Draft Submission Plan (Regulation 19)
Our Borough Comment
Overview of the Borough
54.Solihull Metropolitan Borough is located on the southern edge of the West Midlands conurbation, between Birmingham and the Black Country to the west and Coventry to the east. It is bound to the north by the rural area of North Warwickshire and to the south, by rural Bromsgrove, Stratford and Warwick. The Borough is renowned for its key economic assets and strategic transport infrastructure both of regional and national significance; its attractive environment and quality of life; aspirational housing and excellent schools. All of which mean that Solihull is a desirable place in which to live, work and invest. Together, these elements combine to establish Solihull’s character of ‘town in country’ living up to the Borough’s motto: “Urbs in Rure”. Comment
55.Solihull is a constituent member of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The Combined Authority has an adopted growth strategy and has recently commenced work on producing a West Midlands Mayoral Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). Development at Birmingham Airport and the arrival of HS2, will help make Solihull and the West Midlands region a world class business location. Comment
56.Solihull is at the heart of the national rail and motorway network with direct rail services to London, Birmingham and the north along the West Coast and Chiltern Mainlines and has excellent access to other regions in the UK through the M42, which links the Borough to the M6 at the northern boundary of the Borough and the M40 to the south. This strategic transport infrastructure, together with Birmingham Airport, has ensured the Borough is the principal national and international gateway to the wider West Midlands area. Comment
Historical Development
57.The development of Solihull was highly influenced by the arrival of the railway stations and the 20th Century expansion of Birmingham south-eastwards. The area now known as Solihull Borough was predominantly rural with small historic towns and villages of medieval origin or earlier at Solihull, Meriden, Berkswell, Barston, Hampton-in-Arden, Knowle and Bickenhill until the end of the 19th Century, when Birmingham began to expand into rural Olton, with houses overlooking Olton Mere. Shirley originally developed from a scattered heathland settlement serving the road from Birmingham to Winchester via Oxford. Development of the Grand Union and Stratford-Upon-Avon canals and the railways also occurred during the Georgian and early Victorian periods, respectively. Comment
58.The Rural Area once formed part of a huge area of wood pasture and ancient farmlands known as Arden and evidence of previous woodland, commons and heaths are often shown in local place names. There were also a number of manor houses and halls associated with large parks situated within the Rural Area, for example, parkland associated with Berkswell Hall was once part of a medieval deer park. Much of the woodland has now been cleared and the landscape character is predominantly agricultural, characterised by a variety of fieldscapes from older, irregular piecemeal enclosure to larger planned enclosure and very large post-war fields. Comment
59.Large settlement expansion from Birmingham into Solihull occurred between 1900 and 1955, particularly during the inter-war period. This resulted in the development of semi-detached housing estates at Lyndon, Olton, Elmdon and Shirley stretching towards Solihull and, to a lesser degree, at Castle Bromwich. Detached housing development was more predominant around Solihull. Small settlement expansion also occurred in the Rural Area at Hampton-in-Arden, Marston Green, Hockley Heath, Meriden and on part of Balsall Common. During the inter-war period, large industrial areas relating to the automotive industry developed, such as the Land Rover motor works and the early example of a research and development campus at Shirley, latterly owned by TRW. Birmingham Airport was also developed at this time, opening in 1939 as a municipal airport. Comment
60.After 1945, there was a huge wave of predominantly terraced and multi-storey residential development in the north-west part of the Borough from Castle Bromwich southwards. Residential development at Kingshurst was followed in the 1960s by overspill development from Birmingham into Smiths Wood and Chelmsley Wood. At the same time, Dorridge expanded from a small settlement that was focussed around Dorridge railway station. Development at Shirley, Olton, Lyndon and Elmdon towards Solihull continued and by 1955, thus closing the gap between Solihull and Birmingham. Comment
61.Since the mid-20th Century, most residential development has occurred at Monkspath and Hillfield, Balsall Common, Cheswick Green, Meriden, Knowle and Dorridge, and since the late 1990s, at Dickens Heath. Most large-scale commercial development occurred at the National Exhibition Centre in the 1970s, Birmingham Business Park since the late 1980s, Blythe Valley Park since the late 1990s. Comment
62.The 2000s saw major retail redevelopments in Solihull town centre (the Touchwood Centre) and Shirley (Parkgate) and more localised residential in places such as Blythe Valley Park and The Green (in Shirley). Comment
The Borough Now
63.The Council Plan (2025-30) sets out some key statistics for the Borough: Comment
- Population: 218,793 (2023). The Solihull population grew by 4.6% (9,678) between 2013 and 2023.
- Age distribution: 0-15 years 20%, 16-39 years 27%, 40-64 years 32% & 65+ years 21%.
- The population aged 65+ increased 10% between 2013-2023. It is the fastest growing population cohort.
- The under 16 population grew 9% influenced by a much younger population in North Solihull.
- Communities are becoming increasingly diverse as ethnic minorities now account for 18% of the population (West Solihull: 23%, North Solihull: 13% & East Solihull: 10%)
- Solihull is a relatively affluent Borough but there is disparity; 41% of North Solihull residents are living in the 10% most deprived areas of England.
- Life expectancy in Solihull is the 2nd highest in the West Midlands.
- However, Solihull also has the largest life expectancy gap in the West Midlands between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods (10+ years for women and 12+ years for men).
64.The regional and national impact and role of Solihull’s strategic economic assets is significant. Solihull’s economy produces goods and services valued at £10.72 (bn) (GVA) and supports around 145,000 jobs. Comment
65.The strength and dynamism of the Solihull economy is illustrated by a range of measures, including: Comment
- At £49,007 Solihull GVA per head was 34% higher than the England average and 75% higher than that of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in 2023. Proportionally, Solihull has the 5th largest economy in the UK outside of London and the Southeast.
- Solihull is one of the more productive economic areas in the UK outside London and the Southeast. For instance, GVA per filled job in Solihull was ranked 34th out of 182 UK economic areas, the highest in the West Midlands region.
- In 2024 Solihull had the 7th largest labour market in Britain outside of London and the South-East, with a job density 39% higher than the England average and 52% higher than that of the WMCA.
- Employment specialities in Solihull are often linked to local economic assets, including motor vehicle manufacture (Jaguar Land Rover), air transport and warehousing & support activities for transportation (Birmingham Airport).
- In March 2025 there were 8,295 active businesses in Solihull, 89% employing fewer than 10 people and 66% with an annual turnover of less than £250,000.
- Except for 2023, the business start-up rate in Solihull has been consistently lower than national or regional comparators. However, Solihull business start-ups are more likely to survive over the medium-term, 40% of Solihull businesses that started in 2019 were still operation five years later compared to 38% for England and 31% for the West Midlands.
- In 2025 the average full-time wage for a Solihull based job was 8% higher than the England average. Solihull wages are the highest in the West Midlands and the 8th highest in Britain outside London and the Southeast.
66.Around two thirds of Solihull’s 17,800 hectares is countryside and designated Green Belt, which separates the West Midlands conurbation from surrounding settlements. The vital strategic gap between Birmingham/Solihull and Coventry is known as the Meriden Gap. This area is predominantly rural, characterised by a series of settlements, historic villages, hamlets, scattered farmsteads and dwellings set within attractive countryside. Comment
67.These factors combine to make Solihull a highly sought after living environment and, as a result, house prices and land values across most of the Borough are substantially above the regional average. Comment
68.The Borough has a number of distinct areas, and these are described in the settlement chapters. Comment
69.The illustration below is a spatial portrait of the Borough. Comment
