The Hub

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The Hub is a thriving 1,300-hectare mixed-use commercial site 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, JLR, and the 140-hectare Arden Cross development site which will be the location of the new HS2 Interchange Station.

The economic powerhouse of UK Central, 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.

Across The Hub, Solihull Council is delivering strategic infrastructure priority projects, including additional and improved transport infrastructure around the HS2 Interchange Station site; future proofing the supply of energy; upgrading the highway and cycle way network; and a car parking strategy to make the best use of existing and planned parking spaces.

Key facts

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
Opportunities for long-term equity investors, large-scale development funders and operational partners interested in infrastructure, energy, transport, and large-scale mixed-use development
Home to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Station, Birmingham Business Park, Jaguar Land Rover and the 140-hectare Arden Cross development site which will be the location of the new HS2 Interchange Station

By 2030, the Hub, incorporating Arden Cross and the NEC, will become an environment to deliver:

36,000 new and existing jobs
Up to 8,000 homes
650,000 m² commercial space
£6.2bn GVA per annum
1.3m people within a 45-minute public transport commute

HS2 Interchange Station

The new HS2 Interchange Station will be part of a new public transport interchange serving Solihull and the West Midlands, with links to local roads and the UK motorway network, making it one of the best-connected places in the UK.

Solihull Council and HS2 are working together to fund, design and build additional elements at the Interchange Station site at The Hub, known as Arden Cross.

This work will support Solihull’s growth agenda and create a new, sustainable mixed-use destination with HS2 at its heart, incorporating additional public transport connectivity and making better use of land for quality development to support the delivery of thousands of new jobs and homes.

The new HS2 station, has become the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification – a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings – putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.

HS2 Interchange

Arden Cross

A central element of the Hub and the location of the HS2 Interchange Station, Arden Cross covers 140 hectares, with the opportunity to deliver 558,000m² of commercial space, up to 3,000 new homes and support 27,000 jobs. Announced with a Statement of Intent between partners in early 2024, the site will include delivery of a world-leading health tech campus, bringing together the public, private, and academic sectors to foster an Innovation District anchored by the University of Warwick.

This 25-year, £3 billion development project has the backing of local and national government with a commitment to fund local infrastructure to facilitate future development. Muse is the preferred development partner. The shared aim is for early phases of development to be implemented well ahead of HS2 operating.

Arden Cross

NEC Birmingham

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.

Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Airport is already the primary national and international aviation hub for the Midlands and has ambitious growth plans become one of Europe’s leading regional airports.

Birmingham Airport is a key economic accelerator, directly employing 6,700 people and contributing £1.5 billion to the regional economy. It hosts 50 airlines flying 13 million passengers a year to more than 150 direct destinations, providing easy access to outbound holiday destinations and serving as a gateway for inbound tourism and overseas students studying at our universities.

Birmingham Airport has a bold masterplan that sets out a plan for £500 million of new investment for improvement and modernisation which includes extending facilities to make it more fit for the future and ready for the arrival of HS2.

Birmingham Airport Masterplan

AN ENERGY SYSTEM THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE HUB

Energy demand at the Hub is forecast to increase significantly due to both new developments and increased usage within existing operations.

Solihull Council is bringing together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors to consider energy requirements, including its, usage, opportunities for minimisation and for generation within the Hub area as a whole system. The aim is to identify solutions that are mutually beneficial, including the establishment of shared systems.

We are helping to facilitate an integrated energy system that:

Supports sustainable growth and decarbonisation of the Hub
Drives economies of scale to achieve costs savings
Maximises co-benefits and creates social value
Ensures that the energy system is fit for purpose and enhances security of supply

As part of this approach, Solihull Council is investigating the potential for energy network(s) in the Hub area to meet the increasing demand.

Connectivity

Alongside new and improved public transport, Solihull Council is coordinating improvements to the local and strategic highway network.

Transport capacity and corridor improvements are taking place across the borough, including along the A452 Chester Road where interventions are being sought to reduce current levels of congestion, maximise public transport and active travel, and unlock growth and regeneration in Solihull, maximising the opportunity of the connectivity of The Hub.

Solihull Council is also bringing together major stakeholders like the Airport and the NEC to make best use of the existing car parking spaces across The Hub and ensure that future provision factors in changing patterns of car use and ownership with an emphasis on maximising the use of public transport and active travel where possible.

Solihull Connected