Firm aims to make Urban Splash with ‘hoUSe’ idea
THE founder of regeneration giant Urban Splash has revealed he hopes to bring the company’s cutting-edge modular “hoUSe” scheme to Birmingham city centre.
Tom Bloxham was speaking in advance of a keynote talk in the city on November 24, on behalf of connections group Downtown In Business.
The “hoUSe” scheme puts suburban-style terraced housing in the heart of city centres with 25 per cent more space than a typical new build. Each modular home has a front door, back door, garden and parking space. The project was launched in the New Islington area of Manchester with bars and boutiques of the city’s Northern Quarter in walking distance.
Mr Bloxham founded Urban Splash in 1993 after selling records and music posters before venturing into “loft living” warehouse conversions.
Urban Splash has established itself in Birmingham through its successful regeneration projects at the Rotunda and Fort Dunlop, and now the vast Icknield Port Loop masterplan on the outskirts of Birmingham city centre, one of the biggest field regeneration schemes UK.
The ambitious 43-acre canalside scheme will include more than 3,000 brownin the homes plus a new school, shopping, leisure and commercial facilities. Mr Bloxham explained how city centres are only just seeing the start of urban living for all ages and backgrounds. “When I came to Manchester 30 years ago just 200 people lived in the city centre,” he said. “When we started developing you couldn’t even buy a pint of milk or loaf of bread in the city centre, but now you’ve got 20,000 or 30,000 people living centrally – but even this is much less developed than other city centres. “You go to most places in Europe or across the world and the closer you are to the city centre, the higher the values. It’s not the case in the West Midlands or Manchester, where there are still much higher values in the suburbs.
“I think we’ll see more and more people moving into the city centre. We’ll see more variety for younger people with kids or older people.
“We try to stay one step ahead of the game and now we’re very much into modular housing.
“We’ve got our new hoUSe project we’re hoping to bring to Birmingham. We want to take that all over the country.”
Through his work in Birmingham and Manchester, Mr Bloxham has a firm view of the devolution agenda, as city regions take control of billionpound budgets and decision making.
“By and large devolution is a good thing, but it then depends on what decisions you’re making,” he said. “Some decisions are best made nationally, some regionally. It’s a case of working out what those decisions are.
“Most decisions affecting Birmingham are best made in Birmingham by those who know the city, rather than by anyone in Whitehall.”
The Downtown In Business “Keys To The Engine” conference takes place on Thursday, November 24, at Studio Venues, Cannon Street, and also features Conservative mayoral candidate Andy Street, Birmingham City Council chief executive Mark Rogers, Laura Shoaf, of Transport for West Midlands, and Paul Kehoe, of Birmingham Airport.
Visit www.downtowninbusiness. com/event/keys-to-the-engine/ to book.