Bickenhill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Bickenhill at grid reference SP188822
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Bickenhill is a village, civil parish and ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, on the fringes of the West Midlands conurbation.
[edit] Parish
According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 6,583. The parish covers the village of Bickenhill itself and the town of Marston Green. Also located within the parish are Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. The parish is crossed by two major roads: the M42 and the A45, referred to locally as the Coventry Road.
[edit] Village
The village of Bickenhill is located south of the A45 road (whereas the rest of the parish is located north of the A45). The Norman Church near the village of Bickenhill dates from 1140. The name 'Bickenhill' derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'projecting hill'. The majority of the older houses in Bickenhill village are Georgian and Victorian.
A substantial proportion of Bickenhill currently stands under threat of demolition due to the proposed development of a second runway at Birmingham International Airport [1].
[edit] Government
The two main local authorities responsible for the upkeep of the parish are Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Bickenhill Parish Council. The Parish Council is responsible for maintaining facilities such as churchyards, cemeteries and parks in the parish and its offices are located at a park near Marston Green.
Bickenhill ward elects 3 councillors to the metropolitan borough council, these are (as of April 2006) Alan Martin (Conservative Party), Jim Ryan (Independent) and Bob Sleigh (Conservative).
