Building Brum x Solus

2021 | Quarter One

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Solus Area Sales Manager Lee Simmonds

“It is such an exciting time to live in Birmingham, and both myself and Solus wear our hearts on our sleeves and are proud to have been born in such a proud, vibrant city that has a real sense of identity.”

 

There have been huge changes across the UK over the past 12 months, with many of those changes taking place at the end of 2020 i.e. Brexit. How is the ever-growing and changing landscape of 2020 and 2021 impacting  on your day to day?

The ethos of Building Brum is all about regeneration and creating a bright future for our amazing city while at the same time assisting local businesses to support each other. Investment is flooding into the area and the ‘Big City Masterplan’ has already seen, and will continue to see, major improvements that will benefit Birmingham for years to come. Never has this level of development been so vital, creating employment opportunities across a host of sectors, from hospitality to leisure and construction, and offering a sense of hope and positivity as we move forward to better and less turbulent times. Solus is keen to be part of the city’s transformation, supporting the wider Birmingham economy, local businesses and its own team members, the majority of whom live and work in the region.

This paints a different picture to say 12 months ago at the start of lockdown, what is the reason this surge in new and exciting projects? A vaccine, Brexit or is it something else? What is underpinning this confidence?

There was such a widespread panic throughout most sectors this time last year, which was of course such an uncertain period, with COVID, constant changes in lockdown restrictions and what kind of Brexit Deal, if any was going to be agreed.  Despite all of this, and to everybody’s credit within the construction industry people soon realised that projects could still be delivered in a safe, timely manner and this seems to have continued to gain momentum, picking up speed late last year and early this, even with new lockdowns being put in place.

 I think there are a collection of reasons for this sense of optimism, one of which is that we’re lucky to be in an industry that is thriving; there are some ambitious and exciting developments both currently at construction stage and in development, such as the Birmingham Big City Plan and the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2022.  There are plenty of developers out there with the capital to inject, and as much as the pandemic has been a huge obstacle, most have realised that this is only a temporary situation and have been keen to continue to invest.  The vaccine rollout and roadmap out of the pandemic only strengthen this.

I know you are working with architects and major contractors across the Midlands, how do you feel the region as a whole is doing? Taking into consideration the East Midlands too, what are the difference between say Birmingham and Leicester with the types of projects and schemes you are specifying for?

It is such an exciting time to live in Birmingham, and both myself and Solus wear our hearts on our sleeves and are proud to have been born in such a proud, vibrant city that has a real sense of identity.  There is just so much going on with HS2, West Midlands Metro, The Commonwealth Games, redevelopment of Digbeth – I could go on and on about the exciting development opportunities of the Future City Plan, which will all helps the City to continue to be a major regional, national hub and centre for International investment.  We have got some global powerhouses basing themselves here now such as HSBC and PwC, which is only going to attract others to follow suit.  

Away from Birmingham The Midlands continues to take advantage of its strong geographical location as logistics parks are being developed throughout the region, such as East Midlands Gateway and Corby Logistics Park which house transport hubs for the likes of Amazon and DHL, and we have been fortunate to continue to work with architects and contractors to supply goods to many of these units. 

The East Midlands boasts some of the top architects and designers in the UK, from large architecture firms in Leicester, Nottingham and Northampton to others dotted around the outskirts who continue to develop new schemes for global brands, and let us not forget the talent in terms of interior design for the other sectors such as hospitality.  Another example would be the redevelopment and transformation of The De Montford University Campus which was great to be involved with.

This is why I love my job, I’m lucky enough to be in a region where which is just so vibrant and diverse, and on a daily basis I’m working on such a range projects such as a large commercial office, global retail brand, independent bar and residential kitchen.

Looking ahead at the next nine months of 2021, what are your expectations for the built environment in the year ahead?

With the likes of Paradise developing nicely and the Future City Plan being laid I can only see Birmingham’s development pipeline to continue to grow and it is clear that the Build to Rent boom will continue.  On a national level I believe other cities will follow suit and echo this, and as touched upon earlier logistics centres and transport hubs will continue to be a part of infrastructure plans.

What scheme are you most excited about right now taking place in the UK and what is it about the impact of this project that makes you take notice and follow its development story?

Well, I’m obviously biased, but it has to be Paradise.  I honestly think it is one of the UK’s most important city centre developments in a long time, with its mixed use of commercial, retail leisure and hotel space set within this area surrounded by these historical surroundings.  This type of development has only help reinforce other development plans within the city, having a domino effect which will result in an even more vibrant, diverse city that the people of Birmingham deserve.  

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