BILLIONS of pounds worth of investment opportunities will be showcased to developers and investors at a launch event next month.

The Public in West Bromwich will play host to more than 100 key investors from across the region and beyond at the ‘Black Country – Open for business’ event on September 29.

The event will highlight the work of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), offering particular focus on the Black Country joint core strategy.

The joint core planning strategy paves the way for more than 60,000 new homes.

It also opens up potential for over 250,000 sq metres of retail development in the Black Country, creating 95,000 jobs along the way.

The event will showcase to investors some of the key sites earmarked for this development.

Stewart Towe, of Hadley Industries and chair of the LEP board, said: “We are proud of the work of the LEP and extremely excited about the potential investment that could come on the back of the joint core strategy.

“This launch event will allow potential developers the chance to ask any questions they have about the region and hopefully lead to future investment in the region.”

The Black Country Joint Core Strategy, created by Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils, covers an area with the population of 1.1m people, making it the biggest document of its kind in the country.

Its success has also led to the planners involved winning this year’s Team of the Year in the West Midlands Branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute awards (RTPI).

The Black Country launch event will feature an open question and answer session chaired by Marc Reeves, editor of TheBusinessDesk.com/WestMidlands

This will be followed by an opportunity for investors to speak directly with key regeneration officers from the four local authorities to discuss possibilities at numerous development sites.

Places at the launch event will be limited but businesses, developers and investors interested in attending can email openforbusiness@ijmmedia.co.uk or visit The-BlackCountry.Com for details.