Chelmsley Wood

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Chelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood and large housing estate in the North of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands area, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. There are several bus routes linking the town with Birmingham city centre, located about 8 miles away, as well as the town centre of Solihull.

1 History
2 Recent development
3 Reputation
4 Chelmsley Wood in Popular Culture
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Chelmsley Wood is a relatively new area, which was built by Birmingham City Council in the 1960s on ancient woodland (part of the Forest of Arden) as an overspill town for Birmingham. Permission for the construction of the overspill estate on greenbelt land was granted by Richard Crossman as Minister of Housing and Local Government.^[1] A shopping centre (which opened on 7 April 1970), a library (completed in 1970 at £240,000)^[2], hall and a few public houses but no other leisure amenities were included. In recent years, it has been marketed as 'North Solihull,' but this has not really caught on in the area and outside, perhaps because of the socio-economic difference between working-class Chelmsley Wood and largely middle-class Solihull. With the adjoining neighbourhoods of Fordbridge and Smith's Wood it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in 1974.

[edit] Recent development

The exact boundary of Chelmsley Wood has become blurred in recent years and Chelmsley Wood as a town has actually shrunk since it was built. Many areas that were considered to be Chelmsley Wood originally, have now become separate areas, notably the areas of Fordbridge, Smith's Wood and Tile Cross.

Plans are currently under way to carry out the largest renovation of older parts of the area since the demolition of many high-rise blocks of flats in the early 1990s. The current plans propose changes to the central shopping centre area, including the construction of a large supermarket, as well as modernisation of housing and commercial buildings in the Craig Croft area. In addition, there will be the renovation of the library and surrounding buildings

[edit] Reputation

Some people perceive Chelmsley Wood to have very high crime rates, drug related problems, unemployment and poor standards of education - the derogatory stereotype of the 'chembo' was similar to that of the chav but predated it by at least two decades. This reputation is in many ways not unfounded as all of these problems are more prevalent in Chelmsley Wood than surrounding areas, however when compared to housing estates in other areas of the United Kingdom with similar socio-economic backgrounds, Chelmsley Wood is a highly successful example of UK urban planning.

Redevelopment projects include the demolition of Chelmsley Wood's Whitesmore School, and its replacement with the Grace Academy at a cost of £32million [1].

Chelmsley Wood is also part of the wider Regeneration of North Solihull, a partnership between Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and the private sector. An estimated £1.8 billion will be invested over the next fifteen years.

Politically, Chelmsley Wood voters have been known for their strong support of Labour candidates at both local and national elections. However, in May 2006, the Chelmsley Wood ward of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council elected a candidate from the British National Party, the first in Solihull's history. The elected candidate, George Morgan, won by a margin of seven votes and is due for re-election in May 2010.^[3]

[edit] Chelmsley Wood in Popular Culture

The area is mentioned in the song 'Michael A Grammar' by the Birmingham band Broadcast from their 2005 album Tender Buttons.
It was also the inspiration for Lynsey Hanley's 2007 book, Estates: An Intimate History; Hanley grew up in Chelmsley Wood and refers extensively to it in the book.

[edit] References

^ Stephen Victor Ward (1994). Planning and Urban Change. Sage Publications. ISBN 185396218X.
^ Thomas Greenwood (1971). The Libraries, Museums and Art Galleries Year Book. New York: J. Clarke.
^ Member and Committee Information - G W Morgan. Solihull Council. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.