Your Birmingham Crane Report
Presently summering in the world's first great industrial city. I have, against expectations, witnessed a shimmering orb emitting warmish rays gliding across the imperma-grey skies above.
A growing civic structure but a century-and-a-half ago. Then hailed as the exemplar of how to run a city. Such halcyon age sadly long gone. Not solely down to socialism, either. Can you believe it, but the Capital deliberately stunted the place. Criminal narcissistic avarice.
They'd have likely dismissed the merits of Zipf's Law in a manner to make proud kleptocrats the world over.
There's a running joke throughout my life for the locals. Brummies look at whatever building work might (often sparse) by emerging and quip;
"it'll be great when it's finished".
The not-so-hidden punchline, being that it will never get finished.
For their have been multiple false dawns. Yet progress has chugged along at times.
The centre of Town, as Brummies call it, is remarkably tiny considering it's the country's Second City. So small, you be forgiven for thinking there's little room for more. Yet walking round, there's a noticeable array of construction about.
I wandered how much. So I went to look it up.
What I found was unexpected.
The Birmingham Crane Survey.
It's part of a twenty-year ongoing series by region. Conducted by one of those difficult-to-love Big Numbers outfits. Accountancies that have spread themselves into all sorts of consultancy. People whom I have thought since first encountering them all those years ago - and with unwanted regularity ever since - are quite literally the last people you ought ask for advice about your business.
You could judge for yourself, given this trio of inspiring delights atop their 'what we do' page;
We believe together is the future—it’s what drives us
We’re only as good as the good we do
Making an impact that matters
Still, beyond the unwitting parody, is there here a pocket of hope within the infamous sector malaise of jargonistic made-up IP-pinching backside-covering?
2025's data shows 64 developments currently underway.
Of these, 11 appear new starts this past year.
Interesting national ex-London context comes from their combined CBD figures;
Across all surveys – Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester - 60 new construction starts were recorded in 2023, with a total of 151 schemes currently on site.
This is a sector I've had dealings with.
During my sales knowledge management offering endeavours, I had clients solution selling into such projects. I recall the lengths they had to go to to ensure they knew about all the upcoming potential 'new starts' of this scale throughout the land.
What this reminds me of, is how well you must know your patch.
Take a moment to consider the survey methodology:
The local Deloitte Infrastructure and Real Estate team has monitored construction activity and planning permissions granted, supplemented by rigorous field research. This research has been verified by industry contacts and in-house research teams.
How best-practice can include knowing about projects in our field before they go live.
Every purchase is a 'new start' at some stage. We're better off being there ahead of time.
For instance, I presently ring local often owner-ran Enterprise-selling companies seeking those about to embark on selling a new product.
This is quite specific. If they've no plans to do so, as unlikely as that may sound, then likely we shan't enjoy a meeting of minds. If they've just launched one, then I may well be in the realms of what I used to term 'new product rescue', and that can be a tough acceptance. Yet if they're thinking about doing so, now is absolutely the time to talk. For what I know about this is specialist, and rare. And I can truly help them, loads.
Conducting my own 'Birmingham crane survey' sounds like a winning framework; featuring "rigorous field research".
Sure, as is life, some will gatekeep, obfuscate or clam up for no good reason.
Yet in my focused realm, I and they are way better off should I know where the inevitable next "new starts" are.
I don't even need eleven.
Do you know of any your side?
And how many do you need?