In a unique partnership with Birmingham City Council, business and community groups in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter are joining forces to form a powerful new organisation which aims to make the area a better place to work, live, visit and invest in.
The Jewellery Quarter Development Trust (JQDT) is hosting an official launch event at the School of Jewellery in Vittoria Street on Thursday 15 September, from 4pm to 8pm.
Local residents and businesses will be able to find out how the area could benefit from improvements such as better lighting and wardens, easier accessibility and higher quality surroundings. Many of the proposals for the continual regeneration of the area are set out in the Jewellery Quarter Regeneration Plan, which is to be co-signed by the Development Trust and the City Council’s Cabinet Minister for Regeneration, Councillor Tim Huxtable.
The JQDT is a new organisation comprising representatives from the Jewellery Quarter Association, Jewellery Quarter Neighbourhood Forum, Jewellery Quarter Marketing Initiative, and the Jewellery Quarter Trade Alliance. It will work with Birmingham City Council to develop proposals for a Business Improvement District (BID).
A BID is a defined area where businesses pay a small additional levy on their rates to fund improvements to local services. With BIDs already in the Colmore Row and Broad Street areas of Birmingham, it could help to improve the Jewellery Quarter in many ways, including increased security through expanded CCTV, better lighting and wardens; enhanced street cleaning and maintenance; better signage, accessibility and information; and environmental initiatives. Ultimately, it will help to increase the profile of the area and encourage business networking to bring in more visitors and businesses to help the local economy.
David Mahony, chair of the JQDT, said: “Despite being a unique part of Birmingham, the Jewellery Quarter has missed out on a lot and, in part, this is because it has undoubtedly lacked the same level of public sector investment as Eastside and the city centre. We are confident that a successful BID will readdress this imbalance. It will not only give us a strategic voice in the city but it should also raise around £400,000 per annum to address the improvements needed in the Jewellery Quarter. Decisions on those priorities will be made by the levy payers.”
The Bid Steering Group is also looking for business champions who will help to develop proposals relevant to the local business area and secure a successful vote at next year’s ballot for the BID.
To find out more about the JQDT, visit www.jqdt.org.
The event coincides with the School of Jewellery’s MAdness in the Method exhibition from students of the MA Jewellery, Silversmithing and Related Product course at Birmingham City University and Birmingham Institute of Art & Design.