The cultural and economic revival underway in Birmingham's Digbeth district could act as a blueprint for growth across the wider West Midlands, the region's Mayor has stated.
From Digbeth to the Black Country: A Vision for Creative Growth
Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, confirmed he has been directly approached by investors keen to explore building new film studios in the Black Country. This interest follows the launch of Production Central WM, a new film production office announced earlier this year designed to connect producers with local locations, crew, and suppliers.
"We will be investing in that initiative to help drive more productions and capacity for creative industries here," Mr Parker stated. "That initiative was launched in Digbeth but I have been approached by investors who want to build film studios in the Black Country."
He emphasised his commitment to the entire region, adding: "Birmingham is important but I'm the Mayor of the whole region. It's important we get the leverage from that investment in Birmingham in other parts of the region. That will be a priority for me."
Digbeth's Transformation as a Catalyst
The Mayor's comments highlight how Digbeth's rapid evolution is generating confidence. Key developments there include:
- The Warwick Bar Prospectus, which outlines a vision for an area the size of 22 football pitches, with potential for 1,700 new homes and 110,000sq ft of creative workspace.
- The relocation of the BBC's regional Midlands HQ to the new Tea Factory site, bringing several TV productions to the area.
- Director Steven Knight confirming filming for the new Peaky Blinders movie took place at his Digbeth Loc studios.
Mr Parker said he intends to apply lessons learned from supporting major projects like the £3 billion Birmingham City FC and Knighthead development, which includes extending the Midland Metro tram network.
Applying the Model: Defence and Skills Across the Region
The Mayor outlined how this supportive model is already being applied beyond the creative sector and Birmingham's borders. In Walsall, the West Midlands Combined Authority is backing a major defence contractor bidding for a significant Ministry of Defence contract.
"We've been supporting them with discussions with the MOD," he explained. "We can help them position themselves and look at sites we can free up... as well as how we can support them on the skills agenda."
The goal is to ensure that if the bid succeeds, the region has the capacity and skilled workforce to fulfil it, guaranteeing that hundreds of new jobs go to local residents. "We've developed approaches on how we want to get things done," Mr Parker concluded, "so that they've got the support of all the key stakeholders and that support is framed around the requirements of those investors that want to create jobs here."
