There have been three red letter days for Chelmsley Wood over the past weeks when a new enterprise hub and a new Post Office branch were opened, and the Health Secretary visited the site for the new Craig Croft Medical Centre. The aspiration at the heart of regenerating this estate is to improve the quality of people's lives; bringing new job opportunities are part of that goal.
The Chelmund’s Cross Enterprise Centre is already partly let as new business start-ups take their first step and hire an office in this state of the art building. Having good quality premises, in a building with entrepreneurial spirit in the air will give many of these start-ups a solid base from which to build their businesses. I met a lady who set up an accountancy business for clients with B36 and B37 postcodes as she lives in this area and detected a gap in the market. I was impressed at hearing that Gro-organic have set up a social enterprise plan to help people get work shaping gardens and growing veg plots for locals; they have fulfilled their aim to have planted trees in Chelmund’s Cross around the enterprise hub.
A new post office is a special event these days after so many closures but Smiths Wood now has one in the brand, new village centre where it is co-located with the Spar supermarket. The opening hours include Saturday and Sunday which is very useful; this is possible due to the innovation of a combined till with the supermarket. I really value being able to get to the Post Office at the weekend, and I am sure the residents of Smith’s Wood will be delighted by this service.
I am delighted that Jeremy Hunt was able to see the progression in North Solihull; it is not only the healthcare facilities that are being developed, but the whole area is being given a new lease of life. The new premises will offer first-rate medical facilities and will offer local residents quicker access to GPs.
If we consider these innovations together with the 1000 new homes, the extensive refurbishment of many tower blocks by Solihull Community Housing and the rebuilding of many local schools, then it is an amazing story to tell right through the depths of the recession and subsequent recovery.