Dickens Heath

Dicken's Heath - geograph.org.uk - 85925

Dickens Heath is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands.^[1] It was previously part of the civil parish of Hockley Heath, and is near Cheswick Green and Hollywood.

It was originally a hamlet, but is currently undergoing development as a new village, with a target population of over 2,000. Parkridge Homes are developing a mixed use village centre which upon completion will provide a development with three key locations, namely Market Square, Waterside and Garden Squares. Dickens Heath Village Centre^[2] features residential accommodation, alongside shops and leisure facilities, incorporating community amenities and on-site management services.

Although building on the final stage of Dickens Heath is still yet to happen with the current housing slump and slow sales of current stock being blamed, the village has become a vibrant centre with a high population of youngsters making the village a fun place to live.

Dickens Heath has attracted both criticism and praise in equal measure. With some traditional borough residents not liking the density of building in some elements of the development. In other areas, there has been a very positive response to aspects of the development, such as the broad range of housing styles and accommodation, as well as the new local primary school that is one of the only schools in the entire Solihull borough to be rated as 'outstanding' by the recent OFSTED inspection.

References

1. ^ Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council : Notice of Uncontested Election : Election of Councilloirs for Parish of Dickens Heath Retrieved 2009-11-22
2. ^ Dickens Heath Development Company

External links

Media related to Dickens Heath at Wikimedia Commons

• Dickens Heath dot Net - Online magazine

Coordinates: 52°23′08″N 1°50′15″W / 52.3856°N 1.8374°W / 52.3856; -1.8374