Save Digbeth: Network Rail's £1.75bn Rail Hub Threatens 50 Independent Businesses

Digbeth is under threat. Here's what I'm doing about it.

Digbeth is the beating heart of Birmingham's independent nightlife and cultural scene. It's where generations of Brummies have danced, discovered new music, and built a community that is the envy of cities across the UK. But right now, that heart is under direct threat.

Network Rail's £1.75 billion Midlands Rail Hub project — a massive viaduct extension between Birmingham Moor Street and Bordesley — puts up to 50 independent businesses at risk of demolition. Names that have become synonymous with our city's cultural identity — XOYO, Luna Springs, Club Colette, Mama Roux's, and The Night Owl — face compulsory purchase and the bulldozer.

These aren't just buildings. They are businesses that employ local people, host artists on their way up, and generate millions for the nighttime economy. They are the reason Digbeth has a national reputation as a cultural destination.

The Block Party

On Sunday 11 October, the newly-formed Digbeth Music Venues Alliance teamed up with Save Our Scene UK to throw the biggest block party Digbeth has ever seen. Lower Trinity Street was taken over by DJs, live music, and thousands of supporters sending a clear message: you cannot demolish our culture without a fight.

The energy was incredible. But protests alone won't save these venues. We need a plan.

My Action Plan

I'm proposing three concrete steps:

1. An Economic and Cultural Preservation Summit. I'm bringing Network Rail, the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance, Birmingham City Council cabinet members, and the affected venue owners to the same table before the Summer 2027 consultation. We need a face-to-face conversation — not consultation documents dropped on doorsteps.

2. A "No Net Loss" policy for cultural spaces. I'm urging Birmingham City Council to adopt a binding policy that guarantees no cultural or nighttime economy space is lost in the redevelopment zone without an equivalent, fully-funded replacement. Other cities have done this. Birmingham should lead.

3. Guaranteed, fully-funded compensation and relocation. No business should face losing its premises without a guaranteed relocation package that covers not just bricks and mortar, but the cost of downtime, lost trade, and the years of goodwill built up in that location. Network Rail must publish its compensation strategy now — not after the demolition notices go out.

What happens next

I've launched a city-wide petition demanding action on all three fronts. I've also opened four polls so you can tell me — and the decision-makers — exactly where you stand. Every signature, every vote, every share makes it harder for them to ignore us.

Digbeth didn't become the cultural capital of the Midlands by accident. It happened because independent people took risks, invested their lives, and built something real. We owe it to them to fight for its survival.

Sign the petition. Vote in the polls. Share this with everyone you know. Let's show them that Birmingham's cultural heritage is not for demolition.