Solihull

Solihull is situated in the geographical centre of the country, between Birmingham and Coventry, with a 2001 Census population of 199,517. Solihull boasts a mix of urban and rural with just under 70 per cent of its 69 square miles radius being a designated green belt. Solihull is at the hub of an air, rail and road network. Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham International Station (on the London to Birmingham route) and Solihull Station provide quick and comfortable links across the country, and are within 5 minutes of Solihull town centre. Solihull is also serviced by the M42 with good access to the M40, M5 and M6.

Solihull is steeped in history. The red sandstone mediaeval parish church of St Alphege stands like a sentinel at the head of the High Street in Solihull - it was founded in about 1220 by Hugh d'Oddingsell.

Solihull has 1300 acres of parks and open spaces and enjoys a high quality environment. The ecologically significant rivers Blythe and Cole meander through Solihull. The once industrially important Grand Union canal and the Stratford canal also pass through the borough. The Solihull Way is a seventeen and a half mile walk from Earlswood lakes to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens.

Solihull has experienced the strongest economic growth of any local authority area in the UK over the last decade, as the home of Birmingham International Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Land Rover, Birmingham Business Park and Blythe Valley Business Park, which is the Midlands' own 'Silicon Valley' featuring high-tech IT companies.

Birmingham International Airport is the Midlands’ principal international gateway, the sixth largest Airport in the UK and the second largest outside London, serving around 9.2 million passengers. The Airport currently supports around 10,500 jobs in
the region, and there are plans to extend the Airport’s runway capacity to serve
long-haul destinations including the Far East, North America, India and China.

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC), hosts more than 100 events and attracting more than 4 million visitors a year and is just 4 miles from the heart of Solihull. The venue is currently undergoing a £40 million improvement programme which is due for completion in 2010. In addition a longer-term master plan and vision is being developed for the NEC to encompass a leisure and entertainment complex attractive encompassing a quality brand hotel, restaurants and bars, entertainment facilities and a casino. Solihull Council has recently been granted powers to award a large casino licence in the Borough.

Solihull Town Centre has emerged as a major retail and employment centre in the region, including the ‘Touchwood’ retail and leisure development which is visited by approximately 17 million people annually. Major plans are now being progressed to redevelop Solihull’s other main town centres at Shirley and Chelmsley Wood, the latter as part of a major programme of regeneration investment targeting the deprived north of the Borough.