Our Sustainable Future case study: Arden Cross

Regeneration with a global healthcare impact

Arden Cross is one of the UK’s most exciting regeneration opportunities. It brings together world-class connectivity and innovation to drive economic growth at scale.

Facilitated by the HS2 Interchange Station in Solihull, Arden Cross will deliver tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of new homes, along with shops, offices, and public spaces.
As one of the best-connected locations anywhere in the UK – with access to the West Coast Main Line, Birmingham Airport, motorway network, and HS2 – it is a chance to deliver a truly sustainable new community.

Sat within an established cluster of world-class assets, including the NEC, Resorts World, and Jaguar Land Rover’s flagship Solihull manufacturing plant, Arden Cross will be at the heart of a thriving economic network.

A once-in-a-generation opportunity, we are working in partnership with Arden Cross Ltd, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, HS2, and Department for Transport.

At the heart of Arden Cross, a unique HealthTech Campus will anchor an Innovation District. The University of Warwick – one of the world’s leading research-intensive universities – will be the lead academic partner. We are working closely together to deliver.

The Campus will leverage the competitive advantage of the West Midlands, across HealthTech and life sciences sectors. The region already contains the largest network of medical technology companies in the UK and employs over 23,000 people.

The Campus vision is to accelerate innovation in HealthTech, transform healthcare services and improve patient outcomes locally, nationally, and globally. The University will enable partnership working between the NHS, private providers and industry. As modern healthcare provision is increasingly technology driven, the Campus will support dynamic UK start- ups to enter the NHS and global markets.

It will not only support start-ups and scale- ups, but boost the UK’s health resilience, drive regional employment opportunities, improve patient outcomes and create sustainable economic growth.

It’s a plan which not only aligns with NHS transformation objectives, but also with the UK Industrial Strategy. With advanced and purpose-built facilities, including National Centres of Excellence, the Campus will include research, innovation, and development space, clinical testing and diagnostics, a Women’s Health Centre, education teaching spaces – including surgical skills – alongside business support for scale-ups and access to investors.

As a comprehensive research and innovation hub, the HealthTech Campus will improve the health and wellbeing of communities in the West Midlands, UK, and across the world.
This is supported by an innovation network which already exists and has Arden Cross at its centre.

Existing life sciences and HealthTech clusters, built around innovation-led universities and NHS Trusts will be connected through established and new infrastructure.

This will be further enhanced by HS2, which will link Birmingham, Arden Cross, Old Oak Common – the new ‘super hub’ station in West London – and Euston. Northern connections with Manchester and Leeds, and locally to the East Midlands will complete the network.

Located within the East Birmingham- North Solihull corridor, Arden Cross is an opportunity for meaningful economic impact in one of the West Midlands’ most deprived areas.

Access to high-quality jobs and opportunities will be transformative for local communities, whilst the HealthTech Campus will contribute to improved health outcomes and wellbeing.

However, the scale of Arden Cross – and its ability to leverage the competitive advantage of the West Midlands – make the opportunity one of global significance.

Arden Cross will not only have a transformational impact on local and regional communities – it can help improve the lives of patients and communities across the world.