Feature
Made In The Midlands
HS2
HS2 services between London and the West Midlands will begin operation in 2026, but by then the landscape of Birmingham and the surrounding areas will have changed. The economic outlook for the
West Midlands is improving all the time and companies are showing confidence in Birmingham as a location to do business. The relocation of HSBC UK to Birmingham, the expansion of Barclay’s and PWC’s operations in the region, and the regeneration of Digbeth – a creative quarter for the Midlands – are just some of the crucial elements in providing a bright future for the younger generations in the West Midlands. When the concept of HS2 was
first introduced, one element of the proposition was to improve the economic prospect of cities and regions outside of London and the South East. However, we don’t have to wait to realise this. Plans for regeneration in Birmingham are underway and being delivered. New stations at Birmingham Curzon Street and Interchange have unlocked the potential for development on land around the station sites. At the Interchange station site we are working closely with the Urban
58 CHAMBERLINK July/August 2018
- changing the landscape in the West Midlands
By Mike Lyons, programme director for the West Midlands region at HS2 Ltd, and non-executive director on the GBSLEP
Growth Company to see how our plans can support them to attract international investment to the area, and support planning for new homes and leisure facilities. This is already happening – Interserve is building its new regional headquarters near the site, Merlin is investing £20m in a new leisure facility and construction work is underway for a new international hotel. The HS2 project itself is offering opportunities to people and businesses in the Midlands. Skills, employment and education outcomes for the region continue to be delivered through our supply chain. Our Enabling Works Contractor in the Midlands, a team consisting of between Laing O’Rourke and Murphy (LM), has led on delivering paid internships and school placements relating to HS2, supporting unemployed individuals into jobs in LM and their supply chain, and supporting ex-offenders into jobs within the HS2 supply chain. Through the lifespan of the HS2
programme, 2,000 apprenticeships will be delivered through our supply chain. These opportunities are already available – Over the past 6 months, our Main Works Civils Contractor in the region, a
joint venture between Balfour Beatty and VINCI, as well as LM, have recruited new apprentices to undertake the Level 4 High Speed Rail and Infrastructure Advanced Technician Apprenticeship at the National College for High Speed Rail, at the Birmingham Campus. There are major opportunities for
businesses of all sizes too. To date we’ve already contracted some £8bn into the HS2 supply chain, and have been actively engaging with West Midlands businesses to make sure they are getting the opportunities to bid for and win work in the region. So far we’ve engaged with a total of 1,009 West Midlands based businesses – either through our HS2 supply chain engagement events or because they have been awarded Tier 1 or Tier 2 contracts by us or our Tier One Contractors. Of that 1,009 business, 421 have been awarded HS2 contracts and 211 of them are SMEs – that’s 50% of our regional contracts going to SMEs already. HS2 will bring connectivity
benefits to the region, not only providing faster, more reliable connections to London, but also to the East Midlands, and the North when Phase 2 is completed in 2033. The prospect of HS2 has also been a stimulus to advance plans
by Transport for the West Midlands to extend the Metro network across the region, bringing forward plans for connections as far as Solihull. We are also changing the landscape in the region and across the route to support the natural environment. Working with partners in the West Midlands, we are building a green corridor which will be home to wildlife and integrate HS2 into the natural landscape. In Warwickshire, where the railway will be almost 30 metres below the surface, we will be developing the Ladbroke Cutting. We will be creating a new wildlife habitat on the site, including new woodlands and 12 breeding ponds for great crested newts. This will be part of the 9km2 of native woodland we will be creating along between London and the West Midlands, as well as the 226 breading ponds for great crested newts. The arrival of HS2 provides a
huge opportunity for the West Midlands region. It is a catalyst for growth, for regeneration, and a stimulus to raise skills levels and provide careers for future generations. It is one that I, and colleagues at HS2 Ltd and the region, are determined is not missed.
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