Local residents, businesses and visitors to Chelmsley Wood town centre are being encouraged to find out more about the new town centre masterplan which goes on display today.
It’s hoped the newly approved masterplan, which focuses on the Northwest Quarter of the town centre, will be the first step in a phased plan of redevelopment which could see the town centre completely transformed over the decade.
Working with partners, Solihull Council is developing a long-term plan to ensure that Chelmsley Wood town centre continues to thrive and serve the needs of the local community as the role of our town centres continues to change, both locally and nationally.
Supported by planning and design consultants BDP, work began on developing a new vision for the future of Chelmsley Wood town centre in 2018. An initial study highlighted the need for the revitalisation of the Northwest Quarter of the town centre, which is currently underused, as a key opportunity to initiate the transformation of the town centre as a whole.
Since then, the Council has been working to develop a vision for the Northwest Quarter, which includes the Police Station*, Job Centre, vacant former library site, BT Telephone Exchange, and former Royal Mail sorting facility. In March last year, the Council consulted the public on a range of potential options for new layouts and uses in order to develop a deliverable masterplan for this area of the town centre, which was finally adopted last month.
A series of 'masterplan summary boards' are now going on show at Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre and will be on display in the vacant retail unit next to Heron Foods for the next two weeks. The boards outline some of the key features of the masterplan and include illustrative sketches which show what this redeveloped section of the town centre could look like. Members from the Council’s project team will be on hand at the shopping centre to talk people through the masterplan on Thursday 9 February and Saturday 11 February from 10am to 2pm.
As well as being on physical display, the material is also being hosted on the Council’s new engagement platform 'Your Voice Solihull' where members of the public can submit questions and share comments.
The next step will be to submit a planning application for the proposals.
Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council and Portfolio Holder for the Economy, said:
“This masterplan has the potential to be transformational for Chelmsley Wood town centre, making it more welcoming and attractive and encouraging more visitors throughout the day and evening.
“We know that this will be a challenging scheme to deliver and could take a number of years to complete, but we will work closely with stakeholders, landowners and external funders to provide the right solution for residents and secure the future vibrancy of Chelmsley Wood town centre. Having a masterplan in place for the Northwest Quarter is really important, as it marks the first step towards a series of phased improvements that will re-energise this well used and much-loved town centre.
“We enjoyed some really positive engagement with local residents, businesses and shoppers in Chelmsley Wood when we presented some of our early proposals last year and this is an opportunity to check back in. There will be plenty of other opportunities to help shape this exciting project as it progresses.”
You can sign up to the Council’s ‘Chelmsley Wood Town Centre Masterplan’ Stay Connected bulletin to receive updates on the project.
* Delivery of Phase 3, which incorporates the existing police station, would be dependent on West Midlands Police agreeing alternative accommodation for a police station within Chelmsley Wood Town Centre