The Gracechurch Shopping Centre

I am really pleased to report that the Gracechurch shopping centre has been sold. I believe this is a key moment in the efforts we are all making to deliver the Master Plan for the regeneration of our Town Centre. 

Please see the statement by the new owners below: 

‘BPG & SAV Group are delighted to announce the successful contract exchange for the purchase of the Gracechurch Shopping Centre. Situated in Sutton Coldfield, one of the UK's most prosperous areas, this prime location is nestled up against Birmingham, the second-largest city in the country, and is conveniently located right next to Sutton Park, one of the largest urban parks in Europe. 

Offering approximately 1,000,000 square feet of gross internal area (GIA), the Gracechurch Shopping Centre holds immense potential for transformative placemaking. Our vision is to create a modern living, working, and leisure space upon redevelopment. We are committed to closely collaborating with local authorities and eagerly anticipate sharing our forthcoming plans.’

Both Simon Ward, the Leader of the Royal Sutton Coldfield, and I have met and held discussions with this group which now owns a huge area of the Town centre. We believe this is a key moment in our determination to transform the centre of the Royal Town and we will be working very closely with all those involved, including Andy Street with whom we are closely engaged.

Here is today’s press release that Andy, Simon and I have issued today so you can see it immediately:

‘The sale of the Gracechurch Shopping Centre represents a ‘huge opportunity’ to unlock new investment in Sutton Coldfield’s town centre, says local leaders.

‘The Royal Town’s MP Andrew Mitchell, Town Council leader and chairman of the Town Centre Regeneration Partnership Simon Ward, and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomed the sale of the shopping centre to BGP and SAV Group.

Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority and who, together with Andrew Mitchell, helped win £25million of Government transport funding to kickstart the regeneration of Sutton, said the Gracechurch deal represented a ‘vote of confidence’ in the town.

He said: “The sale of the Gracechurch Shopping Centre proves that major companies want to invest in Sutton Coldfield and is a vote of confidence in the Royal Town.

“Sutton Coldfield town centre is the second biggest shopping destination in the Birmingham area, and there is already a robust Masterplan in place to reshape it for the coming decades, which was drawn up by the Town Council.

“I think that the Gracechurch, which occupies the majority of the town centre, is key to the success of that Masterplan, so we must look at its sale to new owners as a huge opportunity to get things moving and unlock even more investment.

“I’m excited to see what BGP and SAV Group do with shopping centre, because it has so much potential,” added Mr Street, who was MD of retailer John Lewis before becoming the region’s Mayor.

BGP and SAV Group have announced that contracts have now been exchanged on the sale of the centre, which offers approximately 1,000,000 square feet of gross internal area in one of the UK’s most affluent communities.

Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell said: “Sutton Coldfield residents care a great deal about their town centre and will be hoping that BGP and SAV Group will bring new investment and a clear strategy that will revitalise the Gracechurch.

“Following the work that west midlands mayor Andy Street and I did to procure £25m of additional funding from taxpayers and the government, we have massive investment confirmed which will create a new transport gateway to welcome visitors to the town centre, an excellent Masterplan that sets out a clear vision going forward, and residents, businesses and retailers who are determined to see the town flourish.

“In many ways, the sale of the Gracechurch could be seen as the final piece in the jigsaw that will create the momentum needed to make real progress.”

Councillor Simon Ward, Leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, said: “We welcome BGP and SAV Group as the new owners of the Gracechurch Shopping Centre to Royal Sutton Coldfield, and look forward to working with them to make the ambitions of the town centre Masterplan a reality.

“The Gracechurch has played such a big role in the lives of generations of Royal Sutton Coldfield residents and this change is a key milestone.   Everyone wants to see the town centre flourish, with new investment and a relevant, 21st Century offer. We hope that the Gracechurch’s new owners will bring added energy to our efforts to make that a reality.”

Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust’s Annual Chair’s Reception 

Last week the Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust’s Annual Chair’s Reception took place at Lingard House in Walmley, bringing together trustees, team members, advisors, partners local groups, and their Member of Parliament, and I was interested to hear the highlights of the activities of the Trust over the past year.

Chairman Keith Dudley spoke about the achievements of the last 12 months, while chief executive Tina Swani outlined their five-year plan.

I thanked the Trust and all its supporters for all their hard work during the year and then spoke about how the Trust can make a contribution to the four key challenges facing the Royal Town.

The Community Games - Tug of war 

I am very much looking forward to the Community Games next weekend (15th and 16th July), where I and some of our local politicians will be going head-to-head with the youth of Sutton Coldfield in what has become a bit of a tradition - the annual tug of war!

I have been asked to speak at 1pm in a ceremony to thank all those involved in producing these prestigious games and I am looking forward to the tug of war which will take place at 1:15pm between the Royal Town’s politicians and the youth of Sutton Coldfield.

Scroll down for more information on the games.

Stop press

There are two other important issues also in play today which I will report back on next week.

Firstly, I am having a meeting with the minister responsible for handling asylum seeker centres Robert Jenrick  to urge him to limit the numbers at the Ramada hotel on Penns Lane on grounds of over crowding. I also want a time limit on the use of what I believe to be unsuitable facilities in an unsuitable location. All our local councillors are similarly concerned and I will report back next week

Secondly, the group that owns our cinema has called in the Receivers, for which there are a number of ramifications, some of which could work to the advantage of the Royal Town in terms of new ownership - I am exploring this with others including Councillor David Pears who has taken a longstanding and extremely helpful interest in our cinema, and he and I will report back next week on this too

School debaters visit to Parliament 

A few months ago, the final of the annual Sutton Coldfield schools debating competition took place at Arthur Terry School. John Wilmott School won the cup for the first time in the competition’s history. It is always something I look forward to attending every year, but this time I was unable to due to ministerial commitments. This was also our first year for the competitions since COVID. 

However, yesterday it was a great pleasure to welcome all the students who took part in the school debates to Parliament. 

First, they had a tour of the Palace of Westminster, hearing about its fascinating history and the workings of Parliament, attended debates in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 

We got a picture together on the House of Commons terrace (see below).

After visiting the House of Commons terrace, we headed to one of the committee chambers in the House of Lords for lunch and to hear about the workings of the Lords and the reflections from Lord Mothy Kirkhope of Harrogate, who generously dropped by to brief the debaters of Sutton Coldfield.

Lord Mothy, following a distinguished career in the House of Commons, moved to be a member of the European Parliament where he led the Conservative delegation, before being appointed to the House of Lords. We were most grateful to Lord Mothy for giving us his time as well as his expertise on Europe and in particular Germany.

My Meeting with ICRC (The International Red Cross)

On Tuesday as part of my ministerial duties, I chaired a strategic dialogue with the international Red Cross and its Director General Robert Mardini.

Within the Royal Town, there is strong support for the Red Cross which is always represented at the remembrance day in Sutton Coldfield and which attracts a great deal of support from our local community.

As humanitarian needs rise, and crises become more protracted and complex, neutral and impartial humanitarian aid from ICRC is vital. The UK was their second largest donor in 2022. 

UK Parliament Week

This year UK Parliament Week (UKPW) is taking place from 6-12 November.

Sign up for your free kit and explore @UKParliament and how to get involved on the issues that matter to you. 

UKPW is a great way to find out about UK Parliament and get a better understanding of the crucial work Parliament does.

#UKPW ukparliamentweek.org  

Summer Concert at St Columba’s

Birmingham Male Vice Choir are performing some wonderful music next Saturday at St Columba’s Church.

Please see below for details.

Walk for Parkinson’s

Trent Valley Line Summer Upgrade

From Saturday 15 July to Sunday 23 July, along with Sunday 9 and 30 July, Avanti West Coast will be running a reduced service on the West Coast Main Line as Network Rail carry out major upgrade work to the Trent Valley line. Customers making journeys in this period are strongly advised to plan ahead and check the Avanti West Coast website before travelling.

Royal Sutton Coldfield Community Games 2023

Outdoor Cinema in the Parade

A cinema will be opening in Sutton Coldfield this summer - a pop-up version in the Parade showing films and sporting events from Friday, July 14 to Sunday, July 16 with the films to be shown set to be announced nearer the time.

The pop-up venue will feature a large cinema screen, deckchairs to sit back in, a grass floor and white picket fence. And it will show a ‘selection of films and this year’s men’s and women’s Wimbledon tennis finals’, with those days featuring morning movies.

Our brilliant local rugby team - The Spartans, will be hosting taster sessions on the following days. Sign up now to get involved!