Date: Wed 24th September, 2008
Venue: Locanta, 31 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham, B3 1EH
Number of Guests Attended: 100
Insider’s Jewellery Quarter Breakfast in Birmingham probably generated more emotion than any other recent event organised by the magazine, as it developed into an open discussion on the direction of the district.
More than 100 people met at Locanta Restaurant to hear the panel – Clive Dutton, head of planning and regeneration at Birmingham City Council; Chris Rosier, managing director of Chord Developments; Stephen Whittaker, managing partner at Fellows & Sons; and Gay Penfold, manager of the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre – give their views on how the historic 264 acres should be developed.
However, rather than firing questions at the panel, many of the audience used the occasion to put their views forward, so the event took on the atmosphere of a public meeting.
Dutton outlined the importance of the city’s bid to have the Jewellery Quarter – which has more than 100 listed buildings – given World Heritage Site status, while Rosier and Whittaker emphasised the importance of bringing developments to the area, while maintaining its historic look.
Meanwhile, Penfold argued for the vital role that jewellery making, although a much diminished industry, should continue to play in defining the Quarter’s character.
