Once Birmingham’s industrial heartland, today Digbeth is better known as its ‘Creative Quarter’. The cool neighbourhood continues only to grow and evolve into a destination for the UK’s creative industries. Joining Steven Knight’s new Digbeth Loc. Studios in the area, two new projects have been announced for the area.
What’s changing in Digbeth?
Yesterday (Tuesday, October 21), West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker announced the next phase of investment into Digbeth’s renaissance from entertainment industry names like the BBC, Netflix and Steven Knight—with his eyes set on turning the post-industrial district into a bigger version of Manchester’s Media City.
The first of the new projects is The Warwick Bar Prospectus—covering an area the size of 22 football pitches, with the potential of 1,700 new homes and 110,000sq ft of new creative workspaces. The site’s owner, Homes England, is aiming to commence marketing of Phase 1 in November.
That’s not all. Production Central WM—a new film production office to connect producers with the set locations, local crew and suppliers—will also open in the neighbourhood. Shows like MasterChef, Late Night Lycett, and Silent Witness are already produced in Digbeth, but this will bring more big and small screen blockbusters to the region.
Digbeth Loc. Studios, located within the Warwick Bar site, will also produce the next two series of Peaky Blinders, while the BBC is converting the former derelict Tea Factory nearby into a new broadcasting centre. Several creative hubs, such as the Banana Warehouse, Grand Union at Junction Works and The Bond, can be found.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Digbeth will be bigger, better and bolder than Manchester’s Media City – it’s central location and abundance of investment opportunities make it unique. A place known for its grit and graft, it is at the cusp of its renaissance as a top location for the creative industries.
“The BBC and Steven Knight are just some of the partners who are investing heavily in Digbeth’s future, because they know that this place, at the heart of the country, has the backing of industry and government – and a wealth of local talent to work with. Together, we’ll write a new chapter in Digbeth’s history that puts our region centre stage for the creative industries.”