Report praises area as ideal for young creatives.
When it comes to the perfect recipe for property buyers, Digbeth has all the right ingredients. The area is a trendy, thriving hub of digital and tech prowess, with a community of millennials looking to rent stylish homes at the heart of the action.
Digbeth’s digital credentials were showcased earlier this month during Digital Digbeth Day, part of the BBC Digital Cities Week. Events focused on game-changing developments in the digital tech sector, from 3D scanning to virtual reality, with Digbeth’s bright young residents showcasing their credentials to maximum effect.
Jonathan Stephens, Managing Director of property specialists Surrenden Invest, says, “The sense of creativity and innovation in Digbeth is enormous. The area is brimming with talent and not just in the tech sector. Digbeth’s creative industry credentials are seriously strong and have helped it to become one of the trendiest areas of the UK in recent years.”
According to the Creative Industries Federation, the UK’s creative industries are worth £87 billion. That’s more than the country’s car or aerospace industry. The West Midlands has put much into developing its creative sector – creative industry jobs here grew by 38.7% between 2011 and 2015 (more than double the growth rate of London, which stood at 15.6%).
At the same time, big things are expected of Birmingham’s new Metro Mayor, Andy Street, whose strategy for growing the city’s economy looks set to have a positive impact on housing, transport and skills, as well as other areas of urban life. Then of course there’s the High Speed 2 rail network, which Transport for West Midlands sees as a catalyst for enhanced prosperity and growth for regional locations like Digbeth.
The combination of all of this has created a magnet-like effect in Digbeth, with highly skilled, highly ambitious millennials flocking to the area to work and live. Nearly 40% of Birmingham’s population is now under the age of 25, making it one of the youngest cities in Europe, according to Visit Birmingham.
Developments such as Moseley Gardens are pitched perfectly for style-conscious millennials looking for a city centre location in Birmingham’s hottest regional rental market. Specifically developed for the shared rental market, the contemporary apartments offer the ideal blend of location and luxurious living, all just ten minutes’ walk from New Street Station.
We got to ask who actually owns all this spec property and who is monitoring foreign cash bouying up the market…especially in Digbeth