Councillors are set to decide on plans for 157 new homes in Lichfield.
The land at Limburg Avenue is being earmarked for development by David Wilson Homes.
Lichfield City Council has raised objections over the scheme as the land had been earmarked as being for recreation.
But officers from Lichfield District Council have recommended the project be approved by councillors at a meeting of the planning committee next week.
“Whilst it is accepted the proposed development conflicts with the 1998 Lichfield District Local Plan, less weight may be attributed to these policies given the age of the policies and lack of consistency with the National Planning Policy Framework.
“Additionally evidence supporting the Local Plan suggests that the allocation of recreation zones should be re-considered through the Local Plan with the role of the ability of the western recreation zone to deliver recreational uses in particular questioned.
“The site is adjacent to the sustainable settlement of Lichfield which is the focus of a significant proportion of development through the emerging Local Plan Strategy.”
Lichfield District Council’s planning committee will meet next Monday (November 4).
When Darwin Park was planned the Council described the land where this development is proposed as a “recreation zone“. Our district councillors, including those who sit on the planning committee, should be judged by what they do not what they say. Actions speak louder than words!
Localism, we were told, means that “councils and local people can now decide where development should and shouldn’t go” and “the important role of the Green Belt will be recognised and protected” [Local Plan, Core Policy 1].
In reality the District Council has:
(1) Tried putting hundreds of houses in the Green Belt at Highfields farm, which is Council owned. Clearly a money making scheme. Having lost this battle, plans were revised to put 900 homes in Cricket land and Deanslade farm, which are currently in the Green Belt;
(2) Approved plans for 12,500 SQ. M of office space at Wall Island, which is in the Green Belt. The Council failed to mention this at the Local Plan public inquiry, even though it had been in discussion with the developer for four years. Clearly cashing in on business rates trumps Green Belt protection; and
(3) Master plans for Darwin Park included a primary school, but this was scrapped and replaced by a large number of new houses. A grossly inadequate number of places were provided at Leomansley primary school, which is bursting at the seems. The school run swamps local roads. Was cashing in on the New Homes Bonus payments uppermost in councillors minds?
Lichfield needs new homes. There are so many first time buyers unable to find affordable (sub-£170k) homes in the area, which is leaving them to fight over the scraps that eventually become available. New builds = good for the local economy, and will ensure a younger overall population for Lichfield.
But the fact is that major development has never driven prices down in Lichfield. Most new developments are either 1 bed starters or the large family four or five bed home, so those people towards the start of their home owning life are driven out of the city.
If you get rid of all recreation land you’ll then have a place where none of these early life buyers will want to live with their young families anyway. Building lots of houses isn’t always the solution to the problem.
Of course new affordable homes are required in the area, however the main problem to me seems that the existing infrastructure is simply NOT capable of servicing new builds.
The existing schools are bursting already and an single accident on the A38 already brings Lichfield, Armitage, Fradley and other surrounding villages grind to a halt.
Putting in electric and water to the new development opposite what was the three tuns pub / cumin brought the roads to a halt a couple of weeks back.
Building without a complete infrastructure plan like schooling, shops, etc will just result in a Ghetto like the estate in Fradley, England the country famous for its greenbelt and villages and hamlets is bit by bit being destroyed, HS2 the pointless waste of billions is another example, yes why not, lets build houses so that rich business people from London can catch a train from London, have london wages and commute back to nice cheap housing in lichfield.
I say let’s give existing locals preferential purchase rights on anything that does end up being built, local housing for local people, not wealthy commuters!
Bsara … New homes bonus is being phased out so you money making assumptions are wrong. Seems to me that you are not wanting any development and that perhaps you should stick to beacon street resident issues and cease trying to be a political party, or at least come out and say you are no longer beacon street residents association but a real political party in Lichfield …
I would go even further and encourage you to field candidates at the next local elections and get elected , join the council and work positivley with it rather than constant you know better than the councils planning officers and managers. I am sad to say you still have a lot to learn about planning issues and the law
Agree with Craig about the effect of any incident on the A38 on the surrounding area.
Fradley used to be a pleasant little place, now it’s like an annex of Tamworth full of Brummies, laaarfing.
I agree with Craig, its about infrastructure, the council has been right to try and force devlopers to contribute more money to deliver new infrastructure through Section 106 planning agreements and the new Community Infrastructure Levy..
We need housing, and Lichfield cannot be any different than other towns and cities in UK. What Lichfield needs to be is smarter at ensuring new roads, schools and other essential infrastructure is provided to lessen the impact of the new housing or commercial developments
It must also be stated that Councillors appear to be refusing planning applications against officers decisions who recommend that they should approve, and then the council loosing on an appeal at an average of £30k a time.
A dreadful waste of public finance in my view…
More homes are definitely required on the “south side” of Lichfield, but it’s not that simple.
There’s a dearth of services on this side of town, the access to Wall Island hasn’t been improved by the random traffic light installation and road markings which seemed to take an inordinate amount of time, the railway bridge repairs are dragging on, forcing people to clog-up Shortbutts Lane or town routes.
There’s no petrol station, unless (again) you battle with Shortbutts Lane and no convenience store. Waitrose is reasonably handy, but the access road was very short sighted and it is restricted in its trading hours.
I don’t know who the decision rests with to go with catchment areas or school preference applications, but it is creating a diabolical situation where people are desperate to get into Christchurch/King Edwards catchment areas, hell estate agents blazon it across their adverts, as though it were the only thing to shift a property, consequently Darwin Park has seen unsustainable house price rises and lets not mention Walsall Road if you want a 3 bedroom terrace, it’ll set you back £300,000.
The Friars Gate development appears to be whistling in the wind. It takes more that cutting ribbon on banal road openings and housing development to sustain a town (Swan Road plaque, seriously what is that about – a self congratulatory plaque to open a road, opened by an official responsible for roads!)
As other learn’d contributors have mentioned ad infinitum, housing is needed, but infrastructure is desperately needed in Lichfield. When is it going to come?
I just cant understand why this is still marked as recreational land when for one it is privately owened so no public can use it and two it has not been used for decades apart from putting sheep on. We desperately need new housing in Lichfield.
More development which will inevitably produce more traffic without provision for it. Every approval for over a decade has commented that completion of the Southern Bypass will accommodate this traffic but there is no evidence that it’s going to happen. Every enquiry is meet by assurances that it will happen, but its continued failure to appear leads me to conclude that this is simply a sop to public objections.
Agree with all comments re. Infrastructure and the need for more housing. Interestingly what’s happening with the 450 houses south of Shortbutts. This will put even more pressure on the infrastructure
The 450 houses on Shortbutts lane already have outline planning consent.
In addition to the 450 homes off Shortbutts lane, the Council recently told the Local Plan public inquiry it intends putting more houses in South Lichfield, specifically 450 homes off Cricket land and another 450 on Deanslade farm.
According to Staffs County Highways dept, the impact of adding 1,350 homes (450 Shortbutts + 450 Cricket lane + 450 Deanslade farm) on the road network “will not be severe”.
@bsara @ the local planning enquiry you actually argued for more housing in fact the chairman asked you twice to repeat what you were arguing for as you have a statement that more housing was needed beyond that the local council was proposing
I really do think you should stick to beacon street and leave the planning to the wider public
The friarsgate is still on the books it’s not whistling in the wind .. The issue is the anchor store and there unhelpful stance of continually delaying the decision. Without the financial commitment of the anchor store them it’s difficult to understand how progress can be made … The blame lies firmly with the anchor store and no one else
@Mr Lichfield
I can’t picture or think who the Anchor Store is?
Darryl I think Mr Lichfield is referring to the flagship store, who will be the largest tenant in the Friarsgate development. Without a solid commitment from a big name to take this plot, then the development will remain in the planning stage. I think over the years numerous names have been mentioned, including M&S, Debenhams, John Lewis and others. I’m sure Mr Fabricant with his strong ties to the John Lewis group could very easily convince Andy Street to invest further in Lichfield.
Feedback from those attending the planning committee meeting is that the application was approved.
The school facilities in Lichfield are appalling, overcrowded, awful. We are searching for a village school to send our son. And it is no surprise that our doctors the ‘westgate’ practice have yesterday been voted amongst the worst in the UK. Too many patients overrun! We don’t need houses we need schools and hospitals..otherwise our services will be akin to third world.
Hi Liz,
BSARA can’t comment on the Westgate medical practice, but we do agree with you about the pressure faced by local GP sugeries.
In preparing for the public inquiry into the District’s Local Plan, BSARA issued a Freedom of Information request to our local NHS Healthcare Trust, the South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsular Clinical Commissioning Group. We told them that the District Council planned to deliver a MINIMUM of 4,150 new homes between 2013 and 2019, and asked them what the available capacity was in existing GP surgeries and how much would need to be invested to accommodate the expected growth in patient numbers. If you follow the link you will see that the NHS Healthcare Trust say that it “does not hold the information falling within the terms of your request“.
Despite forecasting a population that will be ageing and growing quickly, the District Council has not identified any “objectively assessed need” to expand healthcare capacity. That is why there is no provision at all in the District Council’s infrastructure delivery plan.
Please bear this in mind the next time you struggle to park at the Westgate practice or are unable to get an appointment.
Regards
BSARA