out over Solihull town centre. In the north of Shirley is a district known as Robin Hood. Contrary to popular local belief, this is not believed by historians to be due to a connection with the English folk hero Robin Hood, but is instead due to a misreading of the original name of the area 'Robin's Wood'. The misread name was adopted by a local public house, and eventually other landmarks in the area such as a farm, a traffic island, a golf course and the Robin Hood Cemetery, eventually becoming the official name for the area. Retail There are many shops and businesses in the area, mainly centred along the A34 Stratford Road. Shirley has a high proportion of independent retailers and charity stores. Along Stratford Road, there are many restaurants and other eateries, including Cafe Shirley (German and English food) and Nando's. Pedestrianisation of the high street encouraged the local eateries to have outside dining. Shirley is also home to Red Kite Cycles - the largest independent bike shop in the Birmingham/Solihull area. There are also many well-known supermarkets that are accessible down Stratford Road which include Sainsbury's, Aldi and Iceland. A Tesco Extra superstore is located southeast in neighbouring Monkspath. Morrisons had a store in the town centre which was acquired with the business of Safeway. However this closed in 2019 and is currently awaiting redevelopment. An application to build a seven storey retirement home on the site was rejected by planners in April 2022. The 'New Heart for Shirley' was opened in May 2015. Building work on further residential properties are still continuing. Parkgate is advertised as a Mixed-use Development and offers various shops, restaurants and other services such as a gym and the local library. To the south of the high street (Stratford Road, A34), there are two retail parks; one of which is listed as 'Solihull Gate Retail Park', which has shops including retail outlets Argos, Boots and Smyths; DIY stores B&Q and Homebase; and electrical store Currys. Cranmore Retail/Business Park is mainly DIY (Such as Screwfix) and tool hire. Along the A34 there are many car dealerships such as Renault, Ford, Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Land Rover as well as a combined Ferrari and Maserati dealership. A new Peugeot car dealership is currently being considered on the same stretch of road. There are also plans to develop a large industrial park on Blackford