Dog Kennel Lane – A positive update
Both myself and Cllr Hawkins recently visited Tamworth Lane Doctors Surgery to discuss the proposed planning application for Dog Kennel Lane and the potential effects this will have on already extremely busy Primary care surgery.
We have posted a video below complete with a brief overview of our meeting, we hope this is both informative and helpful
The matter is yet to be determined but we suspect it will come before Solihull’s planning committee later this spring.
Community Centre – CIL applications
A report is before the cabinet member responsible and the following are recommendations in relation to Monkspath.
Blythe Ward: £14,639 in pot:
Applicant: Shelly Farm Community Centre (Rank 1)
Project: Shelly Farm Community Centre Renewal – Renewal / replacement of kitchen doors, handles and worktops. Replacement of 5 skylights
Award: £11,600
Shirley South Ward: £211,009 in pot:
Applicant: Shelly Farm Community Centre (Rank 1)
Project: Shelly Farm Community Centre Renewal – Renew flooring throughout the centre
Award: £18,762
Project is based in Blythe ward but cross boundary benefits to Shirley South residents are demonstrated as many users of the facility come from Shirley South ward.
NOT FUNDED
Applicant: Friends of Hillfield Park (Rank joint 9)
Project: Hillfield Park- Play, Plant & Ponder (including installation of play equipment, seating and planting) Amount requested: £57,348
The application lacks sufficient information on costings and quotes. Consequently, there is uncertainty around whether the project can be delivered for funding requested. Hillfield Park is also located within St Alphege and Blythe wards, but no funding is sought from these wards. Therefore, need to consider the equitability of using Shirley South money to fund the entire project, particularly as the improvements that are being proposed will not address access issues from Shirley South area and will also benefit residents of surrounding wards, potentially more that Shirley South residents.
Mell Square
Solihull has a vibrant town centre, with both Touchwood and Mell Square being an important part of the boroughs economic success. The development of Mell Square will ensure the town centre remains one of the very best places to visit in the UK.
Solihull Town Centre – Call for sites
There are a few reasons for us posting about this, especially as the town centre is not in Blythe ward.
We have stated before how important the town centre is to Solihulls economy, it reflects on all the wards in the borough. It is also important to highlight the numbers of projected new homes (mainly apartments) this town centre can deliver – almost 2,000 from the two sites mentioned below.
‘Therefore, together with the Arden Cross projections (see previous post), some 5,000 from our stated housing numbers could be delivered through the town centre and Arden Cross developments, alleviating the pressure on the green belt.‘
The Jewel that is – Arden Cross
Arden Cross is a £3.2bn opportunity to drive substantial growth across the West Midlands and national economy. Sited within Solihull Borough it has the opportunity to be a world leading community. Sitting within an established cluster of world-class assets, including the NEC, Resorts World, and Jaguar Land Rover’s flagship Solihull manufacturing plant, HS2, Arden Cross is one of the best-connected locations in the UK
Connectivity
Connectivity, and leveraging both established connections and new HS2 investment, is critical to the regeneration of Arden Cross and the delivery of the vision. Connectivity will ensure the location is an attractive place to live and invest, with global businesses attracted to national and international links.
Arden Cross in Solihull already represents one of the UK’s largest and most exciting regeneration projects bringing together world class connectivity and innovation to drive economic growth.
The £3.2 billion opportunity at Arden Cross will deliver tens of thousands of jobs and thousands of new homes, shops, offices, and public spaces and will also include a dynamic Innovation District, anchored by the new Campus.
Some 3,000+ new homes can be provided, with submissions already made via the councils local plan ‘Call for Sites’ exercise. Site CFS/24/251 relates to Arden Cross and its submission can be found via this link (just enter the reference number in the search window) : https://solihull-mbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/906f0c69fb5e41cb84b56d959f4d4db5
Call for sites – with more relevance to Dickens Heath, Cheswick Green and Tidbury Green
Residents may be aware of the councils recent ‘Call for Sites’ in order to fulfil its responsibilities in respect of housing targets (some 1300 new homes a year for the next ten years).
We have posted here a breakdown of the main sites the Dickens Heath, Tidbury Green and Cheswick Green communities, together with maps.
There are so many sites put forward that I have not drawn up a synopsis of each site. The full report, relating to the whole of the borough, can be read via this link: https://solihull-mbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/906f0c69fb5e41cb84b56d959f4d4db5 and you can break down the search for individual wards/parish.
Sport England – Local Plan
A concern for us all surrounding the protection of our Sports facilities and Green belt
Alongside other organisations Sport England play a significant role in ensuring our local sports facilities remain local and help prevent inappropriate new developments being built with the loss of community sports clubs . Government suggest this lifts the Bureaucratic burden which will speed up building , my view is , it takes away a layer of protection for our Sports clubs and could leave them vulnerable.
Please read the link below for full details
Call for Sites – With more relevance to Monkspath and Hillfield communities
Residents may be aware of the councils recent ‘Call for Sites’ in order to fulfil its responsibilities in respect of housing targets (some 1300 new homes a year for the next ten years).
We have posted here a breakdown of the main sites within our Monkspath and Hillfield communities, together with maps. there is also a short synopsis of what those submitting the sites propose. The full report, relating to the whole of the borough, can be read via this link: https://solihull-mbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/906f0c69fb5e41cb84b56d959f4d4db5
Rough Sleeping in Solihull
Work with SMBC to reduce rough sleeping in Solihull
The government has released the annual rough sleeping figures for the country and despite supporting more people who are sleeping rough into safe and secure housing than the previous year, Solihull’s official figure for rough sleeping is 12 people, double last year’s figure of six.
The national rough sleeping figures are produced annually as a snapshot by every local authority in the country on a single night in autumn. It is recorded annually in this way in order to monitor rough sleeping patterns year on year and region by region.
Plastic bags and wrapping – Recycling just got easier
Press release from SMBC 5th March 2025
Solihull residents can now recycle plastic bags and wrapping along with their usual recycling at the kerbside.
Everything that’s ‘soft plastic’ – from plastic bags, foil lined coffee bags and biscuit and sweet wrappers, to plastic film, bubble wrap, food wrapping and fruit and vegetable net bags – can now all be placed in the mixed recycling bin for fortnightly collection.
Solihull Council – Ward Boundary Review
We have reported on this issue a few times since the review began, in August 2023. The Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) have today published its final recommendations, which will now go before parliament for them to approve. Elections incorporating the new ward boundaries will take place in May 2026.
You can find out more abut the process as to how we have reached the position by reading the LGBC website: A new political map for Solihull Council | LGBCE
