The UK Central Hub Solihull including Arden Cross and the NEC

The Hub sits at the centre of the UK’s transportation network and is unique in offering development and investment opportunities which benefit from unrivalled connectivity.

With the arrival of high speed rail and major investment in local transport
infrastructure, The Hub will become Europe’s best- connected destination for business, leisure and living; a new and outstanding gateway unlike any other in the UK.

The Hub is a 1,300 hectare opportunity in Solihull, just off Junction 6 of the M42 motorway. It is home to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Station, Birmingham Business Park, Jaguar Land Rover and the 140 hectare Arden Cross regeneration opportunity which is facilitated the new HS2 Interchange Station.

There are opportunities for long-term equity investors, large-scale development funders and operational partners interested in infrastructure, energy, transport, and large-scale, mixed-use development.

The two most significant and immediate opportunities are at Arden Cross and the NEC.

Arden Cross

One of the UK’s most exciting regeneration opportunities, brings together world-class connectivity and innovation to drive economic growth at scale. Arden Cross is a £3.2bn opportunity to drive substantial growth across the West Midlands and national economy.

Arden Cross has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs. It will deliver a mixed-use community of thousands of new homes, shops, leisure, and public space, as well as significant commercial opportunities.

In partnership with the University of Warwick, a unique HealthTech Campus will anchor an Arden Cross Innovation District. The Campus will bring together the University, the NHS, anchor industrial partners, and innovative SMEs in a bespoke public-private-academic partnership.

Leveraging the West Midlands’ competitive advantage in life sciences, Arden Cross will be a hub for research, collaboration with industry, and the development of products and processes to improve patient outcomes.

Arden Cross has the backing of local and national government, with a commitment to fund local infrastructure to facilitate future development. Regeneration partner Muse is developing the masterplan, with the potential for early phases of delivery, well ahead of HS2 operating.

NEC Campus

The vision for the NEC Campus is to create a unique environment for living, supported by new space for working and leisure. A new Urban Village of over 5,000 homes will create a highly sustainable community of over 11,000 people living in a mature and green landscape. A new Grand Plaza and Urban Boulevard will act as catalysts for further commercial, leisure, retail and tourism development, alongside new public realm. The process to secure a development partner will commence following a period of consultation on the masterplan.

Across The Hub, Solihull Council is delivering a number of strategic infrastructure priority projects including additional and improved transport infrastructure around the HS2 Interchange Station site; future-proofing the supply of energy and upgrading the highway network.

Why invest in Solihull?

One of the most productive economies and fastest growing labour markets in the country, UK Central Solihull attracts international investment and global names, home to Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Gymshark.

Combining a highly skilled workforce, unrivalled quality of life, exceptional connectivity and unlimited opportunity, UK Central Solihull provides a compelling investment proposition.

The UK Central Hub is home to Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International Station, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Jaguar Land Rover, Birmingham Business Park and Arden Cross, the new mixed-use destination which will be the location of the new HS2 Interchange Station – the first outside London.

Major transport investment ranging from new and improved motorway junctions to upgrades of the local highways network, along with new public transport routes, further add to the Hub’s attractiveness.

Solihull’s town centre also presents a range of exciting commercial and residential development opportunities, including the new mixed use masterplan for Mell Square, with significant investment committed to further public realm and transport infrastructure enhancement.

With a track record of innovative housing delivery and ambitions to accelerate development across Council-owned sites, UK Central Solihull offers a range of potential sites for innovative schemes in strategic locations, linked to our economic growth agenda.

Our ambition is underpinned by a commitment to sustainable development, adding value to commercial opportunities and showcasing the region’s strength in low-carbon expertise as a national exemplar of future placemaking.