Councillors have questioned why a proposed 1,500 home development near Lichfield has not been included in a proposed list of future housing schemes.
Lichfield District Council’s draft Local Plan 2040 has outlined areas where it believes new properties should be built across the region over the next two decades.
| Strategic housing allocations | Approximate number of new homes |
| Land to the north-east of Lichfield | 3,300 |
| Land West of Fazeley | 800 |
| Land off Huddlesford Lane, Whittington | 75 |
| Land off Hay End Lane, Fradley | 500 |
Should the document be formally adopted, it would mean the sites were allocated for housebuilding going forward.
But the planned Whitemoor Lakes development on a former quarry near Alrewas is not on the list of strategic housing allocations – despite potentially supplying 1,500 homes.
Cllr Liz Little, cabinet member for major projects and economic development at Lichfield District Council, told a cabinet meeting this week that including the site would reduce the need for green belt land to be used for housing.
“I’m aware Whitemoor Lakes it’s still an extraction site and they’ve had further permission to do that for five more years – but this plan takes us up to 2040.
“Given that it is a brownfield site, why can’t we include that in this Local Plan and take the numbers out of our green belt that we are trying to protect?
“We did stand two years ago in an election where our key message was that we would protect the green belt.
“I want some reassurance we are doing that.”
Cllr Liz Little, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Iain Eadie, cabinet member responsible for the Local Plan, said that the other strategic housing allocation sites identified were “more favourable”.
“Whitemoor Lakes is not deemed to be a brownfield site because the obligations on Tarmac will be to re-green it under the current planning conditions they have from Staffordshire County Council.
“When we look at it from a sequential delivery perspective it will not come forward as early as the other four sites can which is therefore why they are more favourable and sustainable as far as we’re concerned.”
Cllr Iain Eadie, Lichfield District Council
“Extremely disappointed”
Cllr Andy Smith, cabinet member for innovation, commercialisation and corporate services, said decisions on housing locations should be based strategically on the full period until 2040 rather than the order in which sites could deliver housing.
“I still don’t quite understand why Whitemoor Lakes can’t go into this Local Plan? I understand it may take longer for the houses to come to fruition, but I’m not sure why there is the need for speed when the plan period ends in 2040?
“I’d much rather use that allocation in a much more desirable place than using somewhere in a green belt place just because we can do those quicker.
“I was extremely disappointed to see we have an allocation of 3,300 north of Eastern Avenue – Lichfield city has grown with development massively over the past 25 years and is still doing so.
“This plan is advocating 3,300 more. I’d much rather see a transfer from there to Whitemoor Lakes, which doesn’t give us a danger of linking our main conurbation onto other areas and stretching the infrastructure in Lichfield city.”
Cllr Andy Smith, Lichfield District Council
An agreement for the Whitemoor Lakes site was reached in September last year.
The development is earmarked to include a school and other community facilities.
But Cllr Eadie said the council’s aim was to expand existing residential areas rather than creating completely new ones.
“Allocating Whitemoor Lakes as well would be additional housing we don’t need to allocate.
“It’s easier and more sustainable to bring forward urban extension where it already exists.
“It would be difficult to see Whitemoor Lakes as an urban extension of Alrewas as they are separated, and always will be, by the A38 and the railway line, which is why I would view it as a new settlement location in the future when we are in a position to consider new settlements.
“Why are we going in the direction we are? Because that is the direction we as a council said we would, that is what we’ve laid out and that is what we as a cabinet have previously approved and consulted upon.”
Cllr Iain Eadie, Lichfield District Council
There appears to be a Local Plan and also Ian Eadie’s Plan.
There is a total lack of forward planning and developing infrastructure.
Wot farm man all fields gone bulling new homes government give other people’s out side uk come in uk
I would have thought this quarry would be given to the Arboretum for an extension to its present site next door to plant more TREES ? Shame that money takes precedent over our environment in Britain ?
Development plus not on green belt yes- affordable housing yes BUT infrastructure and amenities for these developments and most importantly for Lichfield city centre and its immediate housing estates is a necessity.
Keep going planners. You are doing a great job of destroying Lichfield.
As the last comment said, The Council are doing a fantastic job of destroying Lichfield. Maybe the government and the Lichfield council will be happy when Lichfield and local villages are totally destroyed, and joined up
to the West Midlands, and East Midlands. It’s an absolute disgrace!
Stop this crazy house building in and around Lichfield…we do not want it.. our councillors and MPshould be stopping this wanton destruction…not embracing it…our green and pleasant land now becomes one massive conurbation…it seems no one has the capability, wit or desire to step out of line and represent the area properly or effectively…
Many pertinent and heartfelt comments are posted on this site. Do counsellors ever get to see them? The comments are fleeting; often buried within an hour or so. Sadly, very unlike the ‘one crop’ housing estates now obliterating our countryside for all time; not, as some would have it, for essential need, but for blunt commercial reasons. Builders build then move on and build again. It is insatiable and exponential. Within the next century Lichfield will be ten times or more times larger than it is now. Largely urban sprawl.
Lichfield Civic Society have consistently argued that “tagging more development on the City ” is not the way forward if we are to protect its character. What is needed is a new free-standing settlement. The Council is turning Fradley into that by default, allowing incremental development. We need a bold vision to create a proper, sustainable free standing settlement like Whitemoor, well linked to transport corridors.
Eadie is living in cloud cuckoo land, he really is. I’m beginning to wonder if he secretly hates Lichfield, such is his intent on destroying its image and character. I can’t wait to move out. Thanks LDC. Maybe you’ll be happy when there’s not a single bit of green space left. It’s so depressing.
Guys, we’re all complaining about this, and I understand why. Indeed, I agree with most of these comments, but what is anyone actually doing about it? We need to hold our Council to account and force a reversal where that is appropriate. Why aren’t we all taking action? Why are we electing these people, people like Iain Eadie? We need to come together and form a coherent, powerful group to force a rethink on this disastrous 2040 Local Plan for our area.
Looks like LDC got the legal paperwork right first time on this occasion. Shame they didn’t manage to do that last week in Boley.