Life in 'hellish' Solihull village still being blighted by HS2 construction works

Solihull Council gave planning approval to HS2 Interchange Station in 2020. It will serve Solihull, Birmingham Airport and the NEC.

But the Solihull area has seen significant disruption and upheaval due to HS2 works over the past few years, with work on tunnels, interchanges, land clearances and road closures.

As Birmingham World previously reported, the area is steeped in history being known as the centre of England as early as 1829, and has an ancient monument to mark that title on the village green.

But residents said they are watching the beautiful countryside being “carved up” in the works. One local, Paul Wilson said: “It's been hellish living next to a gigantic building site with no end to the works in sight.”

At the recent meeting of the HS2 Implementation Advisory Group at Solihull Council, members heard of recent complaints made by the public about the work underway.

The complaints, which were made between July and September this year, for each area included:

Bickenhill 

• Traffic and transport – condition of the highway

Castle Bromwich

• Noise and vibration – noise at night, 7pm – 7am 

Coleshill North

• Traffic and transport – condition of the highway

Coleshill South

• Traffic and transport – delays 

Kingshurst and Fordbridge 

• Noise and vibration – noise at night, 7pm – 7am 

Lyndon 

• Lorry controls on routes 

Meriden 

• Noise and vibration general (six complaints)
• Noise at night, 7pm – 7am
• Mud on roads
• Matters related to vehicle safety (three complaints)
• Personnel behaviour
• Site management
• Complaints handling
• Complaints on public response

Victoria Roberts, HS2’s senior engagement and interface manager, told the meeting: “Between July and September we have had 21 formal complaints. 

“Considering the scale of the work that has been happening in some of the areas this is a fair reflection of the (HS2) team responding.

“Around 70 per cent of complaints are from Meriden ward – the ward as a whole rather than Meriden village. 

“The majority of complaints are noise and vibration and traffic and transport issues.

“We have seen all those actioned excluding one still in progress.”

The one showing as still being dealt with is the complaints handling. This was made by a Meriden resident at the end of September.

As previously reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service residents of the Meriden ward had also made 11 HS2 related complaints between April and June – the most from any area between that period.

Councillor Andrew Burrow, the committee’s chairman, asked: “I don’t know if this is possible, can we warn (Meriden ward) residents in advance of piling (noise)?”

Tahir Ahmed, senior engagement and interface manager at Balfour Beatty Vinci – HS2’s construction partner for the West Midlands, replied:“ We do communications locally where we feel it is going to cause a disturbance and some additional noise.”

The meeting was held at the Civic Suite on October 24.