The Black Country LEP is working with the four Black Country local authorities and the Homes & Communities Agency to create a new garden city in the heart of England. Covering 1500 hectares, it will be Britain’s biggest ever garden city.

The garden city movement was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard as far back as 1898. It’s an approach to urban planning which aims to create communities containing proportionate areas of residential, industrial, and agricultural spaces, urban areas in which people live harmoniously with nature.

The 2018 vision for the Black Country is to transform both the reality and perception of the region, using existing green, cultural and economic assets to create attractive places where people want to spend time. While the Black Country is undoubtedly a great place for business to succeed, with excellent transport links and a highly skilled industrial workforce, it is hoped that by applying the five garden city principles, it will become an even more attractive place to live.

The five principles are:

• Well connected communities by car, public transport, cycling and walking
• Green streets and easy access to green space
• Mixed use, mixed tenure and mixed density attractive neighbourhoods
• Chances for engaging the local community
• Space for enterprise and creative industries to flourish

In order to fulfil this vision, the consortium has been able to lever £6bn of government and private investment into the scheme for infrastructure and construction projects, including the building of 45,000 new homes over the next ten years. The LEP is also seeking built environment experts – in architecture, landscape architecture, ecology, urban design, planning, engineering, highways and street design, public health and sustainability – to join an expert panel.

To find out more about the Black Country Garden City visit the website or email gardencity@blackcountryconsortium.co.uk.

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