The future of Beacon Park’s golf course will be decided as part of a wider review of leisure provision across the city, council chiefs have confirmed.
More than 1,500 people responded to a Lichfield District Council consultation after proposals which could see the facility axed were drawn up.
But while local authority chiefs said the feasibility of some ideas for the land were being drawn up back in April, little detail has since emerged about the future of the course, which also features foot and disc golf.
A spokesperson for the council told Lichfield Live the Beacon Park facility was now being included as part of a broader review.
A spokesman for Lichfield District Council said:
“The council is working on a plan to invest in existing and new leisure activities across the district.
“The golf course at Beacon Park is likely to be included in that plan, which will be concluded in the coming months.”
Lichfield District Council spokesperson
The future of the course was thrown into doubt after figures revealed that the facilities were only used around 8,000 times a year – equivalent to around 20 players a day.
Alternative options such as rewinding the land or creating community gardens and orchards were among those put forward if the current use for golf was axed.
Cllr Doug Pullen, leader of Lichfield District Council, previously reassured residents that any reuse would not open the door for developers to eye up Beacon Park.
“We will absolutely not be letting anything get built on the land where the golf course is in Beacon Park.
“This is a positive opportunity to create community-led uses for what is a large portion of the park.”
Cllr Doug Pullen, Lichfield District Council
Create a leisure hub/centre here within walking distance of the city centre to feed footfall off one another, whilst complementing the existing tennis courts, bowling green, football pitches, park run paths, cafe, park offices, play area, events/playing field.
Incorporate the existing trees and wildlife into any new scheme and offset any loss by removing the exisitng cafe and offices/changing rooms into a new environmentally friendly landscaped building.
This would be a great legacy scheme for Lichfield as opposed to a leisure centre (swimming pool/ leisure centre light) out of the way.
Needs vision and determination as opposed to taking the sub optimal option.
RFW – What you said should be seriously considered. The golf course is bigger than the footprint of Friary Grange Leisure Centre. Road access could be from the Western Bypass and pedestrian and cycle access via Beacon Park. Put the car park near the bypass side and the building close to the play area and it can incorporate changing rooms and public toilets and whatever is in that building by the lake which can then be removed to open up that space.
Knowing this council, they’ll build houses on it….it’s all they seem to do.
I’m against losing any more green space when the countryside all around Lichfield is already being concreted over. This especially applies to Beacon Park. We should use Friarsgate, I see no reason why it isn’t big enough, especially given that a cinema no longer needs to be built on it. They’re going to demolish the car park and move the bus station so there’s absolutely loads of space over that area.
Beacon Park was given to THE PEOPLE OF LICHFIELD by Swinfen Broun a major benefactor and philanthropist to the city. He also gave a statue (Father Time) to the citizens which the council flogged off with some spurious intent that never materialised.
The council has a poor reputation for its building policy. Not that we shouldn’t take our share but not exceed it to the extent it has!
Lay off Cllr. Pullen. The park is for recreation not accommodation. It would be moral justice if the Swinfen estate was compensated for the lack of good faith regarding the Father Time statue. You will never be forgiven if the council steals the park.
Philip – I rarely comment on here, but I feel obliged to ask, “Have you read the article?!”
There has never been a plan to build any sort of housing on Beacon Park, this article quotes me saying “we won’t be building anything”, and yet your comment seems to suggest otherwise.
As you say – the park is for recreation, not accommodation – and I will ensure it remains that way!
I believe the bus station was part of the land donated to the children of Lichfield. The council built on it ! Expect a multi storey car park on beacon park any time soon.
@doug Pullen – The issue Doug is that this council’s record with promises and assurance isn’t great mate. I can list some of the catastrophic errors and cock ups if you like but, I’m sure you’re only too aware of them yourself.
Cllr. Pullen…. Yes I read the article before commenting, and I acknowledged you are as good as your word. How is the Friasgate site progressing?
@Doug Pullen, please do not put more residential on Friarsgate. We have an opportunity to turn that area into a leisure hub with the cinema now coming next door. Let’s be imaginative and put something on there that will draw more people into Lichfield, not just more and more residential!
Councillor Pullen.
Note Boardings are still there.
Not long until the end of 2022..
I recall you saying that their would be Noticeable Progress on the Birmingham Road Site before the end of 2022.
False promises again,
Re. Friarsgate, in January the Leader of the Council was quoted as saying “The headline for the coming 12 months is that residents will see visible progress on the Birmingham Road Site as things start happening…The good thing about democracy and accountability is that if we don’t deliver what we want to then people can vote me out. If I fail to deliver, then it’s on my shoulders.”
The bad news is that there is no visible progress. The good news is that it’s only 11th November and there are still 7 weeks before the end of the year.
From what the Council Leader says I assume that the Council has already decided that a leisure/sports centre on Beacon Park is a non starter. So much for looking at all options.
How about an outdoor theatre,like the Minack in Cornwall?
Stone steps to sit on,stone stage.
Would be great in the summer.
Open to all amateur groups to use.
@ Chris.p. The golf course is around twice the size of Stycbrook Park and currently used by a small minority of park users. It is also around the same distance from the Friary Grange as Stycbrook Park is.
Therefore by using part of the golf course for a leisure facility Stychbrook Parl would be protected, while more of Beacon Park would still become availanle for a much wider range of users than currently, whilst maintaining a much wider/better lesiure centre/hub in the same locality.
Cost savings would be one site incorporating park offices, changhing rooms, cafe, toilets into one building. Trees and wildlife to be protectd in any scheme and existing buildings removed.
Might all be on the back burner when the £35bn of budget cuts leads to mandatory unitarisation of the remaining two tier local governement in the Shires.
RFW, heard of conformational bias?
Seems our Council now have so many balls in the air, Cinama, leisure centre, replacment for multistory car park (before it falls down or becomes unsafe due to no lighting) Birmingham road site (Friarsgate) disabled parking and pedestrian only in City Centre, Beacon Park golf course and I am sure I have missed one
And what happened to the Council saying they had too much office space and considering including the area in the Birmingham Road site
If you include so many projects it confuses the issues
and clouds what we started with FRIARSGATE
Why oh why oh why has the Birmingham Road Friarsgate mess not just been grassed over & landscaped temporarily while a decision is made. How many years is it now – too many by far. Just a temporary (well, temporary by our councils standards could be another 5 years…) makeover as suggested would be such an improvement to those hideous “bling” boards I have to go past twice daily. That makeover would probably have been less expensive than those too. And it would have been less expensive than the blue bag cock up fiasco too…..