Latest news with #SolihullCouncil
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Have your say on Solihull Council priorities for next five years
Solihull Council has unveiled its priorities as part of a five-year plan with financial stability one of the goals it will be working towards. And residents are now being given the chance to have their say on the council's ambitions. As the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported last month, the authority had begun the process of creating a new strategic council plan. READ MORE : 'No longer have confidence' - three Conservative councillors quit with attack on leadership Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp Former leader of the authority, Councillor Ian Courts, had previously said there would be a limit to what the authority could do due to government funding issues and said the plan would 'take action' to address the council's financial situation. Earlier this year the cash-strapped authority had a bid accepted by the government for emergency help to address a multi-million pound hole in its finances. The seven ambitions in the draft plan, which would cover the period until 2030, are: The right conditions for everyone to thrive Services that people need in the right place at the right time Adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence Children and young people have the best possible outcomes A vibrant economy with improved access to opportunities Opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change An attractive and aspirational place The plans also set out the focus of council work will be to: Achieve financial sustainability Deliver the authority's corporate transformation programme Take preventative action and address inequalities Work with partners to get the best for Solihull The new plan, which will reflect feedback residents provide in a survey, will be published in July 2025. Coun Karen Grinsell, who was elected Solihull Council leader earlier this week said: 'The new plan will steer the council as we go forward over the next five years. 'It sets out our vision for Solihull, the direction that we want to go in as a council, how we aim to get there and what we want to achieve. 'Your input is crucial in shaping the plan and ensuring it addresses the priorities that matter most to our communities. 'We want to ensure the new plan reflects the ambitions, challenges and opportunities faced by the council, residents, businesses and other stakeholders over the coming years. 'Tell us if you think our new plan is focusing on the right things - this is your opportunity to have your say so please take a few moments to complete our short survey.' To take part in the survey, which has a closing date of Sunday, June 15, visit Paper copies of the survey are also available at Solihull Council House's reception, The Core Library, Shirley Library and Chelmsley Wood Library.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Solihull homes plan with 100 per cent affordable housing revealed
A proposal to build new affordable homes in Solihull has been submitted to council planners. Applicant Strategic Land and Property - the team which oversees projects on Solihull Council-owned land - lodged plans to build the homes on land in Rowood Drive with planners last month. The application for the land, one mile north of Solihull town centre, is for 33 dwellings with open space, new internal road layout and car parking. READ MORE: Solihull Council elects first female leader Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp The application is for a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties with the majority planned for the site one-bedroom maisonettes and three-bedroom homes. Other matters such as layout, scale, landscaping and appearance of the dwellings would form a 'reserved matters' application which would be submitted if outline planning permission is granted. A planning statement from Cushman and Wakefield, the agent for the applicant, said: 'The site was previously used by (Lode Heath) school, with no public access, but is no longer functioning as sports or recreational provision and hasn't done so for over ten years. 'More recently pedestrian access has become open and the site has been used by members of the public for dog walking and informal recreation. 'The site is not adopted public open space and is maintained by the school. 'Apart from some of the boundary trees, the existing site consists mainly of scrubby grassland and what appear to be a few self-set trees to the Rowood Drive boundary - that reflects the lack of historic maintenance on the site. 'It should be welcome the planning application is proposing to maximise the affordable housing at Rowood Drive. 'The proposed development will deliver 100 per cent affordable housing, well over the local plan requirement of 40 per cent affordable from residential sites, and this should be considered positively. 'The development will provide affordable homes to help meet local need. 'The proposal complies with the development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework and planning permission should be granted.' A consultation is now underway with a closing date for submissions of June 4. To view the plans and submit a comment search for application PL/2025/00795/MAODW at
BBC News
04-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
D-Day veteran Albert Price remembered with sign at Solihull park
A D-Day veteran has been honoured with a memorial sign at his favourite Price took part in the 1944 Normandy landings aged just 18 after lying about his age to join the Army two years earlier. He dedicated the rest of his life to commemorating his fallen colleagues and was instrumental in opening the Armed Forces Garden in Hillfield Park, Solihull, in Tuesday, his widow Betty and daughter Karen joined figures from Solihull Council to unveil a sign there in his memory. "Albert was a well-known and popular figure in Monkspath and a great supporter of the Armed Forces Garden in Hillfield Park," Karen said. "He was very modest about his exploits and bravery during World War Two and determined to do his duty from joining the Home Guard at age 14 to landing on Gold Beach with the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards on D-Day. Mr Price died aged 98 in April 2024, just two weeks before his and Mrs Price's 72nd wedding 2019, he returned to Gold Beach in Arromanches-les-Bains, France, to mark the 75th anniversary of was involved in the designing of the Armed Forces Garden in Solihull as somewhere for veterans of any conflict to "relax and heal", the council said."Albert loved Hillfield Park and did so much to shape the Armed Forces Garden," Solihull's mayor Shahin Ashraf explained. "There is also the poppy mural walk which he helped to create."The memorial sign, she added, would "stand as a reminder of his life and his spirit".
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Solihull theatre reopens with charity gala after Raac repairs
A theatre forced to close for more than a year after dangerous concrete was found in its roof is set to reopen. A routine inspection at the Core Theatre in Solihull in 2023 led to the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which is prone to collapse. With repair works completed, the theatre will reopen its doors on Sunday with a charity gala, including performances from local musicians, choirs and dance mayor, councillor Shahin Ashraf, said The Core was the borough's "home of culture" and had been "sorely missed". Hundreds of schools and public buildings were forced to close fully or partially when Raac was discovered during inspections in 2023, and councillor Ian Courts, the leader of Solihull Council, said it had taken a lot of work to make the theatre is Raac concrete and why is it a safety risk?"We had to repair the Raac, and we had to do work on the roof," he told the BBC."What we also took an opportunity of was to improve the studio as well." Sophia Gough, who will be singing with her group the Boogaloo Babes, said the reopening was going to be "amazing"."The theatre's a real hub for the community, and there'll be a lot of people in the audience that are so excited the theatre's reopened again."The council said tickets, priced at £25, had sold out online and that proceeds would go towards supporting Marie Curie UK, OASIS and Social Life Opportunities charities.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
Are there humans and how fast can they go? West Midlands autonomous shuttle questions answered
A new autonomous shuttle service is operating in the West Midlands - and the news has been met with curiosity and some questions from BirminghamLive readers. The cube-like buses will run a 7km route to major venues like the NEC, the bp pulse LIVE Arena and Birmingham International Rail station, which links to Birmingham Airport. Solihull Council said the shuttle route would be fully operational in the summer but for now it is being rolled out in phases - meaning travellers can only catch a ride for a portion of the route. READ MORE: Route map reveals every stop new West Midlands autonomous shuttles will make In response to the news, one reader said he hoped the shuttles would replace "rip off taxis." Another added that due to it being a trial it was just an "experiment." A big question was if the shuttles would actually continue to run in the West Midlands past the end of the trial. We've put together an explainer below answering questions readers have had, and to help you plan ahead if you do plan to catch a ride in one of the cube-like self-driving shuttles. The shuttle trial is called The Solihull and Coventry Automated Links Evolution (SCALE) project. It is being delivered by a consortium led by Solihull Council, including WMG at the University of Warwick and Coventry University, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the NEC, Coventry City Council and automated vehicle simulation specialists IPG and dRISK. The blue, green and red shuttles are fully-accessible and the creation of New Zealand-based autonomous vehicle manufacturer Ohmio, represented in the UK by Ohmio UK. Each vehicle can carry up to 14 passengers and has cameras and sensors to understand their surroundings. The shuttle is also fully accessible to wheelchair users. The shuttles are fully electric and have a range of 125 miles. No, the shuttles will be operating between 10am and 3pm on the following dates: Monday 31 March Wednesday 2 April Friday 4 April Monday 7 April Wednesday 9 April Thursday 10 April Monday 14 April Wednesday 16 April Wednesday 23 April Thursday 24 April Friday 25 April Monday 28 April Wednesday 30 April Thursday 1 May Solihull Council said that while the shuttles are autonomous, there is a human on board to oversee the safety of the shuttles. The council explained: "Although the safety operator has the ability to take control of the shuttle in an emergency, they will not be operating the shuttle on the majority of the route. "The route has been pre-mapped so the vehicles are aware of their environment – this means they have the ability to stop themselves in an emergency or if there is an unexpected hazard in the road. "The goal for this technology is to remove the need for a safety operator within the vehicle in the future, instead allowing them to be remotely monitored from a control room." Futuristic shuttles are already ferrying passengers around the NEC area in Solihull. The live route currently encompasses the bp pulse LIVE Arena to the VIP and blue badge parking area. The route will be extended in further sections to link passengers from Birmingham International railway station to the NEC and Birmingham Business Park by the summer. You can read more on the phased-roll out of the route here. As it stands, the SCALE trial is temporary. However council bosses have not ruled out them returning to Solihull once the trial finishes. A Solihull Council spokesperson explained: "The success of these trials will provide knowledge and experience of self-driving vehicles in a real-world environment, meaning that they could be rolled-out elsewhere in Solihull or as part of a permanent route in the future."
