Plain English Version
The Big City Plan will be set up, based on work which we have already done for these other plans:
Original Document
The Big City Plan will be founded on a strategy which is emerging from work already undertaken in connection with the Regional Spatial Strategy, the Birmingham Plan, Visioning the Masterplan, the Big Ideas Event, Birmingham Vision 2026 and the Birmingham Prospectus.
Plain English Version
The Regional Spatial Strategy says Birmingham needs 590,000 square metres of new offices in the city centre by 2026. Because of the cost and performance of the economy, it’s likely that this won’t happen at a steady rate of 30,000 square meters a year. It’s possbile that more of it may have to wait until nearer 2026.
Original Document
The Plan needs to respond to the RSS requirements of 590,000 square metres of new office development by 2026 in the city centre. If Birmingham is looking to create a step-change in its economic performance it may take time to create the right conditions infrastructure and image to deliver this. Thus commercial office floor-space may not be delivered at an even rate throughout the plan period. Rather than an average of 30,000 sq m p.a., higher rates of development might be expected in the latter part of the period.
Plain English Version
Although Birmingham has had a lot of good new shopping areas opened, and more are planned we need to keep working at it as we are in competition with other places like Merry Hill.
The Regional Spatial Strategy says that Birmingham must have and extra 225,000 square metres of non-food retail floor-space between 2006-2021 and an additional 130,000 square meters between 2021-2026.
Original Document
Despite the recent success and pipeline development, Birmingham will need to continue to invest in the quantity and quality of its retail offer to maintain its leading position and respond to threats posed by its competitors such as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Dudley. The Regional Spatial Strategy requires Birmingham city centre to plan for an additional gross non food retail floor-space of 225,000 sq m between 2006-2021 and an additional 130,000 sq m between 2021-2026. This is a substantial requirement to accommodate, reflecting Birmingham’s ambitions as a global city.