Academy plan approved but residents remain concerned

AMBITIOUS plans to build an engineering academy in Chelmsley Wood were finally given the green light last month.
The WMG Academy, offering courses for more than 600 teenagers,will be built on land adjacent to
Kingshurst Brook.
But the decision by Solihull Council to rubber stamp the project has sharply divided local opinion.
Business leaders believe that the academy will give young people the skills that are in desperate demand at companies including Jaguar Land Rover.
A spokesman for the academy said: “With an ethos of being ‘businesslike and business led’, the academy will provide students with relevant GCSE and A level qualifications, specific engineering qualifications and an impressive range of partner companies will ensure that students leave prepared for the world of work.”
Kate Tague, who will be appointed as executive principal, said she was “absolutely thrilled” the scheme had been given the go-ahead.
For residents however, there were serious misgivings about the choice of location for the new, three-storey building.

The patch of grassland, which had previously been earmarked for local housing, is a notorious floodplain.
Fordbridge Parish Council said that a number of properties in nearby Conway Road already suffered from subsidence and objected to the development “in the strongest possible terms”, fearing it would make the problem worse.
Other concerns were centred around the loss of open space and greater congestion on local roads.
One petition, signed by more than 30 people – called for an alternative site, such as the old Chelmsley Wood Library, to be considered.
Resident Marie Hodgetts said: “Not sure how much more development the area can take without everywhere grinding to a halt.”
Despite these fears, the planning committee accepted the argument that the academy would boost the employment prospects of local young people.
They concluded that despite the objections, the scheme would not have an unreasonable impact on the community.
The facility, which will be modelled on an existing campus in Coventry, is expected to welcome its first students in September next year.