Urban Initiatives appointed masterplanner for Birmingham's £10bn redevelopment

A consortium led by UK urban designers, Urban Initiatives, was selected today as masterplanner for Birmingham City Council's £10bn plus City Centre Masterplan.

It what is claimed to be the largest ever plan of its kind in the UK, the Masterplan will co-ordinate the physical, economic and cultural development of the city centre over the next 20 years.

More than £10bn of investment is already planned including, Arena Central, New Street Gateway project, Snow Hill redevelopment and the proposed Library of Birmingham.

Council leader Mike Whitby said: "The Masterplan is the most ambitious and far reaching city-wide development project ever undertaken in the UK and will underpin the future development of the entire city and wider region for many generations to come.

"By developing an integrated approach within which public and private sectors work in unison, the Masterplan will create an environment within which all parts of the city centre are linked together. It will ensure that future change and development is predicted and managed, and opportunities for inward investment are maximised."

Kevin Campbell, managing director of Urban Initiatives, said: "A job like this only comes along once in a lifetime. To work on a whole city, particularly one of the scale and quality of Birmingham, is the holy grail of urban design and anyone who sees themselves at the forefront of the 'making cities' agenda will want to work on this project."