Our ambitions - a vibrant economy with increased access to opportunities

Solihull drives the West Midlands’ economy; we have the highest gross value added (GVA) per head in the West Midlands (£44,613) and the 8th highest outside London. 

We have strong foundations to build upon. Solihull remains one of the UK’s strongest performing economies, as well as the gateway for the region. As a Council, we aim to drive the conditions for growth and to address inequalities within the borough. Our ‘UK Central Solihull’ brand promotes Solihull as one of the UK’s best-connected destinations for businesses, leisure and living, and a prime location for new investment. 

UK Central focuses on three key areas of economic opportunity across the borough: 

UK Central Hub represents a dynamic cluster of economic assets including Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Birmingham Business Park and Jaguar Land Rover. At the heart of The Hub, we are proud to host the £3.2bn Arden Cross development, which will support up to 27,000 jobs and up to 3,000 new homes, providing office spaces, cafes and public areas. This will also be complemented by a new Health Tech Campus led by the University of Warwick. Arden Cross will be transformed with the future arrival of the HS2 Interchange Station, which will act as a catalyst for investment, and deliver benefits for all of our communities. As one of the region’s strongest gateway assets, Arden Cross is set to feature prominently in the West Midlands Growth Plan.

Solihull town centre is an established and popular thriving commercial centre with an enviable reputation for the opportunity, connectivity and the lifestyle it offers. We are seeking to enhance the existing retail offer, visitor experience, and nighttime economy through the Solihull Town Centre Masterplan. One of the key projects within the masterplan is the regeneration of Mell Square. In March 2025, our preferred development partner, Muse Places Ltd, submitted a planning application for up to 1,600 homes as part of a new mixed-use neighbourhood which includes shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and public spaces. 

North Solihull is strategically located next to the UK Central Hub and has a strong track record for regeneration activity in Solihull. Within this area, we are currently redeveloping Kingshurst village centre to create a high quality, sustainable and well-integrated community with enhanced potential to benefit from the Hub. The first phase of construction comprising of 25 new sustainable social rented homes was successfully completed in September 2024. We are currently moving on to phase two of the development which includes a new community, health and retail hub.

In driving a vibrant local economy, we recognise the need to enhance transport links locally, to better connect people with jobs and education opportunities. Our borough continues to benefit from exceptional levels of national and regional connectivity, but there is room to improve public transport. 

We continue to work with Transport for West Midlands and other partners to enhance public transport across the borough. We know that transport is key to connecting residents with jobs and education opportunities. We continue to make the case for enhancing public transport between North Solihull and the UK Central Hub and our town centre. 

In May 2025, the West Midlands Mayor made a decision to begin the transition process towards franchised bus services from 2027. We have asked for safeguards to be built into the franchising process, particularly to ensure that the new model supports an appropriate network of bus routes to accommodate travel demand beyond central Birmingham. We will monitor the implementation of the plans to ensure that bus franchising delivers the best outcomes for Solihull’s residents. 

As part of the 2023 Trailblazer Deeper Devolution Deal, a Growth Zone was established in East Birmingham and North Solihull (EBNS). This is a major opportunity for the West Midlands, with the opportunity to increase housing and drive employment growth and innovation in low carbon energy. Within the Growth Zone, we can retain all income generated from business rates for a period of 25 years from 1 April 2024, with the funds available for reinvestment in development, infrastructure and services. 

The EBNS strategy sets out a vision for the regeneration of North Solihull, aiming to deliver multi-modal transport improvement through capitalising on the benefits of HS2, while prioritising employment and education opportunities, and preventative care. The strategy emphasises the need for an ambitious, long-term approach combining capital investment with public service improvement to deliver sustainable local economic development. 

On 1 April 2025, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester became the first areas in the UK to receive the Integrated Settlement (IS) from the Government. The IS signals the removal of historic ring-fencing of funding, giving greater control and choice over what devolved funding can be spent on. Local authorities are central to the delivery of the IS, and we have developed a Place Based Strategy which will align any funding we receive with local priorities for economic growth and climate change action. 

We will ensure that all our businesses, communities and individuals have equal opportunities to benefit from these developments, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas of the borough. This will require an integrated approach to infrastructure investment, housing and joined up local public services.

Key activities

• Unlocking the development opportunity at Arden Cross and supporting the University of Warwick’s plans to deliver a Health Tech campus.
• Deliver a new community, health and retail hub as phase two of the Kingshurst village centre redevelopment.
• Deliver the first phases of the Mell Square redevelopment, as part of the Solihull Town Centre Masterplan.
• Deliver upon the Council’s investment strategy for the East Birmingham and North Solihull (EBNS) Growth Zone.
• Continue to support approaches which drive inclusive growth (growth which benefits people and places) through key local developments, the EBNS Growth Zone, and pilot projects which test innovative ways of doing things.
• Deliver the Council’s transport investment programme, whilst working with Transport for West Midlands to lobby for improved connectivity from North Solihull to Solihull town centre.
• Deliver targeted programmes of business support and inward investment to support high-value sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and develop growth sectors (including future mobility, creative and digital), whilst not forgetting the vital role of the everyday economy.

Next page: our ambitions - opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change