Alvechurch Parish
The Parish of Alvechurch consists of three electoral wards Alvechurch Ward, Bordesley & Rowney Green Ward and Hopwood Ward. Alvechurch ward comprises the village of Alvechurch and Withybed Green; the Hopwood ward includes the north half of Weatheroak, whilst the southern half is contained within the Rowney Green ward that also encompasses the Holloway and Grange Lane, and is now combined with the Bordesley ward which borders Alvechurch Village ward along Station road.
Sited within the Worcestershire district of Bromsgrove, Alvechurch is one of Bromsgrove’s 19 parishes and shares boundaries with Beoley, Wythall, Barnt Green, Cofton Hackett and Tutnall & Cobley Parishes. The parish also borders both the city of Birmingham and Redditch new-town and is therefore a vital part of the West Midlands Green Belt that serves as a buffer between conurbations.
The only part of the parish that is not covered by the Green Belt classification is the built-up area of Alvechurch village itself. The resultant restrictions on new building development in the Green Belt mean demand for new housing in the parish is high.
Alvechurch Village Centre is a designated Conservation Area, host to a number of listed buildings originating from the 15th century. The parish church of St Laurence is listed grade II.
The parish is also host to good transport links of all types including (by road) the north/south A441 and the east/west M42, (by rail) the Redditch/Lichfield cross-city service, and (by canal) the Worcester – Birmingham Canal. The river Arrow flows from its source in the nearby Lickey Hills through the parish and out towards Alcester. The village of Alvechurch lies in a valley surrounded by Hob, Scarfield, Coopers, Hopwood, Wast, Weatheroak and Newbourne Hills.
Parish Councils are the most local tier of Local Government, the grass-roots level. In this area Local Government consists of parish councils, district councils and county councils – all of which have been set up by Acts of Parliament. In Alvechurch the parish council has been in existence since 1894, since when there have been a few changes to its size and number of councillors to today’s parish which covers the wards of Alvechurch.
The Parish Council is funded by the council tax payer. Councillors work out how much money they will need for the forthcoming year and set a special rate called the precept which is collected by the District Council with the council tax.
