LATEST NEWS....

The Marina - It is understood that the developer might put in an appeal to Warwickshire District Council but this will need to be in by the end of May.

School Road - David Cox has written to the Highways Dept re traffic calming and lighting.

SMBC planning app no. 2011/2011 (Houses on Stratford Road) - The Parish Council are objecting to planning permission as the site is in Green Belt and site access onto Stratford Road would be a problem.

Solihull Local Development Framework - The draft plan is now available to view at www.solihull.gov.uk/ldf or at Solihull Library until 5th March 2012. As far as we can see no big plans are on the board for Hockley Heath but that does not stop private developers looking for land when the construction industry/economy improves. You can voice your own opinions on line at this site.

HHRA Meeting 18 January 2012....

It was great to see a number of new faces within the group of 14 who met and which included a visiting delegation from HHC-Raid. A warm welcome to all, especially to those who became new HHRA members.

Interesting and useful discussions took place during the evening including the latest about the Gypsy/Travellers site and other local planning applications. Further discussions were had about Highways, Local Transport, The Village Plan, The Parish Council Precept and the reintroduction of the Bonfire Night Fireworks Party amongst other items. Such was the interest that despite a power cut the meeting continued unabated and we 'weren't kept in the dark' for long!

From previous low membership numbers at HHRA there is now a mood of optimism that with new members joining (and we need more please) we will be able to make a much more significant contribution to village life.

HISTORY....

The Hockley Heath Residents Association (HHRA) is a group of villagers who volunteer their time to meet and to monitor a wide range of issues which have an impact on our village life, with the aim of driving changes and improvements. These include policing, planning matters, highways, transport, support of local groups and social events.

The HHRA consider planning applications that affect the whole community. Recent applications included the new Rolls Royce/Mclaren showroom, a threatened Motorway Service Area on our doorstep and the redevelopment of the Nags Head site into apartments. The apartment development was turned down after a 400 signature petition was presented to the council.The Brewery then decided to improve the existing site and re-open as the Miller and Carter.

Whilst not in our area, we also lent our support in opposing the Marina development which would have adversely affected the traffic volume through our village.

We make planning objections or recommendations to Solihull MBC on behalf of villagers to protect or maximise the benefits of our local local village environment.

We also strive to make improvements. On a more local level, one of our members is trying hard to get the footpaths from the park open for a circular walk to Aylesbury Road.

From Aylesbury Road there is a well used footpath that crosses the land on which Aylesbury House, now renamed the Hyatt Health & Wellbeing Centre, is situated. Currently HHRA are not only trying to ensure that this footpath remains open and available to villagers, but also helping to fight the proposed change of use at this Grade II listed property to a drug/substance abuse rehabilitation centre.

The HHRA are concerned about the ramifications of the proposed Gypsy/Traveller site on School Road, and also supported the preparation of the VIllage Plan. All of this takes up a great deal of our time and because of this the social side of things had to be placed on the 'back burner' for a time. With more members on the HHRA committee we could do so much more.

We are in need of new members to support us and help to to re-establish our social activities. Can you add your name to the list? We will be grateful for any time you can give, however small. Just being a 'helper' from time to time would be appreciated.

Membership is available to local residents. If you wish to join the committee, we meet once a month for about 2 hours at various locations around the village, quite often at the Barn. A note of the next meeting date and venue is shown on this page header.