Another charming West Midlands village in line to become a town
Solihull Council considers redefining another village as a town to protect the green belt after ‘decision of national significance’.
Last week, Solihull Council agreed to move forward to redefine Dorridge, Knowle and Bentley Heath as a single town for planning purposes and to ‘protect’ the green belt.
Similarly, Balsall Common will be reclassified as its own town.
During those discussions, the council committee also floated the idea that Dickens Heath could potentially become a town and agreed to discuss the matter next year.
Dickens Heath is a large modern village and civil parish in the borough of Solihull in the West Midlands and historic Warwickshire, incorporating the much older hamlet of Whitlocks End.
The council meeting session called, ‘CPH Climate Change & Planning Decision Session’ took place virtually last Thursday (23 October).
Emma Tinsley-Evans stated there was some support for Dickens Heath to be redefined as a town based on the survey that took place over the summer.
However, it was pointed out that it lacked population size and also the services needed to be recognised as a town.
Councillor Oliver Farr asked: “Would it be a possibility that we could try and encourage some small amount of growth? Just to tip it over the edge so we could then go, this is a town now, we’ve got the justification. We’ve built a tiny bit to cross that line. Not intentionally, just so happens that its crossed that line. This is now a town, that’s a line in the sand. Or is that very much, not the done thing?”
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz said: “It won’t be the done thing, every planning application in the thing, we treat it on its merits.”
The committee also agreed to re-visit this topic of Dickens Heath changing its status from a village to a town next year.