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Flagship scheme for city's digital firms(The Birmingham Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) A flagship scheme which could boost the region's economy through an internationally renowned digital media community in Birmingham has been unveiled. The city council is set to investigate whether Eastside could be targeted as a centre showcasing local and international talent. Officers said the "centre" would boost the development and growth of the region's screen based media and sound/music sectors. And they added: "In so doing the 'centre' could make a significant contribution to the prosperity of the region by raising the profile of the sector nationally and internationally and by creating an innovative and creative-led visitor attraction." The council is planning to carry out a feasibility study in to the scheme. Those proposals come as it was revealed a separate flagship project to celebrate Birmingham's creative digital industries could breathe new life into one of the city's landmark buildings. A range of partners are behind a scheme which could see Grade 1 listed Curzon Street Station into a centre showcasing film TV, photography and music. Birmingham City Council's cabinet member of regeneration Ken Hardeman said the two schemes could form part of an ongoing drive to boost the creative sector. The authority - which is putting pounds 10,000 into a feasibility study into the Curzon Street Station plan - is targeting both Eastside and the Jewellery Quarter in a bid to bring in hundreds of jobs. Con Hardeman (Con Brandwood) said: "As a local authority we have identified the creative sector as having major potential for growth. "The two areas of the city - Eastside and the Jewellery Quarter - are seen as key targets. I am determined and confident that we will create hundreds of jobs within the sector and I am determined to make it happen." The study for the Curzon Street Station scheme is being carried out by Birmingham Consultants DCA. Coun Hardeman said the proposed project being developed by city-based Maverick Television, the British Film Institute, the City Library, BBC, Channel 4 and a range of other partners. The Digital Diversity Centre at the old Curzon Street Station would eventually sit on one edge of a new proposed pounds 12 million eight acre park. Six firms of designers have been shortlisted to draw up plans for the green oasis - the first new public park in the city for 125 years. Council officers say: "Located in the City Park/Millennium Point precinct, the Digital Diversity Centre would be place where Birmingham's communities will be celebrated through image and sound." Curzon Street Station was originally the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway, and was built by Philip Hardwick in 1838. Birmingham City Council's website says it has many times been threatened with demolition, but has survived as one of the city's most important buildings, in the centre of an area of great industrial heritage. Coun Hardeman said the council was also planning to boost the creative industries sector in Eastside and the Jewellery Quarter by building on a programme to encourage start-up businesses and relocations. That comes through a range of schemes including grant aid, business support packag-es, including training assistance. Birmingham City Council manages a public sector investment budget for the creative industries in the city amounting to a fund of pounds 9 million over five years. The fund comprises of cash from Europe, development agencies, the city council and other partners. Yes! Birmingham is trying hard to boost its image, both at home and abroad. And this is working! Only 12 months ago, Birmingham was identified by international developers as the "European City of the Future". They recognised what has been done by the City Council and its partners to lay the foundations for economic growth and sustainable prosperity' for a "global city with a local heart", where people want to live, work and play. However, how we are perceived often depends on who is asked. Your article surveyed marketing executives based in other UK cities, some of whom perhaps are in competition with more successful companies operating in Birmingham. It is not therefore surprising if some chose to "damn us with faint praise". Your article is correct in stating that 'Brum has improved beyond recognition' in recent years, with Gas Street Basin, Brindley place and the new Bullring, plus ongoing developments at Eastside and in the Jewellery Quarter. Record inward investment shows that we are creating the opportunities for local people and businesses to earn more than a "Fistful of Dollars" (to follow your spaghetti western metaphor) in a global market. Jokes of course proliferate about the problems experienced by users of 'Spaghetti Junction' and the M6. However, these were good examples of effective public investment in transport infrastructure during the 1960s and 1970s. The time has now come for government to provide the necessary investment for a 21st century transport system at the heart of the Midlands. If we Brummies have a failing, it is that we do not adequately publicise our own achievements. Through the work of the Marketing Birmingham organisation and others, I expect to see this change. Other cities and their supporters may make great claims for themselves, but Birmingham has both an impressive record of achievement and ambitious plans for the future that will make this city second to none. Copyright 2006 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. |