Dickens Heath is currently struggling with levels of traffic at peak commuting times which causes heavy traffic congestion particularly (1) at the junction between Tythe Barn Lane and Tilehouse Lane; and (2) at the junction between Tythe Barn Lane and Dickens Heath Road. The traffic from the latter junction is stop/start all of the way to the roundabout junction with Tanworth Lane (where Miller & Carter is situated) and most mornings at peak travel time it takes 15-20 minutes simply to travel from central Dickens Heath to that roundabout (a distance of 1 mile). This traffic is a combination of Dickens Heath residents and traffic making its way up from junction 3 of the M42. It should also be noted that the village is increasingly being used as a short cut for commuters from neighbouring villages who drive into Solihull and the surrounding area.

The road infrastructure within and surrounding Dickens Heath is simply unable to cope with current traffic levels and any additional development within Dickens Heath will simply exacerbate the situation. The village has now reached the absolute limit of its expansion. Any further expansion will place a real and significant strain on roads such as Tythe Barn Lane which, put simply, was never envisaged to cope with high levels of traffic at the time its homes were originally constructed. The village is slowly being choked by the volume of traffic on the roads and simply cannot sustain any further development without a significant strain on the existing infrastructure, amenities and the residents who have chosen to live here.

It should also be noted that Dickens Heath currently has insufficient public parking in the village centre arising from the former Parkridge offices becoming apartments several years ago. This means that residents routinely park their cars on Old Dickens Heath Road and other local roads in an attempt to park close to the village centre. This problem will become exacerbated by additional development.

We understand and appreciate the need for further homes in our region, but would respectfully ask the planning committee to look again at neighbouring brownfield sites with good transport links which would be more equipped to deal with the impact of development than Dickens Heath.