SLP KDBH Extracts - Flipbook - Page 158
682.
The area is valued by residents for the wide range of community services and facilities that
are enjoyed and used extensively. These include Knowle Library, Knowle and Dorridge scout
huts, sports and recreation facilities, local allotments and commercial premises such as post
offices, chemists and public houses that are a vital part of village life. The settlement is also
well served in terms of health facilities with 3 GP surgeries and 5 dental surgeries.
683.
The settlement as a whole has a high proportion of detached dwellings and low density
residential development is a characteristic of some parts of the settlement. House prices are
amongst the most expensive in the Borough and affordability continues to be an issue for
those seeking access to housing, as does the need to provide a more appropriate range of
housing types and sizes to meet future needs.
684.
The area has good links to key employment sites at Blythe Valley Park and Solihull Town
Centre. The north west of the settlement is crossed by the M42 with junction 5 providing
access to motorway network. The main A road through the area is the A4141 running from
Solihull through Knowle, on to Chadwick End and out of the Borough towards Warwick.
685.
The settlement is well served by public transport with bus services running throughout the
area with routes to Solihull, Balsall Common and Coventry. Regular train services from
Dorridge Station in the centre of the village provide links to Kidderminster, Solihull,
Birmingham, Leamington Spa and London. However, whilst Dorridge Station car park can
accommodate over 100 vehicles, this well used station quickly reaches capacity in the
mornings with commuter parking resulting in overspill parking in residential roads nearby.
This also affects the availability of parking for local shoppers.
686.
The 2013 Solihull Local Plan identified land for housing at 3 sites in the settlement. These
were Four Ashes Road, Bentley Heath; Hampton Road, Knowle; and Middlefield, Knowle.
The sites at Four Ashes Road and Hampton Road are complete and have delivered a total of
211 dwellings including 51 extra care units, with the site at Middlefield Road providing 110
dwellings. Like other areas in the Borough, there have also been a number of windfall
developments in the settlement.
687.
In April 2019 the Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath Neighbourhood Plan was ‘made’ by
the Council. It is therefore part of the statutory Development Plan for Solihull and sets out the
objectives and vision for the area as it develops in the future. Further development within the
Neighbourhood Area will therefore be expected to support this vision and objectives, and
planning applications should be in accordance with the relevant policies of the
Neighbourhood Plan, where there is no conflict with the Local Plan.
The Settlement in the Future
688.
Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath is one of two rural settlements in the Borough that has
a full range of facilities including both secondary & primary schools, health services and a
range of shops, services and facilities. As such it is well placed to accommodate growth in
excess of just its own local needs. Given that the area is mainly residential, the opportunities
to develop on previously developed land in KDBH are extremely limited and Green Belt
release around the settlement has been required to accommodate new development.
However, maintaining separation of KDBH from Solihull and other settlements will continue
to be important to preserve the character and context of the villages.
689.
Although the settlement does not have significant areas of employment uses (other than
service uses) and many of the area’s economically active residents travel out to work, there
is good access to the motorway and wider road network. Whilst the main road through the
centre of Knowle will continue to provide an important link in this regard, it can be congested
at peak times and is likely to experience increased vehicle movements in the future, in any
event. Given that the historic medieval core of Knowle is centred on the High Street and is
protected by conservation area status, it will be important to mitigate congestion in this area
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