid URBAN EDGE HS2 as the start, not the heart While ensuring the benefits of the new station are maximised, it need not be at the epi-centre of this new place. Rather it will form a key entry point to, and area of activity within a broader and more diverse economic and social centre. This linear centre; the Central Avenue will provide an active and attractive walking link to economic drivers beyond the site boundary, such as the NEC and Airport. Urban and edge (not sub-urban) The form of any new development must respond to both its setting and the functional demands placed upon it. The rail corridor provides a strong break between an urban environment, focused on buildings, to an edge condition, heavily influenced by transport and landscape. This requires the Arden Cross Consortium to neither pack the site, nor suburbanise it. The transition from a more urban core through to an attractive rural edge must be carefully handled. 26

27 People make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans. Jane Jacobs URBAN LINKS over over station connector PEOPLE CORRIDOR local hubs city experience 24/7 connect diversity public realm mix over under transit local hubs Connected and bridged To become an integrated place, strong strategic connectivity must be reinforced by local links. These will allow for the rich interaction and exchange that the Arden Cross Consortium expect of successful urban areas, spreading the range and value of development opportunities. Engineered infrastructure in the form of adjacent highways and the HS2 line will present barriers, therefore the need to define credible and deliverable connectivity solutions is a priority. This must include exploring underground opportunities via the voids created by current mineral extraction activity. Route hierarchy people corridors The new Central Avenue, connecting the station to development and destinations to the west, will form a strong central corridor. Rather than a highway the Arden Cross Consortium see this as a people place; a sequence of attractive streets and spaces. Supporting links to north and south can blend walking and cycling with highway demands, buses and metros. These can in turn create a series of local hubs; pockets of activity and density centred around sustainable transport stops. 27

28 WCML An emerging framework: blending the principles Birmingham NEC Potential future metro extension Metro M42 R & D Campus Education Campus Parkland Business Airport Mixed-use Station Area Central Avenue A45 Pendigo Lake Solihull Metro People mover Higher Density Office Urban Living Mixed-use Station Area Urban Living Higher Density Office Access & interchange Hollywell Brook Family Living Parkland Business A45 A452 M42 28

29 Central Avenue Working environments Residential environments Access and interchange There is potential in this core area to deliver an intense and vibrant mix of uses focused on commercial and business activity. The Arden Cross Consortium anticipate an urban grain of mid-rise buildings extending across 20-30ha of land, integrating NEC. Employment space is likely to be orientated more towards financial services / business and professional services. Retail and leisure would be part of the mix sustained by a large working population, plus both integrated and adjacent residential. A major focus on public realm quality, and an environment that supports residential as much as business communities Higher density office - Around 20-25ha of self contained office environments which could attract general office requirements in buildings of up to 10,000sqm (with scope for some larger corporate headquarters). Campus - Around 20-25ha of looser grained, more informal environments and plots that help nurture innovation, research and development and higher education. Occupying sectors are likely to be advanced manufacturing, life sciences and higher and further education, and could include large lower density plots with allowance for grow-on space. Parkland - Accessible, landscape driven settings for occupiers not otherwise catered for by the above environments which can complement the wider investment locations across the LEP area for example automotive and aerospace supply chain businesses. A range of densities and typologies: a mixed environment supporting different occupiers and tenure. The Arden Cross Consortium anticipate residential development increasing from current estimates of c.2,000 homes by integrating: Urban living - A dynamic living environment: apartments primarily, but not exclusively. This can be mixed, catering for all ages, including a good proportion of larger units suitable for families. Flexible campus - Innovation, R+D and education uses could possibly drive bespoke residential formats, such a student accommodation and/or certain PRS typologies. Family living - Medium to high density, high quality familyorientated homes set in high quality landscape setting. Incorporating highway and rail infrastructure demands is a key challenge. There is opportunity to consolidate the infrastructure elements needed to support its role as a regional HSR station, and the immediate on-site development opportunities, towards the east of the site, with immediate access to/ from the A452. This part of this site can play a key role accommodating high capacity highway infrastructure and extensive multi-level parking that utilise the deep excavations created by mineral extraction. This would facilitate the creation of the composed urban core to the west. 29

30 5 Delivering the Ambition The Arden Cross Consortium s vision will be brought forward through proactive engagement with the planning process and by collaborating with key stakeholders. Allocating the Site First, the Arden Cross site needs to be removed from the Green Belt and allocated through the Local Plan, which requires exceptional circumstances to be shown. The Arden Cross Consortium believe the enormous benefits of this site being part of the region s response to HS2 will outweigh the harm to the Meriden Gap, the swathe of Green Belt separating Birmingham and Coventry which at this point is six miles wide. It is anticipated that the local plan will remove the site from the Green Belt and allocate it for a major mixed use development associated with the HS2 Interchange. This will comprise an allowance for residential and employment uses, as well as supporting social facilities, retail and leisure, and necessary infrastructure. The scale of the opportunity and the Arden Cross Consortium s ambition brings with it a high level of responsibility. They intend to be an active partner in delivering the development over the long term. 30

31 Engaging in the design process The UK Central overarching vision captures the potential of the wider area comprising the Airport, NEC, Jaguar Land Rover and Birmingham Business Park. The Arden Cross Consortium is working in collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure its vision for the site is consistent with and contributes to wider objectives. The Consortium is also working with UKC and HS2 on the emerging station design, ensuring that the interface between the station and the development maximises opportunities to connect, generate footfall, and bring forward early phases. The likelihood is that a local delivery vehicle will be formed to ensure that strategic infrastructure is provided, including the HS2 Connectivity Package and major improvements to the M42 junctions. The Arden Cross Consortium will play its part and commit to effective partnership working. The Arden Cross Consortium also wants to engage with the local community to gain support for the vision and explore the potential for wider benefits to be secured. The Lead in to Delivery The Arden Cross Consortium wants to see the site ready to receive HS2 passengers at a world class station from This means ensuring that the necessary planning, design and technical work is done over the next 10 years, including completion of mineral extraction, appropriate site levelling, strategic infrastructure provision, site access and early phases of development and environmental enhancement. Working together with HS2 and UKC, a programme for the unfettered construction of the HS2 works can be agreed which allows for early wins, such as site preparation and access so that development can be underway before Whilst the overall vision may take 20 to 30 years to achieve, it is vital that, on opening, HS2 is not a station in a development site but has immediate environs of vibrant new businesses and visitor facilities in a high density urban core. Finally, the Arden Cross Consortium s interests include the long-standing stewardship of the adjoining Packington Estate which has been family owned and managed since The setting of Packington Hall and the associated Registered Park and Gardens add a further dimension to the importance of context and the need to address the relationship with the adjoining countryside. This will be a unique place in the West Midlands a vibrant urban district on the edge of the city. 31

32 Arden Cross is part of UK Central & being delivered by: with support from Arden Cross Consortium Packington Hall Warwickshire CV7 7HF T E info@ardencross.com ardencross.com 32