Why the PM Picked Dudley
The PM brought June to a close by announcing a £5 billion infrastructure spending programme. While his speech gave the press much to chew on, its contents will not be the focus of this article. This piece will focus on the importance of where the PM chose to give this speech: Dudley.
This key policy speech was not given from the steps of No. 10 or beamed across our televisions from one of Downing Street’s ornate rooms. The PM picked a borough in the Midlands that is seen by many as a hallmark of a bygone era of British global success in heavy industry. So why Dudley?
The fact is that Dudley’s industrial strength is far from a chapter of history. Right now, plans are in place to convert the now disused Dudley rail station into a centre for innovation in Very Light Rail (VLR). In a project expected to cost £28m, a new VLRNIC (Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre) will be the centre of research into reducing the weight and size of trains, so that more routes can run through areas which have been cut-off from our rail network due to the closure of local stations. Many of the trains currently in use are too heavy for the tracks on these old lines and we need lighter, more efficient trains to serve these communities.
Moreover, the researchers at the heart of this project are aiming to build trains which can be sold commercially for less than £1m. This achievement will not just add enormous value to the UK’s rail network but will create products which could revolutionise both passenger and freight rail transportation globally.
The VLRNIC will contain research labs and a large workshop area (capable of designing prototypes), as well as incubations hubs for innovative SMEs and start-ups in the sector, conference and meeting facilities, academic facilities to deliver training courses and a networking area. More information about the VLRNIC development, which is supported by the Department for Transport and numerous other research leaders, can be found here.
It would be impossible to write about business innovation in Dudley without also mentioning the DY5 Enterprise Zone. Supported by Dudley Council, the Zone comprises over 65,000m2 of industrial space on a picturesque waterfront. Businesses manufacturing vital products for sectors ranging from aerospace to automotive have already created 4,000 jobs - mostly in advanced engineering specialisms - on the space. Tenants are offered business rates discounts of up to £55,000 every year for five years, making the Enterprise Zone a highly attractive proposition for many ambitious entrepreneurs.
In addition to this industrial space, the Enterprise Zone will grow to include 36,000m2 of exclusive technology space situated next-door to the new West Midlands Metro. The technological innovations facilitated by this space will make the region’s manufacturing more connected and more productive than ever before. Find out more about how this exciting development will make British manufacturing better here.
These technological innovations will be underpinned by Dudley’s Institute of Technology, which will offer students pathways into VLR and other fields of advanced engineering. The IoT will open in September 2021 and will cost £32.5 million to build. Supported by the Universities of Aston, Warwick and Wolverhampton, this project will ensure that the engineering pioneers of the future call the region home. Dudley is already home to exceptional talent, as shown by the creation of the world’s first electric racing car in the borough by Westfield in 2011. Built as an extension to Dudley College, the Institute will teach more than 2,000 students by 2025 and will ensure that talented engineers stay in the borough, helping its many manufacturers to grow into global leaders in their sectors.
These projects are just the beginning of Dudley’s re-emergence as an industrial powerhouse. The PM picked the borough for his speech with good reason. If innovation will be pivotal to our economic recovery post-COVID, then so will Dudley.