Articles From the Team

Birmingham Property Hype… speeds up!

Birmingham is a fantastic, creative and multicultural city which genuinely has a vibe and buzz you just can’t get that feel from anywhere else, the people are so friendly and cheery – I can’t think of a time I have ever got off the train to a frown, always a cheery smile from someone (well – this could be questionable when the trains are delayed!)

I feel proud to call this city my home, so I wasn’t surprised to read that Birmingham is named as one of the ‘top 10 cities’ to live in in the world! (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/birmingham-named-one-of-the-top-10-cities-in-the-world-9933668.html) Birmingham has beaten the likes of Paris to an enviable position in the top 10 – so, if you like Victorian buildings, live music, vintage shops, the street food scene and fantastic transport links, you really do need to consider visiting Birmingham.

Also, there is a really cool reason within residential property to consider Birmingham and in the not too distant future your journey will be very short if the following insight is anything to go by; Birmingham has been shortlisted as a potential location to home the new Hyperloop rail link, this link would be part of a route connecting commuters to London, Manchester and even Edinburgh travelling at whopping 760mph – the speed of sound! This potential which would be in the pipeline for 2017 would see you connected to London from Birmingham in a miniscule 12 minutes and Manchester to Birmingham at a time of only 6 mins.. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it! (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4097000/Cities-vie-hop-super-speedy-hyperloop-rail.html)

All of these proposed plans and the firm go ahead for the first phase of HS2 to go ahead has rocketed the attraction for property developers to invest in this prime location. The UK’s second city, which is generally seen as one of the most affordable location for buyers, currently has an asking price of £169,373, up by 6% in the last year. The arrival of HS2, even though it’s a decade or more away, is likely to give a significant boost to house prices in the area.

So, you may be thinking… what is HS2? HS2 is the proposed plan for a new railway line between London Euston and the West Midlands carrying 400m-long (1,300ft) trains with as many as 1,100 seats per train, these trains would operate at speeds of up to 250mph - faster than any current operating speed in Europe - and would run as often as 14 times per hour in each direction. The Department for Transport says there will be almost 15,000 seats an hour on trains between London and the cities of Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds – which is treble the current capacity! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16473296).

This would make a previous 1 hr 21 minute Birmingham to London commute a very smooth and very quick connection in under 49 minutes! These plans would be followed by a V-shaped second phase taking services from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. Making the journey time only 1hr 8 mins!

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16473296). HS2 is a controversial proposal and there is a real mixed review on those who favour this idea. It really comes down to your own opinion and if you feel the benefits out weigh the negatives.

If you are interested in exploring residential property roles across the Midlands, please do not hesitate to call Grace Homer  at BCL Legal for a confidential discussion on 0121 237 5613 and please do send your CV to gracehomer@bcllegal.com