11 incredible images show what a revitalised Birmingham could look like - see here

This week saw West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker launched an ‘ambitious’ project to significantly quicken the £11 billion regeneration of East Birmingham – described as one of the country’s most deprived areas.

The initiative – called a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) – will combine a range of powers including land acquisition, planning, business tax incentives and infrastructure funding.

This will allow MDC to cut through red tape and accelerate investment into the area, benefiting enormous projects which could completely change the city forever.

One of the headline examples is Birmingham City FC’s Sports Quarter vision, which includes proposals for a massive new stadium as well as new transport links, an arena and housing.

But in total, the MDC will cover an area the size of more than 600 football pitches and include some of the other biggest regeneration projects in Europe.

These include:

• The £4bn Birmingham Knowledge Quarter
• The £2bn Smithfield development next to the Bullring
• A major creative industries hub in Digbeth
• The HS2 Curzon Street Station and the adjoining Central Heart site, with the latter focusing on plans to transform around four hectares of under-used retail and office space into a ‘vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood’

In particular, the Central Heart project has a vision of creating a ‘key gateway’ between the new HS2 station, the Bullring, New Street Station, the Colmore Business District and the wider city centre.

If it’s fully realised, it could include new linear green routes, safer streets for walking and cycling and better links to employment, education and cultural destinations.

Those behind the project have said the ambition is to double green space in the central area, creating new places to relax, play and meet in the city’s busiest streets.

“This MDC is big, bold and ambitious, reflecting Birmingham’s position as the UK’s second city,” Mayor Parker said this week.

“It will be a magnet for investment, de-risking major projects while providing the stability and continuity needed for investor confidence.

“It will also cut through red tape, so we waste no time getting spades in the ground on these hugely significant regeneration schemes.”

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to end the deep-rooted deprivation that has blighted lives for too long in East Birmingham and create places people and businesses are proud to call home,” he added.

Joanne Roney CBE, managing director of Birmingham City Council, also said: “The MDC will enable and accelerate developments in the heart of the city and in East Birmingham that will transform lives, creating tens of thousands of jobs, thousands of homes and adding billions to the local economy.

“Having the largest MDC in the country underlines the scale and ambition of our plans to drive growth in the UK’s second-largest city economy.

“It positions our city as one of the most attractive and competitive city

centres in the UK – there has never been a better time to invest in Birmingham.”