Solihull

I have lived in Solihull all my married life in excess of 40 years and I know absolutely nothing about the place. Other than the occasional trip to the town centre over the years I am ashamed to say that I have always made my way in to Birmingham for entertainment and shopping.

I have never been a regular at any pub in Solihull, I have only been to a cinema once and one function at the town hall banqueting suite. It seems as much as I like living in Solihull but at heart I am still an exiled Brummie.

Phil

Unfortunately this isn't unusual Phil. To be interested in a place, it needs to have something interesting to attract you. Solihull has increased in size over a relatively short time. being mainly residential I don't think so much goes on there. True Touchwood is a very nice shopping centre, but Brums Bull Ring greatly overshadows it.
I grew up in Sheldon hearing that Solihull and Sutton Coldfield were where the posh rich people lived. You now of course confirm this.

SB

All my life previous to getting here I aspired to live either in Solihull or Sutton. Back when I first moved here it was somewhere worth living but now I don't think its any better or worse than anywhere else.

All you can say about it now is that some areas have better quality housing. But the spoilers sorry developers are putting paid to that. They are tearing down some of the larger houses with extended gardens and sticking up these tacky apartment buildings in their place. Although because of the financial situation at the moment most of it has stopped.

I have no doubt that as soon as things get better, it will be off again.

Phil

Phil
Unfortunately the kind of developement that you speak of will probably get worse, planning regulations are being changed/eroded.
What most people don't realise is that plans are passed or refused in Bristol. If there are objections, plans are refused. They then can be appealed on.
On appeal most plans are then passed. Developers these days are getting away with murder. It's happening all over the country. SB

SB

It can break your heart looking at some of the wonderful old houses that have been demolished. At first they were replaced with boxes, but now as Solihull Council itself is getting alarmed by the sheer numbers of applicants they are beginning to lay down stricter guidelines.

The problem is that if the developers are refused or are given conditions they don't like they just appeal to the government and in 99 cases out of a 100 win.

Phil

Correct. I see it through our residents forum quite often. SB

Over the last few years there has been a glut of apartment building in Solihull. They say these apartments are being built to accommodate the growing number of Brummies that are unhappy with the schooling and schools in Birmingham and are moving in to the cheapest accommodation they can find in Solihull in the desired casement area.

What a sad state of affairs, when you have got to move lock, stock & barrel to ensure that your children get adequate schooling. The problem is that this influx is putting pressure on the education system in Solihull and without extra support the cracks are beginning to show.

Phil

Phil I know that you are correct in saying that more people want to go and live in Solihull, but the strain on education is showing all over. In our area many schools are being upgraded to take extra pupils. That means an extra form for most of them, so if they have an extra form for the intake, then an extra form is needed for them in the following year etc. This creates an enormous strain on Dining, Gymnasium, and all sorts of other amenities that the school may offer, including of course the staff. SB

SB

That may well be true, and I suppose the strain is showing everywhere. But here in Solihull these apartment blocks are shooting up almost overnight. Where these was once a large house with perhaps a maximum of five occupants. They are being replaced with apartment blocks that hold 50 to 60.

The infrastructure just can't take much more, I'm afraid these apartments are doomed to become the tenement slums of the future.

Phil

Phil infrastructure-wise you are not wrong, the strain on this is showing everywhere. I'm sure you will know the Yardley / Yew Tree area, around this area there are problems with Water-Sewage-Drainage. these systems were all built many years ago when there were many fewer properties. Back in the days probably when Yardley was in Worcestershire. Now Yardley is populated maybe to capacity. Solihull/Shirley I know as is many other ares suffering the same kind of overload. SB

SB

Talking about Yardley, I didn't realise until the other week it was my old mate Jeremy Knight Adams that was holding the Swan rebuild up. I know Jeremy and his brother Mark well. We used to do work for them and I even collected rents for them at one time.

They owned all the land from Green Lane to Cattell Rd in Small Heath where the new Morrison's & Big W shops were built by the Blues Ground. I didn't realise they owned property at the Swan.

Phil

I heard recently from one of our councillors that this hold up had been resolved. If this is true work on the new Tesco's development should go ahead soon. SB

It was resolved by Jeremy having to sell his property under a compulsory purchase order. He wanted to put in a better scheme than Tesco's who of course have got Councillors & MP's behind them.

Tesco's want one superstore but Jeremy offered a scheme that would have had different stores and outlets, but as always the Council backed the big guns.

Phil

Plus the fact that Tesco paid out a small fortune (I think it was around £2,000,000) for part of The Oaklands Park to take some of the new roadway that will make way for Tesco's car park. SB

SB

Well come on lets face it, they just can't give the Council a bung can they?

Phil