Plan of Dickens Heath

John Simpson has been advisor to Solihull Metropolitan Council on urban design since 1989, at which time he put together the concept for the new Dickens Heath Village. In 1990 it was introduced in the structure plan as a mixed use development of 1700 residential units devised as a standalone settlement.

The masterplan involves 1700 new houses, a school, a major mixed use High Street with shops, a pub, office and employment space, a community centre, a medical centre, a public Library, a church, a village green and a new canal-side wharf area to include restaurants, a chandlery and other waterside facilities.

After the masterplan was adopted, John Simpson was retained as advisor to the Dickens Heath Planning committee at Solihull Metropolitan Council. The designs for the various development sites were submitted for approval to the committee by the individual members of the consortium that owned the site.

This development features in Government guidance "Places Streets and Movement" as an example of best practice in urban design.