Fordbridge
Encyclopedia
Fordbridge is a civil parish
and suburb between Kingshurst
and Chelmsley Wood
in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
, which is in the West Midlands county
, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation
. It is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Birmingham
City Centre. It has a town council
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,748.
Fordbridge is near to Marston Green
and features a new £32 million secondary school, called the 'Grace Academy'. The area falls within the borders of North Solihull, which is now subject to a £1.8 billion regeneration project.
According to statistics, Fordbridge is one of the more poorer areas of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
. However, Cooks Lane and surrounding areas differ in that there is more expensive housing (well above the average house price for that area), less crime and are different in housing architecture compared to the surrounding areas of Smith's Wood
, Kingshurst and Chelmsley wood.
Also close by in Smith's Wood
is the Solihull College
Woodlands Campus.
, Sutton Coldfield
and Birmingham International Airport.
The nearest train station is at Marston Green
. From here you can catch trains to Coventry
, Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham City Centre and The National Exhibition Centre
.
. It's current Member of Parliament is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
, Caroline Spelman
of The Conservative Party (UK)
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and suburb between Kingshurst
Kingshurst
Kingshurst is a post war housing estate and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands. It lies about east of Birmingham city centre...
and Chelmsley Wood
Chelmsley Wood
Chelmsley Wood is a neighbourhood, civil parish and large housing estate in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, England, with a population of 13,010. It is located near Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies adjacent to Birmingham...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
, which is in the West Midlands county
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, and also part of the West Midlands conurbation
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
. It is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
City Centre. It has a town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 8,748.
Fordbridge is near to Marston Green
Marston Green
Marston Green is a village of around 5000 residents in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, approximately 7 miles from Birmingham.The village is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre...
and features a new £32 million secondary school, called the 'Grace Academy'. The area falls within the borders of North Solihull, which is now subject to a £1.8 billion regeneration project.
According to statistics, Fordbridge is one of the more poorer areas of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, in west-central England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary...
. However, Cooks Lane and surrounding areas differ in that there is more expensive housing (well above the average house price for that area), less crime and are different in housing architecture compared to the surrounding areas of Smith's Wood
Smith's Wood
Smith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,943, according to the 2001 census....
, Kingshurst and Chelmsley wood.
Education
Fordbridge lies in-between a number of schools in the surrounding areas. Schools in and around the local area include :- CTC Kingshurst Academy
- John Henry Newman Catholic College
- Grace Academy (Solihull)Grace Academy (Solihull)Grace Academy is a non-selective co-educational secondary school within the English Academy programme, at Chelmsley Wood, Solihull, West Midlands.It opened in 2006 and replaced the old Whitesmore School...
- Smiths Wood Sports College
- Park Hall Academy
- The Coleshill SchoolThe Coleshill SchoolThe Coleshill School is a Maths and Computing College in Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, founded in 1520. It is situated to the south of Coleshill, to the east of the B4117, just north of the M6 Toll.-Admissions:...
- The International School and Community CollegeThe International School and Community CollegeThe International School and Community College is a school for children to aged 11 to 18 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England.-Admissions:The school is ethnically diverse and contains around 1,300 pupils spread over three major buildings with an outpost for the 6th Form centre across the road...
Also close by in Smith's Wood
Smith's Wood
Smith's Wood is a residential area in the north of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is a civil parish with a population of 10,943, according to the 2001 census....
is the Solihull College
Solihull College
Solihull College, formerly known as the 'Solihull College of Technology', is a further education college located in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, which is part of the West Midlands conurbation, in the United Kingdom...
Woodlands Campus.
Transport
West Midlands Travel operate a number of buses in and around the Fordbridge area. The Cooks lane area is served by the 94, 55 and 71 bus services. Close by is Chelmsley Wood shopping centre which hosts a wide range of transport options. Buses are available to and from Solihull, Coleshill, Birmingham City CentreBirmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
, Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and Birmingham International Airport.
The nearest train station is at Marston Green
Marston Green
Marston Green is a village of around 5000 residents in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, approximately 7 miles from Birmingham.The village is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre...
. From here you can catch trains to Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, Birmingham International Airport, Birmingham City Centre and The National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
.
Leisure
Fordbridge is also served by a local sports centre called 'North Solihull Sports Centre'.Ethnicity
At the 2001 Census, Kingshurst and Fordbridge had the 11th highest proportion of non-white residents in Solihull (5%), although all wards in the Borough are below the West Midlands average of 11%. Kingshurst and Fordbridge has the Borough’s 3rd highest proportion of mixed race (3%) and black residents (2%). Since the 2001 Census, the proportion of nonwhite residents in Solihull has risen significantly. Experimental statistics from mid-2007, estimate that the proportion of non-white residents in Solihull rose to 9%. Ward level figures are not available, but it is likely that Kingshurst and Fordbridge will have seen a proportional rise in non-white residents as well.Politics
Fordbridge comes under the Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)Meriden (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
. It's current Member of Parliament is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
, Caroline Spelman
Caroline Spelman
Caroline Alice Spelman is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who has served as the Member of Parliament for Meriden in the West Midlands since 1997...
of The Conservative Party (UK)
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.