W

Cheswick i

Green n Residents Local t Association e Newsletter r

Services 2 0

CHARTERED CGN 0 Sewing Cheswick Green PHYSIOTHERAPIST 6 Member of Health Professional Council (Dressmaking and Curtains) -

Julia Kilby 07929-739518 Brenda Cooke (01564) 703347 Warming?? 7

Wandering around the Cheswick Green area at this time of the year, GREYSTONE have you noticed the Holly Bushes? They are particularly lovely Inside this issue: BUILDING this year as most of them have berries, which particularly at DECORATORS Christmas adds to the natural decorations of Yuletide. People who 2 SERVICES The Guild of Master Craftsmen work for us M J Hewitt call John 07961 874499 With this thought in mind I was very surprised and shocked Or Peter 07961 874505 to read an article in the Guardian stating that Husbands vs 3 01564-703116 or see our display advert it is possible that we will lose our Holly Bushes in the Horses future if the dreaded global warming happens. Kew Gardens are already investing a 4 Council lot of money in purchasing trees that will grow Magazine STATE REGISTERED PLUMBING AND HEATING well in warmer winters, so it is serious all right. Installation, Servicing & Repairs Let’s Have 5 Personally I would hate to see CHIROPODIST Fun Corgi Registered the Holly go and maybe it won’t in Jonathan Leese 0121 733 1292 Stephen Smith 01564 200119 my lifetime, but I wonder about my Local Information 7 children and grandchildren, what will they replace the red and dark green of the Holly with in the future; Cheswick Green 8-12 maybe the bright yellow of the mimosa that covers Portugal at this in the Seventies time of the year or even the poinsettia tree, yes tree not plant that Part 4 Copy: if you have anything you would like considered for publication, please seems to grow like a weed in that part of the world. Whatever it send it to The Editors - either the box in the Post Office, or phone 01564-700039, may be it makes me stop and think about doing my little bit to help or e-mail to [email protected] Editors Page 14 - one member of our family gave everyone plugs for presents at Christmas, they enable us to measure how much electricity all our Test your wits 15 DATA PROTECTION ACT:Residents are advised that The Association holds all residents’ names gadgets are using and try to decrease their use. and addresses on a computer database. The sole purpose is to permit the Officers to ascertain, at Local Services 16 any point in time - but particularly at the AGM - the current paid up membership. If any resident Do you have any practical ideas, if so why not let us know through has an objection to his/her name being held on this database, then it will be deleted upon the editors’ box in the post office, or on our website. application to any Committee member.

16 People who work on your behalf New for 2007 CHESWICK GREEN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE Test your Wits More brain-teasers: do you know the right answers ? Officers George Burdett (Chairman) 17 Cheswick Way Where is the headquarters of Interpol? (City) Brian Brown (Vice-Chairman) 42 Spinney Drive 01564 703161 Lisa Parmar (Secretary) 3 Heron Close 01564 200086 What is the official language of the United States? (trick question) Margaret Daniels (Treasurer) 8 The Pines 01564-703298 In Greek mythology who solved the riddle of the Sphinx? Committee Members Kelly & Barry Ashford WIllow Drive Which country has the world’s largest Muslim population? Jane Brown 43 Willow Drive Pat & Mike Carr (Editors) 65 Foxland Close 01564-700039 When did the Euro banknotes and coins officially become currency in Europe? Pete Davis 27 Glenwood Drive (1st Jan in which year?) Dot Lambert 12 Spinney Drive Ian and Barbara Sill 36 Snowshill Drive 01564-702653 Lake Volta is the largest reservoir in the world and is located in which country? Leslie Stevens 32 Snowshill Drive 01564-702925

The CGRA Committee usually meets at 8.00 pm in the Village Hall on the first Wednesday of each month. What does 3G mean in the mobile phone advertisements? Observers are always welcome. Which organisation has the motto: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity? (Hint, think SOLIHULL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL acronyms) Mayor Councillor John Graham Reeve And the answers for last time are: Cheswick Green is in Blythe Ward of the council: Blythe Ward Councillors are: Cllr Mrs Maggie Allen Liberal Democrat 0121 748 7986 What colour light is displayed from the starboard side of a ship: Black, blue, Cllr Brian Burgess Conservative 01564 777600 white, or green? Answer: Green Cllr Len Cresswell Liberal Democrat 01564 703244 Which car company has manufactured models called Scorpio and Orion: Fiat, Contact details are on www.solihull.gov.uk Ford, Jaguar or Mercedes? - Answer Ford What are corvettes, sloops and brigantines: sailing ships, seaplanes, PARISH COUNCIL motorbikes, or pirates? - Answer Sailing ships (Cheswick Green is in the area of Hockley Heath P.C. Which meets on 3rd Wednesday each month) What car does James Bond prefer to drive: Fiat, Aston Martin, Ferrari or Chairman Mr Richard Holt Triumph? - Answer: Aston Martin Councillors representing Cheswick Green: Which of these did the first bicycle not have: pedals, wheels, a saddle, or a Cllr E B Brown 42 Spinney Drive B90 4HB, Cllr Mrs M Pettinger 46 Coppice Walk B90 4HY cyclist? - Answer: Pedals Cllr Vaseem Arfan, Cllr Mrs B Lintern 254 Creynolds Lane

Councillors representing other villages: Cllrs Andy Vine, Peter Bulcock, Peter Kennard, Jeff Potts, Charles Robinson, David Skelding, CHESWICK GREEN It Pays to Advertise Alyson Thompson: Clerk: Mrs Diane Weir tel. 01564-783789 This Local Magazine is the ideal PATCH VILLAGE HALL way to reach your local customers AVAILABLE FOR HIRE Issues concerning the areas previously dealt with by the Patch Manager should now be addressed to Solihull Full Page £40.00 per ad £150 for 4 issues per year There is a choice of Two Halls with the use of Half Page £25.00 per ad £90 for 4 issues per year Council on the general telephone number 0121-704-6000 - Department Estates Management Quarter Page £15.00 per ad £50 for 4 issues per year Kitchen, Tables and Chairs included in the Hire Charges. Local Services MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT Suitable for Dancing, Keep Fit, Parties, Meetings etc. Paid up members of CGRA £2.00 x 4 £8.00 per year Cheswick Green is in the Meriden constituency, and our MP is Contact the booking clerk on 01564 703293 Non members of CGRA £3.00 x 4 £12.00 per year Further information from the www.solihull.gov.uk website

2 15 Council Magazine Our Website The Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council website www.solihull.gov.uk has a CHARTERED www.cgra.org.uk magazine, the current issue is called ‘Your Solihull—Winter 2006’ PHYSIOTHERAPIST Here are some excerpts. Why not tell us what your views are – on our website ? Member of Health Professional Council (At home page, click on ‘Residents Providing pain releif and help for Forum’, and log in, or Register if you are Recycling spinal and postural problems, a newbie) sports injusies, joint problems and Did you know that you can use our We know you are keen on recycling – and you tell us you want more infor- repetitive strain injuries website for several things: mation on how to do your bit to help the environment. Here’s some ideas. For an appointment • You can add comments to other A to Z of Recycling peoples’ blogs and you can set up We have produced an A to Z of Recycling booklet to help you recycle. This A-Z Tel: 07929 739518 your own! provides details of how you can dispose of unwanted items without just throwing Please leave a message, • You can set up a forum on any subject them in the bin. Most items in a household bin can be recycled or reused. If you your call will be returned on the same day you like and you can contribute to would like a copy of this booklet for reference please contact us on 0121 704 other peoples’ forums 8000 or e-mail [email protected] Julia Kilby • There are some jokes and games, too or log on to www.solihull.gov.uk At Tanworth in Arden Medical Centre One very easy way of recycling is an initiative called Freecycle. The idea is to Broad Lane, Tanworth in Arden B94 5DY (You need to be aged thirteen or over to be a full member) pass on unwanted items to those who can make use of them, reducing landfill at the same time. There is one main rule, everything must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages. It’s available via the internet, where members post their Please support our advertisers - they support us offers and requests for wanted items. The Solihull group was launched earlier this year and has already got around 300 members. Since then it has found grateful homes for various items, including a marble fire hearth, buggy/cot, curtains and a vacuum cleaner. To find out more about Freecycle, please look at the main home page - STATE REGISTERED For all your decorating needs www.freecycle.org . CHIROPODIST To join the Solihull group, follow the link on this site, or by going to www.groups.yahoo.com/group/freecycle_Solihull Surgery and Home Visits Greystone Decorators Toilets – a review JONATHAN LEESE Earlier this year, we closed some of the toilets we run. This was part of D.Pod.M., M.Ch.S., S.R.Ch. call the savings of £7m we had to make. However, despite there being alternative toilets, some of you said you were unhappy with the decision. As a result we have The Coach House John: 0121 359 3455 temporarily re-opened the toilets in Chelmsley Wood town centre and Mell or 07961 874499 (mobile) Square, Solihull. 193 Creynolds Lane Re-opening Mell Square with no attendant for just six months has cost Shirley Peter: 0121 384 7376 £16,500. To re-open it for a year with an attendant would cost £137,200. Without Solihull or 07961 874505 (mobile) £ an attendant would cost just over 73,000. B90 4ES We have carried out a review of toilets across the borough, and this Skill and Integrity included surveys with some of you, which were fed back to an independent panel. The panel will come up with some conclusions about the provision of Telephone: 0121 733 1292 The Guild of Master Craftsmen toilets, and our role in providing toilets for the public. The panel’s findings will be publicly discussed by Councillors so a way forward can be found. We will let you know what decisions are made 4 13

Editors’ Page HUSBANDS VS. HORSES A visiting Scottish friend said at the New Year that he couldn’t believe that there had still been no snow in —it had never happened before. Even allowing for a little GOOD THINGS ABOUT HUSBANDS: exaggeration, the weather really is a lot warmer. no Scottish ski resorts open for skiing until 1. Husbands are less expensive to shoe than horses. now (5th Jan) and much less than ideal in the French resorts. Down here in the Midlands 2. Feeding a husband doesn’t require anything that even mildly we have only had a couple of frosty nights before the New Year, and none so far since. compares with the hassle of putting up hay. 3. A lame husband can still work. The new planning application to build a Service Station on ‘our’ junction of the M42 seems 4. A husband with a bellyache doesn’t have to be walked. to be coming to the boil. Personally I find the junction and its roundabout quite enough of 5. Husbands don’t try to scratch their heads on your back. a nightmare already—it’s the lane changing when coming from the north, or going to the 6. They are better able to understand puns. south that has me worried. The thought of all the Service Station users having to join us on those entrances and exits is worrying. 7. If they are playing hard to catch, you **may** be able to run them down on foot. The ‘new’ roundabout by the Honda garage, for the new business park and the planned huge 8. They know their name. hotel, is nearly ready. It will certainly slow the traffic coming to and from the motorway. 9. They usually pay their own bills. Remember when it used to be a 40mph straight line? 10. They apologize when they step on your toes. 11. No saddle fitting problems. I see that Planning turned down an application to erect fourteen-foot moving advertisement 12. They seldom refuse to get into the vehicle. signs along the verges of Monkspath Hall road; surprisingly it was not an objection from Highways, who I would have thought might object on the grounds that drivers would be 13. They don’t panic - running and yelling all through the house when distracted. you leave them alone (unless you’ve left the kids with them too!). 14. For a nominal fee, you can hire someone else to clip them. The article (on page 8) about Cheswick Green 25 years ago casts new light—for me, at any 15. They don’t like the lady next door just as well as you, just because rate—on the slightly haphazard planning that went on when the estate was developed.. But she fed him for 3 days straight. I think that overall we have gained rather than lost—the different styles of house, the very not-square-grid layout of the roads, and the plentiful oddly shaped green spaces, give a very THE HORSE’S ADVANTAGE: open and relaxed feel about the place, even if car parking spaces are not over generous. 1. If they don’t work out you can sell them. 2. They don’t come complete with in-laws. Talking of parking spaces, over in Haslucks Green a slightly older estate has roads so 3. You don’t have to worry about your children looking like them. narrow that if two cars park opposite there is hardly room to walk between them, and 4. You never have to iron their saddle pads. parking has to be up on the pavements at all times. The planners assume that every house will have not more than two cars, and that one of them will be in the garage, the other in the 5. If you get too fat for one, you can shop for a bigger one. drive. I have been carrying out a mini-survey, and I cannot find even a handful of houses 6. They smell good when they sweat. where there is a car kept in the garage, but there are lots of homes with more than two cars. 7. You can repair their “clothes” with duct tape. Perhaps the planners live in large detached houses with long drives, like those on Creynolds 8. It’s possible to keep them from “jumping the fence” ... Lane….. 9. You can force them to stay in good physical condition ... with a whip if necessary. On our website (www.cgra.org.uk) there is a bit of discussion about the proposal to split up 10. They don’t want their turn at the computer. the Hockley Heath Parish Council - the action is being led by , who want their own Parish Council, as do Tidbury Green. There is a survey , too, on our website, and 11. They may turn white with age, but never go bald. so far the voting is 100% for having our own PCC—all four votes! 12. They have never heard of PMS. 13. They learn to accept restraint. Talk on the website, too, about vandalism (telephone kiosk wrecked again, damage to the 14. They don’t care what you look like as long as you have a carrot or Gazebo in the park, burglary at the school) Pity we don’t have a rogue’s gallery…. an apple. 14 3 1983 began with the problem of minor but expensive and irritating vandalism to Points to Ponder : the Village Hall; the Residents’ Association threatened legal action against anyone found The most Unsucessful Prison Escape causing damage.

After weeks of extremely careful Having not been able to obtain planning permission on their land around the vil- planning, seventy-five convicts completely failed to escape from lage, Solihull School transferred a number of parcels of land to the Parish Council, these Saltillo Prison in Northern were: Mexicao. In November 1975 they The Playing Field and the Village Hall area had started digging a secret tunnel Approximately half of the large plot on Saxonwood Road designed to bring them up at the The smaller plot on Saxonwood Road other side of the prison wall. The plot on Saxonwood Road/Boscobel Road junction, opposite the letterbox On 18 April 1976, guided by pure The remains of The Mount genius, their tunnel came up in the nearby courtroom in which many of April of that year saw the start of work on the Umberslade section of the M42 them had been sentenced. Motorway; there were plans for the work to last some 104 weeks. The surprised judges returned all 75 of them to jail. The residents of the Village were told that building would be taking place on the following Conversation during a chess match sites: Three house on the remaining portion of the large plot on Saxonwood Road ‘Tell me, Mr MacMahon, how long On house at the bottom of Snowshill Drive did it take you to learn to play chess so badly?’ ‘Sir, it’s been One house between 10 Longleat Drive and The Mount nights of study and self-denial.’ There was some comment in the local press early in the year about Cheswick (From the Book of Heroic Failures) Green becoming a ‘dying village’. But this was countered by the Association, who believed that the Village had emerged from the ‘Seventies’ and re-developed with credit as an active Village of the ‘Eighties’. It pointed to the full round of social activities through- out the year, plans for clearing up the village and various landscaping projects that were in hand. Specialising in: Soft Furnishings and Interior Design The Honourable Iain Mills MP for Packwood visited the Association’s Committee Meeting to become more acquainted with local affairs. Floral Displays and Special Occasion Flowers A new Headmaster for Cheswick Green School, Mr M.B. Birch arrived from Wedding outfits and Bridal Wear Marston Green and by way of introduction wrote a letter to the Magazine. He said that he Made to Order was pleased to note the community spirit in the Village, and that the school was an inte- Alterations and Repairs gral part of the community. He was delighted that so many organisations already used the 35 CHESWICK WAY, CHESWICK GREEN, school facilities in the evenings. SOLIHULL B90 4HF TELEPHONE: 01564 703347 MOBILE: 07702 815035 The most notable event of the next year, 1984, appears to have been the repairing of the footbridge over Mount Brook at the end of Saxonwood Road. This work in effect reopened the public footpath from the Village to Tanworth Lane beside Bannisters Cottage. The path those visitors, who came by coach from Birmingham in the early part of Did you know that there are over 550,000 items in stock in all the the last century, would have walked to get to The Mount Pleasure Grounds. Solihull libraries – end to end they would stretch as far as Manchester Beside this the two by then regular Village functions, the Fete and the Bonfire – and in one big pile they would tower over Everest by another 10,000 were reported to have been a great success. The interior of the Village Hall was given feet! another face-lift.

6 11 a single bungalow at the end of Appian Way was rejected. The gates of ‘paradise’ were Local Information being kept firmly shut!

Shut that is except for sheep! An invasion of sheep took place; they established a The Mobile Library is outside the shops on Saturdays from 9.15 to 10.30 am ‘bridgehead’ in Saxonwood Road and ‘fanned out’ into The Dingle. Sheep from the adja- In the Village Hall : cent fields were discovered having the feed of their lives on rose bushes and anything else Cheswick Green Under-Fives Playgroups: they could find in the gardens very early one morning. Pre-School Monday-Thursday 9.15-11.45 am Crafty Kids : these groups are for accompanied children : It was proposed that the Village Hall be extended, adding a single room of some Under-5s for under-5s on Mondays 1.00 – 3.00 pm 15’ by 20’, interconnecting with the main Hall, but able to be shut off and used independ- Under-2s for under-2s on Fridays 9.30 – 11.00 am ently if required. The Hall was repainted and a number of maintenance jobs were carried both are on a ‘Drop-In’ basis – contact Lesley 07796-162266 out throughout the year. or Rochelle 07870-206651 The Cheswick Green Hall was being even better used by the various organisations that had come to exist on the Village. In June of 1982 a list of these organisations appeared Youth Club: Meets each Friday evening from 7.30pm-9.30pm in the Magazine. Age range 10-15 years Allotments Association Terry Light Babysitting Circle Sandra Reynolds Simone School of Dance : Tuesdays and Saturdays in the Village Hall – Ages Ballet Classes The Jane Fisher School of Ballet Boys Brigade Peter Tonks from 3 to adults, most types of dancing taught :ballet, tap, free-style, modern jazz, rock-and-roll, gymnastic dance – times to suit the students 1st Cheswick Green Brownies Beverley Prater Ring Simone Walker 0121-451-3085 2nd Cheswick Green Brownies Anne Cresswell st 1 Earlswood Brownies Diane Simpkin Dog training – ‘Wagging Tails’ on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Puppy classes, Cubs R.W. Wright Beginners up to Gold classes for all ages of dog. Positive training used Family Church Peter Tonks at all levels – [email protected], website Keep Fit Kate Matthews Mother and Baby Group Ann Taylor www.waggingtails.co.uk National Housewives Register Gill Barrington Over 50s Club Sue Wilkes Spanish Classes, for children - Mondays 4.00 – 5.00 pm, contact 01564-703640 Playgroup Mary Hanson (Interested adults may also contact the above) Roundabout Club Jenny Cockcroft St John’s Ambulance Cadets Div. Supt. Cleveley Brownies – Mondays 6.00 pm School Association Terry Wootton Scouts 1st Salter Street R. Maxted Rainbows – Wednesdays 6.00 pm Tote Organiser Piers Cockcroft Wine Club Mike Benton Ballroom Dancing – Mondays 8.00 – 10.00 pm Womens Institute Iris Rulewski Youth Club Len Cresswell Other phone numbers: Many of these organisations used the Residents’ Association Magazine as a means Anti-Graffiti Hotline 0800-783-8899/0121-717-1580 of reporting and advertising their activities. Community Drugs Line 0800-783-8899 Police non-emergency 0845-113-5000 The year drew to a close with very little by way of ‘pressing issues’, but it should be noted that the local branch of The Men of the Trees donated a further 20 trees of vari- Allotment Association – David Millichamp 175 Wood Lane, Earlswood ous types, to be planted at selected locations in the Village. Also, Sue Wilkes and Ron 01564 -702524 Harris planted over 400 daffodil bulbs in and around the Village, which so enhance our Village today.

10 7 Village and had kept further development to a minimum; the major part of the proposed housing for the area had been located in the Cranmore/Widney area. Hockley Heath Parish The Village of the was still ‘Interim Green Belt’ which meant that its future with regards to development was Seventies moves into not concluded. Much of the Eighties were to be taken up with planning matters. In April 1980 the Residents’ Association Treasurer, Richard Stewardson, reported the Eighties that the Village Hall was ‘holding its own after a shaky start’. The costs of the Hall were running at £1,400 per year, and that £386 was spent on Gas and Electricity, £600 on caretaking, cleaning materials and general maintenance, £161 Rates, and £319 on repairs As Cheswick Green moved out of the Seventies and into the Eighties the 1978 due to vandalism! The Children’s Playground cost £1,533. Village Fete was particularly successful and was well attended. All the various Village clubs and societies were present with their stalls. An exciting feature of this Fete was the That year saw a change at the Vineyard, Alan and Shirley Bishop left and were Helicopter. Flights were available over the Village, taking off from the field on the far side replaced by Mr and Mrs Hall. of Watery Lane. Many people took their cameras to take aerial views of their house and the village as a whole. Early in 1980, the developers Wimpey put in a Planning Application to build at Cheswick Green. Solihull rejected this, but the final decision was to be taken by the then That year a vacancy arose on the Parish Council, and it co-opted Margaret County Council, who also rejected the application; but Wimpey took the Pettinger (then Secretary of the Cheswick Green Residents’ Association since 1975) to application to Appeal. serve as Councillor until the next election. The Parish Council election took place on 24th May 1979, and seven candidates April 1981 saw the Parish Council providing 20 trees to be planted alongside of were returned unopposed. Cheswick Green then had three representatives on that body, the Playing Field to provide an effective screen for those houses that backed onto the Peter Davidson, Peter Simpkin and Margaret Pettinger (who has served as a Councillor Field. since that time – 28 years!). The immediate work of the new Council, concerning the vil- The Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana took place on 29th July 1981 and the lage included: event was celebrated by the Village in style with Street Parties. The Mayor of Solihull to The hand over of the Playing Field to Parish Council control. commemorate the occasion planted a Silver Birch Tree in Appian Way. Many individual Improvements to the car park at the rear of the shops houses and streets were decorated with bunting varying from a single flag to some very Pressure for the completion of the M42 spectacular displays. It was reported that ?the whole day breathed the fresh air of Monitoring of proposed bus service changes optimism for the future through the country. We must all seize upon this theme and look A start was made on the Children’s Playground in May positively forward to the years ahead in our own lives.’ Towards the end of 1979 there was another pollution incident to the Mount Brook, again garden rubbish found its way into the brook and ‘oil slicks’ were on occasions The year saw an upsurge in interest in the early history of Cheswick Green, due observed. It was pointed out that such pollution, besides being unsightly caused mainly to the interest shown by the Magazine Editor, Chris Kenyon. He contributed a considerable damage to the wild life. number of very interesting articles throughout the year, of historical interest concerning A report on the use of the Village Hall indicated that many groups and ‘Old Cheswick Green’. organisations were using it, amongst which were: Ballet Classes Ballroom Dancing Solihull School, owners of most of the freehold land in the Village, made no less Brownies Cubs than seven planning applications for houses on almost every piece of open space in the Family Church Mother and Baby Group Village. Over 50s Club Playgroup St John’s Ambulance Cadets Sunday School The Public Enquiry on Wimpey’s Planning Application was heard in January 1982, Women’s Institute Youth Club and by March it was known that the Inspector of the Inquiry had recommended rejection: Holiday Play Schemes there were three grounds for refusal: • Green Belt The new decade, 1980, saw the Residents’ Association reflecting upon its past and • Encroachment into open space future. It had been formed partly as a channel of communication with the developers, and • Extension of size of Village it had great success in protecting the residents from some of the Greaves Organisations excesses. Other successes had been in relation to the building of the Village Hall and A Proposal to build three houses between the School and Creynolds Lane was made. As generally working to obtain services for the Village. The Village was still very much a usual the Committee objected. Also an appeal against rejection of planning permission for

8 9 With development of the Cranmore/Widney estate well underway in 1985, residents were asked to be vigilant and maintain a sharp awareness of Cheswick Green’s Let’s Have Some Fun heritage, and ensure that it was in no way impaired by outside influences. The Residents’ Association pointed out that it was in existence to act on the behalf of the Village in all matters, particularly those that related to environment, conservation and community Responses to our flyer were a wee bit Cheswick Green Goes to the Dogs 38% facilities. disappointing. From those who bothered Pantomine visit to Birmingham 100% A piece appeared in the Magazine headed: to return their answers we calculate Curry and Karaoke 50% as follows : Drayton Manor visit 38% ‘Building Development: Planning Applications and Sites for Sale.’

Most residents will be only too aware of the number of recent And other suggestions included a theatre trip or trips to ; a Village building projects on sites throughout the Village. Many of the Treasure Hunt; OAPs Day Out; more local events such as Fetes during the developments seem unnecessary and the buildings become totally out summer; and definitely one, or better still two, Parties in the Park. More extreme of character with the original concepts of the neighbourhood. Much was the idea of Horse Racing (the game, with wind-up horses!). To start with, frustration and distress has been put upon existing residents when the following are planned: they have tried to resist planning applications – especially for the ‘backland’ and ‘back-garden’ infill projects. Forthcoming Attractions Our local Councillors and the Residents’ Association are firmly against infill development in the Village or its environs. Party in the Park this Summer : does anyone know of any It seems that almost any piece of spare land could come up for suitable Acts or Bands - please get in touch. Date to be determined. development anywhere in the area. Christmas Party for children, 16th December 2007 If you hear of plans to develop land near to you and you are not (Suggested date) pleased with the ideas ‘PLEASE CONTACT MEMBERS OF YOUR ASSOCIATION’S COMMITTEE’. Red routes Neighbours to such schemes would have to notify the local Planning This is what the Solihull Council ‘Your Solihull’ magazine says about red Authority of their objections. The Residents’ Association will give its routes: support so please avail yourself of their experience in this matter. None of us like to be stuck in a traffic jam. And across the West Midlands, traffic congestion is getting worse. Residents close to open fields and long back gardens seem to be We’ve decided to do something about it, and have adopted Red Routes in particularly vulnerable from people wanting to sell land for profitable some of the busiest roads in the borough. Look at the Blossomfield development purposes. Road/Lode Lane route. It links the A34, A41 and A45. It serves the town centre, Land Rover, Again the guards were being put on the gates of ‘paradise’! Solihull Hospital, Solihull College and much more. We need to keep it moving. John Pettinger The funding for the scheme comes from the Government, as an investment for a network of routes throughout the West Midlands. We’ve asked local people about how the Red Route may work in their local area. For example, To Rent: Florida—Kissimmee: 4 Bed, 3 Bath House in Village with all amenities for we have asked people who may have particular needs, such as childminders, families, 15 mins Disney. £320 a week (Xmas £400) Tel 0121-744-9899 and this has meant that we haven’t put Red Routes in their area. Other peo- Or email : [email protected] ple were adamant that they wanted no parking at all outside their homes. These views have been taken into account for the final scheme. SouthWest France near Angouleme, Large House to let sleeps six comfortably, easy access from Birmingham to Bergerac, or drive through France. Whether you agree with Red Routes or not, the results have shown they Contact Carr 01564-700039 for details, or email [email protected] are working. On the Stratford Road there are now less accidents, far less illegal parking - and fewer delays. Which is what we all want. 12 5