A land of opportunity

The Black Country is a renewed economy that is a prime, flourishing, central location to live, work and invest. Massive investment has already transformed the strategic centres with staggering sums being pumped into West Bromwich town centre (£450 million), Walsall (£390m) and Wolverhampton (£992m).

A significant rise in foreign and domestic investment (FDI) has also given the Black Country the prestigious accolade of ‘one of the top five cost-effective regions in the UK’, by the fDi Magazines European Cities and Regions of the Future ranking 2016/17.

Not content to rest on its laurels, the Black Country LEP is leading major initiatives that will continue to propel the region forward and drive the momentum of inward investment.

The Black Country Garden City will see the delivery of 45,000 homes in one of Britain’s biggest ever brownfield site regenerations, covering more than 1,500 hectares.
The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) City blueprint is driving world-class design, manufacturing and engineering opportunities. It will add over £1 billon to the economy, create over 25,000 jobs and 150 hectares of land by creating the perfect economic conditions for advanced manufacturing businesses to thrive.
The Black Country Enterprise Zone comprises a portfolio of sites situated in Darlaston and i54 - Wolverhampton North, spread over 120 hectares. The Zone has created 4,000 new jobs in advanced manufacturing including aerospace, automotive and engineering, with bountiful additional opportunities there.

From manufacturing to transport infrastructure, education to culture, the Black Country is a dynamic and enterprising area that is ripe with truly unique investment opportunities and rich with resources and is open to development.

The Business Festival will be our platform to showcase all the impressive features the Black Country has to offer, to a local, regional and national audience.

The Black Country is…

A great location

Centrally-located at the heart of the country.
Mainline rail connections to London (one hour 40 minutes); Birmingham (20 minutes) and motorway networks
An international airport 30 minutes away with 50 airlines flying to 140 cities
£200 million planned investment in transport infrastructure
The UK’s highest concentration of manufacturing
Major companies in a range of diverse sectors are based here, including Jaguar Land Rover, Moog, UTC, Homeserve, Carillion, Marston’s Plc.
£8bn devolution deal for the West Midlands

Strategic Centre Regeneration transforming towns and city centres

‘Enterprise Zones’ with extensive business rate relief

A great place to live…

Leisure, sports and cultural facilities for all ages and interests
Easy access to heritage, green spaces, countryside and a canal network
High performing schools, colleges and universities
A great sense of community across the 30 towns and 300 local villages
High speed broadband in 98% of homes and businesses
High earning jobs in advanced manufacturing industries
Great places to visit - Dudley Zoo, Black Country Living Museum, network of beautiful canals and waterways
Range of family festivals and events including Black Country Day

A great place to invest…

£5bn of investment opportunities
Garden City blueprint for residential development
Opportunities to transform 875 hectares of employment land
95% of housing land supply is brownfield
Opportunities to deliver 42,000 homes
Significant growth in FDI - UK top 5 cost effective location as awarded by fDi Magazine
HVM City blueprint for high value manufacturing growth
Major exporter of goods ranging from aerospace components to vehicle parts and sports equipment being shipped around the globe.