Here's to the ‘have-a-go' city

As the chairman of regional business at CB Richard Ellis I see a lot of cities and Birmingham has a lot to be proud of. In the 1980s and 1990s, with the rise of the Convention Quarter, the development of Brindleyplace and the breaking of the concrete collar - which had severely constrained the expansion of the city core - we were the envy of other regional cities.

The success of these projects, and more recent ones such as the Mailbox, Selfridges and Bullring, has created a climate of expectation. So when projects such as the library stall, the disappointment is palpable.

But if Birmingham's citizens can be a little more patient, there are more than £8bn of city-centre regeneration projects in the pipeline. Martineau Galleries, the Cube, Rotunda, Baskerville House, Snow Hill Station, Masshouse and Eastside are just some of the schemes that will be tripping off the tongue in the next few years.

And while we wait for these projects to come on stream, let's stop beating ourselves up over losing out on the millennium project, the national stadium, the European Capital of Culture and, more recently, the supercasino. These schemes were long shots, but Birmingham's willingness to go after them positions us as a "have-a-go" city.

Julian Shellard, chairman of regional business, CB Richard Ellis

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