Reviewing the Plan for Solihull’s Future

Reviewing the Plan for Solihull’s Future
Draft Local Plan
medieval cores which are protected by Conservation Area designation and have grown
organically over time. Hampton Conservation Area is centred on the main High Street,
Hampton Manor and the church of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew. At Meriden there are
two; one focused on the green at the heart of the village and another around St. Lawrence’s
church at Meriden Hill, which has spectacular views over the surrounding countryside.
Catherine de Barnes, on the other hand, is a smaller village with a more modern feel and
which benefits from a canalside setting. The sub-area is generally affluent with some
deprivation experienced in Meriden, which has a distinct rural feel to it and strong links to
the surrounding farmland and quarries.
Balsall Common, Berkswell, Barston, Temple Balsall and Chadwick End
60. Balsall Common is a large post-war suburban commuter village bisected by the A452
Kenilworth Road. The settlement is characterised by popular, low density residential areas
with an open plan, cul-de-sac style layout and good schools. The village has a thriving local
centre astride the A452 with a good range of shops, facilities and services, although there
are some opportunities to improve the Centre. Berkswell railway station to the north-east of
the village provides access to London, Birmingham and Coventry via the West Coast
mainline.
61. The remainder of the sub-area is distinctly rural with a series of remote historic villages,
hamlets, scattered farmsteads and cottages. The historic settlements of Berkswell, Barston
and Temple Balsall are of medieval or earlier origin and Walsal End has houses dating from
the 17th Century. All are protected by Conservation Area designation. This part of the Rural
Area is characterised by the River Blythe, the wider Arden landscape and distinctive
fieldscapes and is a popular area for recreational walking, being home to part of the Heart of
England Way and a network of footpaths. Chadwick End has some 19th Century cottages, a
public house and village hall with a community post office.
Dickens Heath, Tidbury Green, Cheswick Green and Blythe Valley Park
62. This area consists of distinct villages set within, and separated by, attractive countryside and
Green Belt, which gives each village a sense of remoteness. Tidbury Green comprises
predominantly inter-war linear development along key roads and Cheswick Green consists
almost entirely of post-war development characterised by cul-de-sac, open plan layouts. The
modern, multi-award winning village of Dickens Heath was ‘created’ in the late 1990s and,
guided by an architect-led masterplan. It has since undergone rapid expansion with a
variety
of
architectural styles
of development and
a Village Centre.
Whilst housing
densities are higher
around the Village
Centre, the area has
an attractive,
mature woodland
and canalside
setting, with a few
early cottages
adding sporadic
visual interest.
There is a railway
Solihull MBC - 16 - November 2016