2023 – a year of delivery

By Maggie Grogan, Muse

Since we were announced as the regeneration partner for Arden Cross in November 22, we’ve worked flat out behind the scenes to drive the masterplan forward. This is going to continue to increase through 2023, as we bring forward this once-in-a-generation destination for both the Midlands and the UK.

At the same time as being named on the Arden Cross team, we also opened Muse Midlands, our dedicated business to support the delivery of the Midlands Engine and help unleash the potential of the West Midlands, in partnership with key players from across the region.

As a business, we have decades of experience delivering major programmes of regeneration for communities around the UK. What we do is centred around people, place and prosperity, with the goal of building brighter futures for all through the work we do in partnership with the public and private sector… we’ll be bringing this same commitment and passion to Arden Cross.

As we move through the next year, we’ll be looking to make some announcements, as we work collectively to maximise the opportunities and impact of Arden Cross.

Arden Cross sits at the heart of a dynamic and progressive part of the world, with a regional economy larger than that of some countries. Having a dedicated business in one of the UK’s key growth and economic hubs will bring a wide range of major regeneration opportunities across the region that will connect people and place to the opportunities that regeneration invariably brings.

However, we need to focus on laying the foundations right, so we’re going to focus on the masterplan, to make sure it reflects the current market, but also what people actually want and need from Arden Cross.

Certainly, the focus on innovation, life sciences and advanced technology, underlines the economic cycle in a post-pandemic world and is one of the keys to unlocking a sector-led approach to entice the occupier profile we’d like to see.

That also helps create maximum value for communities in the local area, who will benefit from the jobs and opportunities that follow.

We agree with an ecological-led approach across the site that minimises transport movements and maximises amenity with green corridors, play areas, nature zones and blue as well as green spaces where people can enjoy the world around them and feel connected to it.

This is what active placemaking is all about and will help to create a long term, sustainable place for people to live as well as work in and spend time in.

A neighbourhood is a home and a place where people spend leisure and family time. We want the neighbourhoods at Arden Cross to be the most attractive in the region for all the right reasons –because they are highly sustainable, built to the highest quality, and deliver all that an individual or family could need in terms of lifestyle, learning, connectivity and employment opportunities.

By creating a balanced community of business, learning and living, we’ll attract more people, skills, jobs and opportunities to the heart of the Midlands, underlining its historic place at the centre of the country and our national economy.