Developers Dig Digbeth is the title of an upbeat piece in Property News that looks at the various developments planned in the area. The general theme seems to be that, apart from the Custard Factory expansion and Coach Station which are well underway, there’s a lot in the pipeline but it’s going to be a while before it comes to fruition. The piece also touches on the debate on whether to keep the character of Digbeth or start from scratch. Here’s a quote:

“It’s important that Digbeth is not over-planned, otherwise it will suffocate – it has an edge that all cities should have,” adds Clive Dutton, director of planning and regeneration with Birmingham City Council. “The trick will be allowing the place to thrive without losing its character.”

But there is debate. “Digbeth has a lot of potential but it mustn’t get hung up on its buildings,” says Martin Weaver, managing partner at property and construction consultancy Rider Levitt Bucknall. “We should keep what’s good, but don’t just keep everything, otherwise it will never work.”

But the key to the successful regeneration of Digbeth will be to maintain the balance between old and new.

Walk among Digbeth’s eclectic mix of Victorian industrial buildings and offices, and railway arch properties squeezed under the railway viaducts that criss-cross the area, and you realise that it has the potential to become Birmingham’s version of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. It can offer a similar fashionable edge to Manchester’s redeveloped industrial buildings and mills and be home to young up-and-coming residents and companies.

Photo of Digbeth taken from Property Week story. Link via Digbeth is Good.