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Direct contact 0303 444 0000
"Birmingham is a diverse, vibrant and young city. We are the European City of the Future and currently have over £9bn of new investment into our city centre. In addition to this, we are committed to attracting investment to revitalise our local communities. Designation as a new growth point will help us to focus on revitalisation and deliver high quality housing for our citizens. We shall be looking
for more Government investment to ensure that our growth agenda is sustainable into the future".
Councillor Mike Whitby, Leader, Birmingham City Council
"We are pleased that the Government has recognised the growth potential of Birmingham and Solihull and the real partnership working across the City Region that is involved."
Councillor Ted Richards, Leader, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Chairman of West Midlands Joint Committee
Birmingham and Solihull are at the heart of the country's second city region. There has been steady growth over recent years but there is a need to step up the rates of housebuilding and to provide a wider choice of quality housing in order to meet the diverse needs of our existing residents and those of the substantial number of households that are projected to form over the next decade. Beyond the expanding Birmingham city centre, our plans are focused on the revitalisation of local centres to allow more people to live in vibrant urban neighbourhoods with good access to jobs and services. In Solihull, growth will be focused on the North Solihull regeneration area.
In supporting Birmingham and Solihull as a New Growth Point, the Government is entering into a long-term partnership with Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, recognising their ambitions for growth, subject to the statutory regional and local planning process.
Local partners' ambitions for Birmingham and Solihull include:
Levels of growth will be subject to comprehensive testing and public consultation through the regional and local planning processes to ensure that individual proposals are sustainable, acceptable environmentally and realistic in terms of infrastructure. For Birmingham and Solihull future work will include using the findings of a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment to inform decisions on levels and locations of growth; working with Severn Trent Water on water efficiency measures; further work on the delivery of Green Infrastructure and mitigation of adverse impacts across the City Region and working with the Department for Transport to assess the impacts of growth proposals on the transport network and to develop sustainable transport solutions.
Achieving these ambitions will depend on a range of public and private funding programmes, including developer contributions. Government is committing to work with local partners to achieve sustainable growth to get the best outcomes from this investment and to help overcome obstacles to delivery. In support of Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's growth ambitions the Government is allocating around £4.22m in 2007-08 from the first year's funding pot, subject to detailed negotiation and appraisal. Future funding is dependent upon the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2007.
For further information on proposals for Birmingham and Solihull please contact either Val Morris at Birmingham City Council on 0121 303 4777 or Angharad Lynch at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council on 0121 704 6164.
As a new Growth Point Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council's aim is to build at least 40,000 homes by 2016.
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