Business News


Full STEAM ahead for plans to transform historic factory


Plans to transform a historic Birmingham factory into a £60m innovation centre for businesses, artists and academics have been given the green light. Birmingham City Council


formally approved Birmingham City University’s plans to regenerate the 120-year-old derelict Belmont Works building into Phase Two of its STEAMhouse initiative. Builders have the go-ahead to


start preparatory work on restoring the structure. The Grade A listed building on


Cardigan Street in Birmingham’s Eastside has stood derelict since being gutted by a fire in 2007. It will now be used to provide


access to state-of-the-art technology, workspaces and business advice for people across the region.


The Victorian Belmont Works


factory, which was originally built in 1899, served as the headquarters for the historic Eccles Rubber and Cycle Company and has since been used to produce linen clothing, bedsteads and pianos. The building will be transformed


to house STEAMhouse’s new site providing additional facilities and spaces for SMEs. Phase Two will see the building


receive an extension to its rear façade to provide upgrades and new spaces - but it will also retain many of its original features.


Professor Julian Beer, deputy


vice-chancellor at Birmingham City University, said: “This is a major step forwards, not just in providing a new home for STEAMhouse, but also in putting STEAM at the heart of our economy. “While the region has long been


recognised for its strength in industries like manufacturing, embedding the arts within this has a major role to play in underpinning growth in the years to come.”


Be aware of copyright law


A copyright expert is urging businesses to closely monitor a new EU directive which is due to take effect following years of heated debate. The EU Copyright Directive


introduces new rules intended to modernise copyright law for the digital age. It authorises the use of


digital works for educational purposes and gives cultural heritage institutions the right to make copies of works for archive purposes. The directive also seeks to


rebalance the rights of content creators with those of major online platforms. EU member states have two


years to implement the directive into their laws – and the UK may still choose to adopt it even if Brexit goes ahead.


‘Currently, platforms are only responsible for unauthorised content after it has been brought to their attention’


John Buckby, a partner at


Full steam ahead: An artist’s impression of the new centre


Partnership to provide homes


A leading affordable housing provider has teamed up with a major UK house-builder to build 1,000 new homes across the Midlands. Housing association Midland Heart and home


builders Countryside have signed a partnership agreement, which will lead to the construction of the new homes over the next three years. The properties – around a third of which are already


at the planning or development stage – will be a mix of affordable for-sale and rented homes. The agreement supports Countryside’s growth plans


and is part of Midland Heart’s five-year affordable housebuilding target. Glenn Harris, chief executive at Midland Heart, said:


“We’re delighted to be extending our highly successful relationship with Countryside. “This major new agreement targets the delivery of


1,000 high-quality family homes across a number of areas over the next three years. “This will put us in a strong position to deliver on our ambition to build 3,000 new homes by 2024.” Ian Kelley, chief executive, Partnerships North at


Countryside, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Midland Heart to deliver more affordable homes across the West, East and South Midlands.


Big ambitions: Ian Kelly (left) with Glenn Harris “This new agreement further supports both our and


Midland Heart’s growth plans in the region.” The partnership is supported by Homes England,


which will be contributing grant funding from its continuous market engagement process to boost affordable housing numbers.


• More patrons’ news on pages 24 and 25. June 2019 CHAMBERLINK 19


law firm Gateley, says businesses should use the introduction of the directive as an opportunity to brush up on copyright laws. He said: “Social media


giants such as YouTube, Google and Facebook make substantial profits by providing access to user- generated content. But those who created the content rarely get a share of these profits. “The directive aims to bridge


this ‘value gap’ by striking a fairer balance between creators and online platforms. Use of content without permission will infringe copyright, unless the platforms can show they have made ‘best efforts’ to arrange a licence, and taken active steps to prevent unauthorised works being available on their platforms. “This should make it easier


for creators to get appropriate payments for the use of their content by online platforms. “Currently, platforms are


only responsible for unauthorised content after it has been brought to their attention. The new directive should change this.”


• More legal news on pages 56 and 57.


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