Solihull campaigners have raised fresh concern about HS2 viaducts, after designs for the structures unveiled in another part of the country were branded “grotesque”. Richard Lloyd, from the Heart of England High Speed Railway Action Group, said that residents in the Chilterns area had been appalled by the recently published plans – believing they would…

This is the shocking moment a thug pulled his dog into a lift so hard that its front teeth were smashed. And after the vicious attack the girlfriend of pet owner Daniel Cheslin was seen smiling and laughing on CCTV, Birmingham Crown Court was told. The camera also recorded other acts of cruelty inflicted on…

“Enormous” homes will be built on back gardens in a Solihull street, despite hundreds of objections from neighbours. The application, approved on Wednesday 3rd October, will see No 23 Alderbrook Road demolished and rebuilt and four other detached houses constructed on land to the rear of No 21-27. The proposal – which ward councillor Joe…

A retirement community which would have seen a Solihull village “nearly double in size overnight” has been refused planning permission. Councillors last night (Wednesday 3rd October) threw out plans for the large-scale development, which would have eaten into the green belt in Hampton Lane, Catherine de Barnes. The application at Oak Farm would have consisted…

A woman motorist was carjacked as she carried her shopping in the car park of a Sheldon supermarket. She was surrounded by two men outside Aldi on Coventry Road before her Audi Q2 was stolen. Two men in hoodies surrounded the woman as she left the store and walked to her car – causing her…

A “perfect storm” of problems has led to an unexpected surge in the number of Solihull children being taken into care. More than 400 youngsters are now being looked after in the borough, which places significant pressure on the council’s budgets. Over two years – 2018/19 and 2019/20 – the local authority was looking to…

Staff from JLR and Solihull Council have stepped in to support Wayne Elcock’s Boxing Academy and make sure the gym can remain open and safe. The boxing gym in Chelmsley Wood suffered extensive flood damage earlier in the year and although it was repaired and weatherproofed, the interior badly needed an overhaul. SMBC’s Love Solihull…

Solihull motorists will face fines of up to £100 if they allow their passenger to throw litter out of the vehicle. In the past it has been difficult to impose penalties when rubbish is tossed from a window, with drivers disputing they did it. But changes in the law mean that local authorities now have…

A rare species of monkey native to Solihull has been saved from extinction – and can now be spotted hanging out at Touchwood. The fate of the iconic Gordon the Monkey, which swung in the window of the Gordon Scott shoe shop on Solihull High Street since the 1960s, was left unknown following the closure…

Grit bins attracting anti-social behaviour will not be removed from Solihull streets, after a number of borough councillors raised concerns about a proposal to take them away. Solihull Council’s highways department had cited widespread problems with bins being vandalised and stuffed with rubbish, or their salt being used to clear private driveways. A policy to…