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Solihull Local Plan Review – Further Sites for Development

Solihull Local Plan Review – Further Sites for Development

Thank you to all our residents for their numerous and comprehensive comments on the Solihull Local Plan Review Consultation and the additional proposed sites for development in Dickens Heath parish. We have taken these on board and will be objecting to site 4. A summary of the key issues which will form the basis of the Parish Council’s objection is attached. The full response will be published once it has been finalised.

SLP-Draft-Observations-Key-Issues-March-12th-2019-for-publication-

New Council policy to tackle abandoned vehicles

New Council Policy to tackle abandoned vehicles

Solihull Council has launched a new policy aimed at tackling those who abandon motor vehicles in a public place. Ensuring a vehicle is taxed or disposing of an unwanted vehicle is the owners’ responsibility. Under the Council’s policy anyone found guilty of committing such an offence can be fined up to £2,500.

Suspected abandoned vehicles can be reported by going to the Council’s abandoned vehicle webpage. Alternatively they can contact Parking Enforcement services by email abandonedvehicles@solihull.gov.uk or by phone on 0121 704 6111.

Dickens Heath Parish Council

Installation of Memorial Stone

The memorial stone for Dickens Heath has finally been installed!
All went well, but it wasn’t that easy as the stone weighed the best part of a ton.
The crane was late, it was on a huge lorry which was too heavy for the bridge at Earlswood Nursery and had to find an alternative route.
The barriers will be left in place until after the weekend.
There will be a dedication ceremony for the memorial on Saturday November 3rd 2018 at noon.

 

Update on Flooding

Members of the Parish Council met with Borough Councillor Ken Hawkins for an update on the flooding on June 1st 2018
Ken said that he had met with Ed Bradford, SMBC flooding officer, last week to discuss flooding that happened in Blythe at Easter, and that SMBC have been working with the Environment agency regarding where this water had come from.
The same needs to be done regarding the flooding last Sunday – a surge of water affected Nethercote Gardens in Shirley, Dickens Heath and Cheswick Green.  SMBC, Severn Trent and the Environment Agency need to get together to find out the exact cause of the flooding and the route that the water travelled.  For example – the cause of the flooding at Waterside could be quite separate to the cause of flooding on the Bellway site.
There was some discussion about how this flooding could be addressed through additional developments in the Solihull Local Plan.  But it was agreed that it was very important to address the current flood issues now.  A proper consultation needs to be done to address flooding across the Borough – it is all inter linked.  And in the same way, Bellway and David Wilson have to work together to sort out the flooding issues for both developments – as they too are linked.
Some particular issues were raised:
  • the gratings on the culvert were blocked so water couldn’t pass through them and instead went around – the culvert was effectively acting as a dam.  Can the grids be removed to allow water to pass through freely?  David Wilson and Bellway need to act together on this.
  • Bellway are currently digging a trench to clear the water.  This will solve their problem but may cause problems elsewhere – should they be doing this without permission?  Ken agreed to flag this up with David Whigfield at SMBC, and they will need to take a risk management decision.
  • there needs to be fencing and some life saving equipment on the David Wilson site.
  • there was a discussion about whether the balancing pond on the Bellway site could be made deeper so that it can hold more water.
  • who should we contact in case of an emergency like this?
Ken agreed that he would contact Nick Page at SMBC to ask for a meeting with members of the Parish Council to discuss progressing some potential solutions to future risks of flooding.