Opinion CHAMBER LINK
The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of commerce
Editor’s View
By John Lamb
Charting the changing face of Birmingham city centre
Sorry to mention it, but Christmas is a-coming. And no-one is looking forward to that more than Birmingham’s retailers. No more so than at the Bull Ring and Grand
Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
Central, where many new brands are arriving, from Mowgli, an Indian street food outlet, to Cereal Killers, where, I’m told, you can get anything for breakfast except a proper full English. One of the most pleasing aspects of
developments at the Bull Ring is in the car park, where technology will guide motorists seamlessly to vacant bays. Obviously, Christmas is a vital time for our
Front cover: Ricky Perks, Y International procurement manager See page 7
Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064
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Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052
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retailers and with the German market due again thousands will be flocking to the city for a bit of the action, whether it’s a gluhwein in Centenary Square or haute cuisine in Selfridges.
‘58,000 more people will be living in Birmingham in less than 20 years’
On the retail page in this month’s edition of Chamberlink (page 56), Michaela Moore, general manager of Bullring and Grand Central, gives an insight into what is happening at one of the most important shopping centres in the Midlands. And it’s easy for those of us who are
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frequently in Birmingham to not realise what an impact the city centre now delivers. I was with a group of Midlanders who hadn’t
been to Birmingham for a while and they were blown away by the changes in the city centre.
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CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.
4 CHAMBERLINK September 2017 And the biggest impact was the sight of
modern trams trundling their way through the crowded streets. The introduction of the network certainly gives Birmingham a “big city” feel and we look forward to the routes reaching outposts like Five Ways and Birmingham Airport. Making movement around the city easier will
become even more important in under 20 years time, if statistics from the Office for National Statistics are to be believed. They predict that by 2036, 1,282,723 people
will call Birmingham home, compared with 1,124,569 today. Good news for the city’s retail sector but the most pressing problem will be finding somewhere for these extra people to live. There are, of course, huge ambitions for including homes in the new developments that will surround Curzon Street Station, the Birmingham terminal for HS2. But much more will be needed to
accommodate Birmingham’s growing population so perhaps it’s time to listen to those people who are advocating a cut in stamp duty, which has been described as a “tax on moving”. We certainly want to welcome more people
into Birmingham but we must ensure that the housing supply keeps up with demand. So with population forecasts such as these, it
would seem wise for landlord investors to be encouraged, not penalised, through stamp duty reforms. If 158,000 more people will be living in Birmingham in less than 20 years, perhaps we need to be securing suitable sites for development now.
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