Solihull Sustainable Urban Development Package Plan

The West Midlands ERDF programme 2007 - 2013 will provide £267 million of investment to create jobs and assist Small & Medium Enterprises. The programme will focus on five priorities, with the overall objectives of:

• Contributing to closing the region’s £10 billion output gap, by increasing productivity in the region
• Reducing worklessness and inequalities
• Ensuring the regions economic growth is achieved sustainability

What is ERDF?

European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) is a component of the European Union’s Structural Fund. Structural Funds are the mechanism for allocating funding to the regions to stimulate economic development.

Achieving Sustainable Urban Development

The focus of ‘Priority 3’ is to stimulate renaissance in the key urban areas by encouraging job growth and by targeting communities to help them join the mainstream economy.

This priority is being delivered through a strategic “Package” approach. A Package is defined as “…a focused plan and budget allocation governing a suit of related projects that are co-ordinated and managed as a unit to achieve outcomes and realise the strategic benefits envisaged by the Programme.” Each Package has a “Package Owner”, responsible for the overall co-ordination and of the Package Plan. Solihull Council is one of the six Package Owners. For more information you can visit the DCLG website.

Solihull Sustainable Urban Development Priority 3 Package Plan

In June 2008, Solihull Council as a ‘Package Owner’ submitted a Package to realise the expected benefits from Sustainable Urban Development for North Solihull for a total of £10.5 million ERDF funding. This represented  a potential total investment of £21 million (£10.5 million ERDF & £10.5 million match funding through Public Sector Agencies). The key aims of the package have been to:

• Reduce the level of worklessness across  North Solihull;
• Improve transport connectivity to major employment centre’s;
• Increase the level of entrepreneurship and sustaining Small to Medium Enterprises (SME’s) and;
• Exploit the wider opportunities created through the regeneration of North Solihull ensuring direct economic benefits for local residents and SME’s.
  

In August 2010 the Sustainable Urban Development package plan area was extended across Solihull to include the following wards:

• Bickenhill
• Castle Bromwich
• Elmdon
• Lyndon
• Olton
• Shirley East
• Shirley South
• Shirley West
• Silhill
  

Solihull Council is committed to working with key partners and stakeholders supporting the sustainable regeneration of North Solihull.

For general enquiries please contact the Programme and Performance Team (Community and Economic Regeneration) on 0121 704 6037.